Retreat in French

This is a meditation retreat held in French at Terre d'Eveil in Paris, France, led by the meditation teacher Martine Batchelor. It suits French-speaking practitioners who want to spend time in guided practice with a teacher born in France who trained for ten years as a Buddhist nun in the Korean Seon (Zen) tradition. A French-language meditation retreat in Paris is not easy to find, and this one is led by a teacher who knows both the French and the Buddhist worlds.

What to Expect

The retreat runs over two days at Terre d'Eveil and is given entirely in French. It belongs to a wider program of Buddhist retreats and teachings, and this is its French-language event in Paris. A detailed daily schedule, session times and a list of the practices have not been published, so I will not guess at them. What can be said is that the teaching comes from a teacher whose approach draws on Seon (Zen) training and on mindfulness meditation.

About Martine Batchelor

Martine Batchelor was born in France in 1953 and spent ten years as a Buddhist nun in Korea. She was ordained in 1975 and studied Seon (Zen) Buddhism under Master Kusan at Songgwang Sa monastery. Her training also took her to nunneries in Taiwan and Japan.

From 1981 she served as Kusan Sunim's interpreter, accompanying him on lecture tours in the United States and Europe, and she translated his book "The Way of Korean Zen". After his death she returned her nun's vows and came back to Europe, where she also studied mindfulness meditation.

She is the author of books on a range of subjects. They include "The Path of Compassion" on Buddhism and ethics, "Women in Korean Zen" and "Women on the Buddhist Path", "Meditation for Life" as a primer on meditation, and "The Spirit of the Buddha" as a primer on Buddhism. She has also written "Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits".

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Terre d'Eveil in Paris. It is a city setting rather than a remote one, which makes it easier to attend for people who live in or near the capital.

Before You Go

The retreat is taught in French, so a comfortable understanding of the language is needed to follow the teaching. Nothing in the program calls for previous retreat experience, and no prerequisites are listed. If you have questions about meals, what to bring or accessibility at the venue, it is best to ask the organizers directly before you travel.