Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

Susan Piver
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Buddhism

Buddhism Beyond Belief is a podcast from Susan Piver, a 30 year student of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Open Heart Project, an online meditation community with close to 20000 members.With Susan as a friend and guide, we will look at traditional teachings like the four noble truths and the six paramitas–but not from an academic standpoint. Rather, we will talk about how to make it all personal and relevant in everyday life. This podcast is not about Buddhist doctrine. It’s about how anyone can bring the profound wisdom of the dharma into their real life: at home, at work, and in love. The foundation for it all is meditation as a spiritual practice, not the latest life hack. Let’s go beyond the science and celebrity testimonials to discover the true power of meditation which is not based in self-improvement but in self-discovery. 

  1. 6d ago

    We Dream on Behalf of Others: Presence, Agency, and Staying Sane

    Send us Fan Mail This 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 conspiracy theory-y! It just seems obvious that a lot of money is being spent to capture attention spans as so much consumerist fodder. What could possibly go wrong?! Besides everything!  In this episode, I talk about the importance of maintaining sovereignty over your inner world, in no small part because it enables you to keep dreaming…visioning…imagining…remaining connected to what is possible–not as a means of escaping reality but of laying the ground for creating a new reality, one that includes decency, sanity, and care for others.  There are many who simply cannot dream right now, and for very understandable reasons. Many are under siege. Homeless. Hungry. Living in a fire of rage.  Right now, we are able to dream. This may not always be so, but while it is, we could dream on everyone’s behalf. Because what we cannot imagine, we cannot build.   Highlights: In the Heart Sutra, the Buddha's meditative absorption stirs a student, Sariputra, to ask an important question.Because none of us is truly separate, your practice affects everyone around you.Plenty of beings cannot dream right now because they are besieged, hungry, sick, or without a home, so the rest of us can hold dreams for them.If we cannot dream something, we cannot build it, and there are forces that would rather their dreams of money and power become ours. Don’t do it!!Meditation is how I keep my own mind: I notice a thought, call it a thought, and come back to the the present.Listener question From Kim, a parent who wants to stay informed for the sake of conversation with her children, but is deeply disturbed by all the things happening in  2026 America.. Send your questions or reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Music  "A Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins, a mid-90s hit I love for its weird, fuzzy guitar tone. Idiosyncratic guitar playing FTW. My new book is now available Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom.  Learn more and buy your copy here. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is coming soon. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Come practice with me at Drala Mountain Center, up in the Colorado Rockies, for a retreat on the bodhisattva path: what it takes to live with real courage and an open heart in the middle of our ordinary, chaotic, beautiful lives. We'll talk honestly about how to recognize and rouse basic sanity right where we already are. Everyone's welcome, and you don't need any prior meditation experience. Learn more and register. If this one meant something to you  Please subscribe, leave a rating or review, and/or send it to someone who's curious about meditation, spiritual practice, or the Buddhist path. Or just feeling better, really. Free meditations: my free weekly newsletter  Come be in community: the Open Heart Project sangha  More about all of it: openheartproject.com If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    25 min

  2. Jun 12

    The Inexplicable Magic of Cleaning Up After Yourself

    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 principle from Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics: We Clean Up After Ourselves. I also answer a listener's question about why the Buddha described friendship, not as helpful along the way, but as the way. And for the podcast after party, we check in with the great Ini Kamoze.  Highlights Why caring for your environment is a spiritual practiceHow the "container principle" shapes meditation and daily lifeWhat it means to clean up after yourself — in your space and in your relationshipsRepairing small moments of disconnectionWhy the Buddha taught that spiritual friendship is the whole of the pathThe role of sangha in practiceMusic Listen to "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Ini Kamoze and tell me you somehow remained seated.  Mentioned in this podcast: Fake Buddha Quotes My new book is now available Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom.  Learn more and buy your copy here. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Send me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. New 7-Day Program Starts June 14th Seven Days of Inexplicable Magic is a chance to immerse yourself in post-meditation practice, aka the rest of your life. What happens when practice follows you into your relationships, home life, bill-paying, creative pursuits? Together, we will find out.. The program follows the arc of my new book, and I'm co-leading it with my friend, Crystal Gandrud. Come find out more. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Come practice with me at Drala Mountain Center, up in the Colorado Rockies, for a retreat on the bodhisattva path: what it takes to live with real courage and an open heart in the middle of our ordinary, chaotic, beautiful lives. We'll talk honestly about how to recognize and rouse basic sanity right where we already are. Everyone's welcome, and you don't need any prior meditation experience. Learn more and register. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    28 min

