MARTINE BATCHELOR is a French lay Dhamma teacher. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in Korea in 1975, and studied Zen Buddhism under the guidance of the late Master Kusan at Songgwang Sa monastery until 1984. Her Zen training also took her to nunneries in Taiwan and Japan. From 1981 she served as Kusan Sunim's interpreter and accompanied him on lecture tours throughout the United States and Europe. She returned to Europe with her husband, Stephen, in 1985 and was a member of the Sharpham North Community in Devon, England for six years. She worked as a lecturer and spiritual counsellor both at Gaia House and elsewhere in Britain. She was also involved in interfaith dialogue and was a Trustee of the International Sacred Literature Trust until 2000. She is now living in the south of France, and leads meditation retreats in various parts of the world, either alone or with Stephen. Her approach is concerned with in meditation in daily life, Buddhism and social action, religion , women's issues and ecology. She is the author of many books, among which 'Meditation for Life' , and ‘Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits’. Her latest book is ‘The Spirit of the Buddha’.