Martine Batchelor will be in Australia towards the end of this year and she is holding two special 1-day workshops in November. Each workshop stands on its own, but they are also complementary as a pair. Outlines for the two workshops are as follows:

Sat 25th - Knowing How it feels: Mindfulness of Feeling Tone
During this daylong we will explore mindfulness of feeling tones, which is the second foundation of the practice of mindulness. First I will look at the different aspects of mindfulness. Then I will present feeling tones (vedana) and how to be mindful of them. The Pali term vedana refers to the affective tone of experience. When we come into contact through one of our six senses with the environment, we experience a pleasant, unpleasant or neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling tone. It is important to see that feeling tones are constructed, they are not a given, they do not reside in the object we come in contact with. It is vital to be aware of feeling tones as they arise extremely fast and have a profound impact on our behavior.

Sun 26th - Creatively Engaging with strong emotions through the lenses of the 3 characteristics
The three central insights into impermanence, dukkha and not-self offer powerful doorways to connect us with a sense of stability, well-being, and confidence. They can help us towards a search for balance in challenging times as we explore them in meditation practice and in the light of our own life situation.

The Teacher: MARTINE BATCHELOR lived in Korea as a Seon nun under the guidance of Master Kusan for ten years. She is the author of Meditation for Life, The Path of Compassion, Women in Korean Zen and Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits. She teaches meditation retreats worldwide and lives in France. Her latest works are the The Spirit of the Buddha, What is this? Ancient Question for modern minds and The Definition, Practice and Psychology of Vedana. Recently she has been involved with the Silver Sante Study, teaching meditation, mindfulness and compassion to seniors in France to see if this could prevent ageing decline.

When 10am to 4pm each day - Saturday 25th November and Sunday 26th November.

Cost: Each workshop separately costs $65 for the day, or you can attend both workshops for $105.
There will also be an opportunity to show your appreciation to Martine at the end of each workshop through the giving of Dana.

Location: The Buddhist Library is located at 90-92 Church St, Camperdown NSW 2050.
The library is readily accessible by public transport - from Central Station you can catch one of many buses (routes 438 / 412 being two examples) for a short trip up Parramatta Rd, getting off close to the intersection of Missenden Rd as you reach the end of the main Sydney Uni campus. From there it is a 5-8 min walk to the Library.
Parking is limited in the area around the Buddhist Library so you are encouraged to allow time to find a park if you are travelling by car.
Please note that access to the Buddhist Library is up one level via a flight of stairs and is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.

Format: The workshop will consist of Dharma talks, discussion periods, and meditation sessions.
Attendees can choose to attend online or in person. There are only a limited number of places available for in person attendance however.
Those attending online will be able to be both seen and heard by everyone when speaking during the discussion sessions - the online session will be projected onto a large screen in the library, and the zoom audio will also be audible to all onsite attendees.

Chairs and cushions will be available onsite for use during the workshops.

Refreshments:
Water, tea, coffee and biscuits will be available for onsite attendees. Please bring something with you that you can eat for lunch however as there is very little in the way of cafes etc in the area that will be open, especially on Sunday.

Contact the host of Martine Batchelor Workshops - Nov 2023