  3. Jun 5

    The Importance of Spiritual Boundaries

    Send us Fan Mail The 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 self-protection. In this episode, I explore the fourth principle from my new book, Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics: We Are Boundaried. I discuss healthy boundaries, the importance of relying on teachers who can introduce you to your own wisdom (not theirs alone), and a traditional teaching called the Seven Treasures that help us establish protection, agency, and trust in our knowing. Highlights • Why boundaries matter • Meditation as ground, path, and fruition • The three qualities cultivated through practice: compassion, clarity, and courage • Three teachers: outer, inner, and secret • The line between a community that supports you and one that seeks to take you over • The Seven Treasures as a framework for protection and self-trust • A listener's question about progress in meditation, and where to actually look for signs your practice is working Music For the after party I'm playing "Who Do You Love" by Bo Diddley. It's deep and full of swagger, from one of the true original rockers.Have a listen. My new book is now available Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which go counter to conventional wisdom.  Learn more and buy your copy here. Watch this episode on video  If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Send me your questions:  You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. New 7-Day Program A new 7-day programSeven Days of Inexplicable Magic is an immersion into what happens when practice gets off the cushion and into the rest of your life. It follows the arc of the new book, and I'm co-leading it with my friend, Crystal Gandrud.Come find out more. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Come practice with me at Drala Mountain Center, up in the Colorado Rockies, for a retreat on the bodhisattva path: what it takes to live with real courage and an open heart in the middle of our ordinary, chaotic, beautiful lives. We'll talk honestly about how to recognize and rouse basic sanity right where we already are. Everyone's welcome, and you don't need any experience to come.Learn more and register. Learn more and register here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    34 min

  4. May 29

    The Wisdom of a Broken Heart

    Send us Fan Mail In 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 thoughts on heartbreak as a path of awakening, the connection between heartbreak and compassion, and why meditation with eyes open benefits everyday life. Highlights: • Why meditation makes you feel more, not less • The connection between heartbreak and awakening • Softening toward yourself as the root of compassion • Why vulnerability is part of the spiritual path • Reestablishing agency when the mind runs wild • The difference between looking to receive love and looking to offer it • How awareness “cuts through” during meditation • Why I teach meditation with eyes open Music After Party I talk about the song “Dark End of the Street” by James Carr and why it remains one of the most heartbreaking songs about longing and love ever recorded. Also from me on Buddhism and heartbreak: The Wisdom of a Broken Heart Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Send me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. New Book & New Program For more on the topic of meditation and heartbreak, please look for my new book, Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, out June 1. It explores meditation not as self-improvement, but as a spiritual path rooted in ritual, heartbreak, creativity, vulnerability, and awakening in everyday life. You’re also invited to join Seven Days of Inexplicable Magic, an immersive program exploring how meditation practice can move beyond the cushion and into every aspect of your life. Learn more here. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for a meditation retreat exploring the bodhisattva path and what it means to live with courage, compassion, and clarity in everyday life. Through guided meditation, teachings, and conversation, we’ll reflect on how to recognize and express basic sanity in the midst of our actual lives. All are welcome, and no prior meditation experience is required. Learn more and register here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    27 min

  5. May 22

    The Way is Personal

    Send us Fan Mail In 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 transformation begins by turning toward our experience with curiosity, courage, and love.  I also answer a listener question about non-duality, discuss why it may be impossible to “understand” intellectually, and share thoughts on how wisdom comes to us through openness rather than effort. Highlights Why difficult personal experiences are often the doorway into creativity, insight, and connectionThe transformative power of being witnessed and deeply heardHow teachings on egolessness can become confused with shame or self-rejectionWhy your suffering, brilliance, confusion, and history are part of the spiritual path“What you seek does not come from you. It comes to you.”How ritual creates receptivity in meditation practiceWhy spiritual practice does not remove heartbreak, but changes our relationship to itNon-duality and why it may be experienced rather than understoodMusic After Party I share my love of 1980s reggae and dancehall through Wayne Smith’s “Under Mi Sleng Teng,” a track that helped transform reggae music through its groundbreaking digital riddim. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Send me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for a meditation retreat exploring the bodhisattva path and what it means to live with courage, compassion, and clarity in everyday life. Through guided meditation, teachings, and conversation, we’ll reflect on how to recognize and express basic sanity in the midst of our actual lives. All are welcome, and no prior meditation experience is required. Learn more and register here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    31 min

