What is this?

Born in France in 1953, and ordained as a Buddhist nun in Korea in 1975, Martine Batchelor studied Son Buddhism for nine years at Songgwang Sa monastery under the guidance of the late Master Kusan Sunim.She speaks French, English and Korean, and can read Chinese characters. Martine is interested in meditation in daily life, Buddhism and social action, religion and women's issues, and Zen, its history and mythology.As well as teaching meditation retreats and workshops by herself, with Stephen she also co-leads retreats worldwide. We now cross to her live, at home, in southwest France.

What is this? Ancient questions for modern minds presents talks given by Martine and Stephen Batchelor during a Sön (Chan/Zen) retreat in England in 2016. Leading us through the practice of radical questioning at the heart of this Korean Buddhist tradition, the authors show how anyone at all can benefit from this form of radical inquiry today.These talks demonstrate clearly how a practice with origins in China a thousand years ago can meld with insights from the natural sciences, classical and modern western philosophy, Romantic poetry, and early Buddhism. The reader can use this book as a companion in facing the challenge of living a fully human life in our complex contemporary world, or as a practice manual, or both.Stephen Batchelor is a writer, teacher and artist. He trained as a Sön monk in Korea for four years. He is the author of Buddhism without beliefs, After Buddhism and, most recently, Secular Buddhism. He is a co-founder of Bodhi College.Martine Batchelor lived as a Sön nun in Korea for ten years. She is author of Meditation for life, The path of compassion, Women in Korean Zen and Let go. Her most recent book is The spirit of the Buddha.Martine and Stephen have taught at Gaia House since 1986. They live in southwest France, and conduct seminars and retreats worldwide.