Martine Batchelor

Martine Batchelor is a meditation teacher who spent ten years as a Buddhist nun in Korea. Born in France in 1953, 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. "Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits" addresses difficult habit patterns, and her latest book is "What is this? Ancient questions for Modern Minds". Today she writes articles, especially on mindfulness of feeling tones.

Martine teaches meditation, mindfulness and compassion, and is on the faculty of Bodhi College. She has also taught at Gaia House, and she took part in the Silver Santé Study, which taught meditation, mindfulness and compassion to seniors in France to see whether it could prevent ageing decline. People often describe her teaching as practical and precise, seemingly simple but deep. She is interested in what works for people and in helping them develop their creative potential for wisdom and compassion, for themselves and others. She speaks French, English and Korean, is interested in photography and art, and follows the Buddhist tradition of not charging for teachings. She now teaches mainly in Europe.