  6. May 15

    Ritual Sustains Spiritual Practice

    Send us Fan Mail In 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, Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics: We engage in daily ritual. Through the Buddhist teaching of the three jewels, Buddha, dharma, and sangha, I explore how wakefulness, contemplation, and community create the conditions for practice to truly take root. Highlights Why meditation retreats can unlock creativity, focus, and flowHow structure and repetition create a container for spiritual practiceThe first principle of Inexplicable Magic: we engage in daily ritualBuddha as wakefulness itself, not just a historical figureDharma as reflection, contemplation, and connection to wisdomWhy community, or sangha, is essential for sustaining practiceWhat really happens when meditation becomes difficult or boringSimple ways to bring the three jewels into daily lifeMusic After Party I share “Uncloudy Day” by The Staple Singers, featuring the extraordinary guitar playing of Pops Staples and the unforgettable voice of Mavis Staples.  Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Send me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for a meditation retreat exploring the bodhisattva path and what it means to live with courage, compassion, and clarity in everyday life. Through guided meditation, teachings, and conversation, we’ll reflect on how to recognize and express basic sanity in the midst of our actual lives. All are welcome, and no prior meditation experience is required. Learn more and register here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    20 min

  7. May 8

    Starting Over: Meditation for Mystics

    Send us Fan Mail In 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 waking up, opening fully to life, and discovering a freedom that goes far beyond conventional thought. I share seven core principles from my upcoming book Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics that challenge the self-improvement framing of practice. Highlights: Meditation is not a tool to fix what’s broken. We begin from wholeness, not deficiency.Practice is rooted in ritualThe personal is not the problemTurning toward sorrow opens the door to real compassionBoundaries are part of spiritual lifeCleaning up your environment strengthens your inner lifeWe practice for others, not just ourselvesLive as a mystic in everyday lifeThe middle way is not a compromise but a lived reality beyond rigid frameworks and extremesThis episode is an invitation to look at meditation’s deeper proposition.  Mentioned in this episode:  The Middle Way: To learn more, please check out our episode #5. Send me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for a meditation retreat exploring the bodhisattva path and what it means to live with courage, compassion, and clarity in everyday life. Through guided meditation, teachings, and conversation, we’ll reflect on how to recognize and express basic sanity in the midst of our actual lives. All are welcome, and no prior meditation experience is required. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    32 min
  8. Do Buddhists Pray?

    May 1

    Do Buddhists Pray?

    Send us Fan Mail Here 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 Open Heart Project sangha: do Buddhists pray? If so, to whom? In a non-theistic tradition, rather than being directed toward an external deity, prayer becomes a way of relating to awareness itself. The images, rituals, and expressions of devotion are not about reaching for something outside us, but about connecting to the wisdom, compassion, and courage already present. In this episode, I explore prayer as communion rather than asking, and how everyday acts of attention, care, and listening can deepen our relationship with the divine. Highlights What it means that Buddhism is non-theisticWhy you can practice meditation without adopting a belief systemBuddhist deities as reflections of your own wisdom mindPrayer as communion rather than petitionEveryday life as an expression of prayerListening, presence, and awareness as the heart of practiceSend me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for a meditation retreat exploring the bodhisattva path and what it means to live with courage, compassion, and clarity in everyday life. Through guided meditation, teachings, and conversation, we’ll reflect on how to recognize and express basic sanity in the midst of our actual lives. All are welcome, and no prior meditation experience is required. Learn more and register here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at info@susanpiver.com Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

    17 min
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Buddhism Beyond Belief is a podcast from Susan Piver, a 30 year student of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Open Heart Project, an online meditation community with close to 20000 members.With Susan as a friend and guide, we will look at traditional teachings like the four noble truths and the six paramitas–but not from an academic standpoint. Rather, we will talk about how to make it all personal and relevant in everyday life. This podcast is not about Buddhist doctrine. It’s about how anyone can bring the profound wisdom of the dharma into their real life: at home, at work, and in love. The foundation for it all is meditation as a spiritual practice, not the latest life hack. Let’s go beyond the science and celebrity testimonials to discover the true power of meditation which is not based in self-improvement but in self-discovery. 

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