Q: What is zen?

A: What do you mean? Zen can refer to a Buddhist historical school founded in China, which also developed in Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It can also describe a variety of Buddhist practices. It can express a sense of aesthetic and in France, it just means ‘cool’! Zen in its simplest form means meditation practice, just sitting or questioning asking “What is this?”

Q: For someone just new to zen. How should they approach zen practice?

A: Why do they want to do zen practice? If they want to meditate, I would keep it simple, watch the breath, be aware of sounds without grasping or rejecting or ask repeatedly “What is this?” The important thing is to try to sit still for 10 minutes on a cushion on the floor or on a chair, trying to find a relatively comfortable posture with the back straight and the eyes half-open not fixing anything and try to be focused, open and present without fighting thoughts nor being overwhelmed by them. Try to sit as stable as a mountain and as open as an ocean.

Q: You teach koans. If a koan cannot truly be answered then what's the whole point?

A: In the Korean Seon tradition the point is to develop a sensation of questioning which is stable and clear and to learn to be with unknowing. In time this will help you to develop creative awareness which will enable you to be creatively engaged in your daily life.

Q: In the back of the mind there is bound to be an anticipation of a "When will I get the A-HA moment?" building up. How can we work with that?

A: Over times meditation experiences can happen. At a basic level there can be a feeling of releasing or degrasping; at times one can feel quiet and clear, or one might have an insight or a mystical experience. If it happens, just be with it. It will generally not last very long. The main effect is more subtle; it is a slight releasing each time we meditate of the tense feeling of being ‘me’, identified with a thought, a feeling, a sensation, a problem, etc.

Q: When meditating how can we stop the mind from being distracted or being lazy?

A: One has to cultivate effortless effort, trying not too hard nor too little. The important thing is to come back as often as possible to sitting there, to being with the experience in that moment. One needs to cultivate meditation instead of checking on one’s meditation. Just try to focus on the breath, the sounds or the question as best as you can considering your energy and your conditions. Sometimes it might be better to do walking meditation.

Q: How can one bring forth a great doubt or a great zeal that is necessary for koan work?

A: Just questioning without expectations can work. Remembering that our life rests upon a single breath can help too, the aspiration to wisdom and compassion and degrasping can be inspiring.

Q: What is your fondest memory of your teacher Master Kusan?

A: Just the two of us picking off blackened barley heads in the field together and him asking me time to time difficult zen questions I had no way of answering.

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Martine Batchelor, author of "Meditation for Life," was a Zen nun in Korea for ten years. She teaches meditation worldwide. Her website is www.martinebatchelor.org.