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About the Author

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. Stephen Batchelor is a writer and teacher known for his secular approach to Buddhism. Born in 1953, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of twenty and spent ten years training in the Tibetan Geluk and Korean Sŏn orders. Since disrobing he has been engaged in a critical exploration of Buddhism's role in the modern world, which has earned him both condemnation as a heretic and praise as a reformer. In particular, he regards Buddhism as an evolving culture of awakening, not a system of unchanging doctrines, and considers some traditional Buddhist concepts such as rebirth and karma to be relics of ancient Indian civilisation rather than essential teachings. Since 1986, he has taught at Gaia House meditation centre in Devon, England. In 2015 he co-founded Bodhi College, a European educational project dedicated to the understanding and application of early Buddhism. He travels worldwide to lecture and lead retreats.