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Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

Susan Piver 63 Episodes Jul 24, 2026

Buddhism Beyond Belief is a podcast hosted by Susan Piver, a longtime student of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Open Heart Project meditation community. The show explores traditional Buddhist teachings like the four noble truths and six paramitas, but focuses on making them personally relevant for everyday life. It emphasizes meditation as a spiritual practice for self-discovery rather than self-improvement, moving beyond scientific studies and celebrity endorsements.

Episodes

How Do You Help Someone Who is Dying?
How Do You Help Someone Who is Dying? Jul 24, 2026 1003 Send us Fan MailThis is a shorter episode, recorded while my family and I accompany my mother through hospice care. I reflect on an instruction I received when I first learned to meditate: resting more fully on the out breath than the in breath. As I prepare to be with my mother at the end of her life, that instruction has taken on new meaning. I share a few experiences that have shaped how I unde
What is Emptiness?
What is Emptiness? Jul 17, 2026 1913 Send us Fan MailWhat does "emptiness" actually mean in Buddhism? It is one of the most misunderstood teachings, often taken to mean nothingness or the absence of meaning. In this episode, I discuss emptiness through the Zen koan "Mu," a personal story of heartbreak, and the Buddhist understanding that we are not separate from one another. Rather than pointing to a void, emptine
Four Reminders that Deepen Spiritual Practice
Four Reminders that Deepen Spiritual Practice Jul 10, 2026 1639 Send us Fan MailThis week I share one of the central teachings in Tibetan Buddhist practice: the Four Reminders that turn the mind toward the dharma. I had a recent conversation with Lama Sonam Rinpoche who said to me multiple times in the course of a few hour conversation: there is no more important teaching than this. In this episode, I try to offer some insights into why a great Lama might say
How to Live as a Mystic
How to Live as a Mystic Jul 3, 2026 1710 Send us Fan MailIt’s episode 60! A perfect place to reach a summation of my new book, Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics which posits that meditation is not about becoming a better version of yourself. It is a spiritual practice that opens you to the three qualities of the awakened mind: wisdom, compassion, and power. How do these qualities arise from sitting there, doing “nothing”? All I
We Dream on Behalf of Others: Presence, Agency, and Staying Sane
We Dream on Behalf of Others: Presence, Agency, and Staying Sane Jun 19, 2026 1488 Send us Fan MailThis episode picks up on the sixth principle of spiritual practice from my new book, Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics: We Dream on Behalf of Others. Meditation protects our minds from the incessant barrage of those who seek our attention, whether for good or, most probably, for ill. Great forces are vying for agency over your thoughts right now. I hope that doesn’t sound
The Inexplicable Magic of Cleaning Up After Yourself
The Inexplicable Magic of Cleaning Up After Yourself Jun 12, 2026 1700 Send us Fan Mail“The first rule of magic is containment,” said the great Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and many other books. This points to the idea that the world we live in changes the way our minds and hearts work. The more uplifted our world, beginning with our actual home, the more potency we have in our spiritual quest. Why? It’s magic?  In this episode, I explore the fifth princ
The Importance of Spiritual Boundaries
The Importance of Spiritual Boundaries Jun 5, 2026 2028 Send us Fan MailThe spiritual path asks you to open up, and the more you do so, the more you feel everything: your tenderness, things you’ve been avoiding, your deepest longings. It’s important to stay open to all of this but being open takes judgment. I know people say you shouldn’t judge but I say, hell yes, you’ve got to judge. The deepening vulnerability of the journey requires discernment and
The Wisdom of a Broken Heart
The Wisdom of a Broken Heart May 29, 2026 1627 Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I explore one of the most persistent misunderstandings about meditation: that it is supposed to make you feel better. From my experience, meditation does not numb heartbreak or smooth out emotional life. It opens us more fully to our experience. I talk about why vulnerability is not a failure of practice, but a sign that something real is happening. I also share th
The Way is Personal
The Way is Personal May 22, 2026 1857 Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I reflect on a recent meditation and writing retreat where participants explored grief, heartbreak, violence, loss, and the experiences that shape us most deeply. I talk about why the personal is not an obstacle to spiritual practice but the very material of the path itself. I explore how teachings on egolessness can become distorted into self-erasure, and why real
Ritual Sustains Spiritual Practice
Ritual Sustains Spiritual Practice May 15, 2026 1212 Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I explore why spiritual practice becomes sustainable through ritual, not force. I share the story of a month-long meditation retreat where I discovered an unexpected sense of ease in both meditation and writing, and how that experience led me to begin teaching meditation and writing retreats myself. I also introduce the first principle from my new book, Inexplicabl
Starting Over: Meditation for Mystics
Starting Over: Meditation for Mystics May 8, 2026 1912 Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I reflect on a recent conversation in the Open Heart Project sangha about scientific research on meditation. Yes, meditation can improve brain function and mood. But if we stop there, we may miss the point.There’s a much older, deeper body of “research” drawn from lived experience over thousands of years. Meditation is not just about feeling better. It’s about waki
Do Buddhists Pray?
Do Buddhists Pray? May 1, 2026 1024 Send us Fan MailHere is a new episode after an unexpected pause. I’m moving to a new house and that has stirred disorientation, emotional complexity, and a break from familiar patterns. The truth is, I just didn’t know if I had anything of use to say. Also, I was in a bad mood? Needy! It happens! It turns out that this unsettled place provided a good context to consider a question raised in our Op

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