After a summer of extreme heat, drought and fire, we may well enter the autumn wondering how to manage the grief at our fragile and collapsing ecology. Taking the title An Open Heart in Hell from Nick Mulvey’s recent song “Prayer of my Own“, we’ll use this session to honour the pains of the heart without getting swallowed up by them, and will reflect on wisdom, fearlessness and love amidst the deepening crises of our world.
With Martin Aylward recorded on September 4, 2022.
Found our teachings useful? Help us continue our work and support your teachers with a donation. Here’s how.
Discussion
One thought on “An Open Heart in Hell”
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
-
2026: Where to Now? Dharma Practice in Times of Crisis
Recorded :
January 18, 2026 As we enter a year marked by global uncertainty, collective grief, and profound transition, many wonder: How do we practice now? We’ll explore how Dharma can serve as a living refuge, not as withdrawal from the world, but as a steady ground for clarity, compassion, and ethical response. And how response to suffering, our own…
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Nathan Glyde – Week of July 18, 2022
This week’s topic is Perfectly Imperfect. “True perfection seems imperfect, yet is perfectly itself.” – Lao Tzu. Expecting life to be perfect is stressful: a beautiful goal like “getting it right” prevents us from developing when it morphs into “never getting anything wrong.” The non-harming noble-truths path of the Dharma may arouse perfectionism, but if carefully followed, can set us free from such entrapment.
-
Illness, death, urgency and love.
Recorded :
February 5, 2017 Yes, the Buddha repeatedly recommended that each of us contemplate our own aging, illness and death. But what gap do you feel between an abstract contemplation and the actuality of this fragile and limited life? With death rolling in like a mountain, quickly and from all sides, do you feel any samvega, or sense of…
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of December 14, 2020
We’re fortunate that Martin Aylward has generously offered to lead our daily meditation sessions for Europe and the UK this week. To find out more about Martin, and view his other recordings on the platform, click here.
-
Finding Wholeness & Healing Within Heartbreak
Recorded :
March 1, 2026 Heartbreak is inevitable, yet reconciliation isn’t always possible. Rashid’s session offers a path toward healing when face-to-face forms of reconciliation fall short or aren’t accessible. Through one of Rashid’s new practices, with guided visualization and contemplative work, participants explore how to tend internal wounds, honor grief, and reclaim wholeness—even without external resolution. Within a loving…
-
The Monastery has Come to Us: Working with Thoughts and Emotions to Fuel Our Awakening in a Demanding Time
Recorded :
September 27, 2020 We’re in uncharted territory. Each day brings new shocks and challenges. How is it possible to respond with flexibility, kindness, and wisdom? Together we will get through this. Let’s practice a meditation strategy to weather (and even transcend) the ups and downs and support each other through this intense time.
-
Clarity, Presence and Love: Both on and off the Cushion
Recorded :
October 19, 2025 How to meet the world’s joys and crises, alongside our deepening practice? Learn from the examples of Buddhist teachers and activists who engage with the world and create change from the presence, clarity and love of a dedicated dharma practice. Portraits of people and organisations:Dr A. T. Ariyaratne (1931 – 2024) and the Sarvodaya movementJoe…
-
The Body as a Gateway to Peace
Recorded :
May 31, 2026 Transform your relationship with the body. When we move beyond perceiving the body as merely a possession or a dense, fixed object, our experience of reality shifts. Experience how dropping the attention from the conditioned mind into the true nature of the body is a gateway to the heart of awareness. Here we discover the…
Thank you Martin.. This practice has been helpful. . Opening the heart ……today, I experienced my own decomposition… Embracing imperfection..Rosie