Alexandre Jollien

Alexandre was born with a cerebral palsy in 1975 in Switzerland. He spent 17 years in a care center where he met suffering, solitude, but overall solidarity and joy. His quest for freedom started there. Against the medical advice, he decided to study and got a Masters degree in Philosophy. Alexandre is a father of 3 children, Victorine, Céleste and Augustin. With his wife, they all spent 3 years in Seoul, South Korea where they learnt the practice of Zen meditation in dialogue with the teachings of the gospels. Alexandre’s main sources are Socrates, Spinoza, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Meister Eckhart and Trungpa. He is focused on trying to build a philosophy for everyday, an art of life composed by spiritual exercises. Jollien wrote several books, including 3 with Matthieu Ricard such as “Freedom for All of Us” and “In Quest of Freedom”. Thanks to Matthieu Ricard, Jollien discovered Chogyam Trungpa and it was a revelation for him. In particular, the master gives a beautiful way to embody wisdom in the everyday life. Too often, spirituality is confined to a self-help process. But with Trungpa, we are all invited to build an “enlightened” society.