Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

Susan Piver
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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. 

  1. 6D AGO

    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 coming soon. 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

  2. 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 coming soon. 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

  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Recap: The Noble Eightfold Path

    APR 17

    Recap: The Noble Eightfold Path

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I bring all eight steps of the Noble Eightfold Path together. This teaching is a way of living, not a project of self-improvement. This is about how we relate to experience and how that shapes suffering or freedom. Highlights Right ViewSeeing clearly begins in the present moment.Meditation helps us loosen our grip on thoughts and recognize we don’t truly know.What we seek arises when there is space, not through more thinking.Right IntentionIntention matters more than outcome.Pause and examine what is driving your actions.Let care for others be part of every decision.Right SpeechPractice real listening rather than simply reacting.Avoid harming self and others through your words.Ask: Is it true, beneficial, clear, and timely?Right ActionNo fixed rules, but the five precepts offer guidance.Act with care, compassion, and awareness.Letting go reduces the tendency to create more suffering.Right LivelihoodYour work is part of the path.Avoid harm and consider how you relate to others in the work you do.Integrity at work supports the spiritual journey.Right EffortRather than pushing harder, Right Effort means not giving up.Build daily patterns that supports what matters most.Include yourself and others in that commitment.Right MindfulnessNot a tool for optimization.Practice presence with precision and openness.Be with experience as it is.Right ConcentrationTrain attention by returning to a single focus.Over time, attention becomes steady and connected.Offering full attention is not separate from enlightenment.Conclusion This path isn’t linear or something to complete. It’s something to live. Test it for yourself. Bring your own intelligence to what you hear. Thoughts? You can send your questions or reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Fearless Creativity: A Meditation and Writing Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for Fearless Creativity, a meditation and writing retreat offering dedicated time for creative work alongside guided meditation and conversation. Writers of all genres and levels are welcome, with no prior meditation experience required.  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

    43 min
  6. The Noble Eightfold Path: Step Eight: Right Samadhi

    APR 3

    The Noble Eightfold Path: Step Eight: Right Samadhi

    Send us Fan Mail This week we arrive at the final step of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Samadhi, often translated as concentration or absorption. If the earlier steps help us see clearly and act with intention, this final step gathers the mind into a unified experience. Right Samadhi is not about forcing the mind to focus. It begins with learning to place attention on one thing and come back when it wanders. From there, it deepens into the ability to give your attention fully to another person. And eventually, it points beyond both of those, toward a loosening of the sense that there is a separate “you” paying attention to something else. In this episode, I explore Right Samadhi through three lenses: foundational, relational, and transformational. Highlights What Right Samadhi actually means beyond “concentration”Why the ability to focus is becoming rare and why it mattersMeditation as training attentionAttention as the basis of loveWhat it means to truly listen to another personThe challenge of stepping outside self-focused attentionThe possibility of awareness without a subject or objectRight Samadhi as the culmination of the Noble Eightfold PathMusic After Party This week I share “Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears” by A Winged Victory for the Sullen. You can also listen here. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is coming soon. Thoughts? You can send your questions or reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Get your copy of The Buddhist Enneagram From March 10 – April 10, you can receive 30% off the new physical edition of The Buddhist Enneagram when you order directly from Shambhala Publications. Use code ENNEAGRAM30 at checkout. If this book has been on your reading list, or if you know someone who might benefit from this perspective on the Enneagram, this is a great time to pick up a copy. Buy yours here. If you’d like a free chapter, sign up for my weekly meditation newsletter here. Fearless Creativity: A Meditation and Writing Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for Fearless Creativity, a meditation and writing retreat offering dedicated time for creative work alongside guided meditation and conversation. Writers of all genres and levels are welcome, with no prior meditation experience 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

    25 min
  7. The Noble Eightfold Path: Step Seven: Right Mindfulness

    MAR 27

    The Noble Eightfold Path: Step Seven: Right Mindfulness

    Send us Fan Mail This week we explore Right Mindfulness, the seventh step of the Noble Eightfold Path. While the earlier steps shape how we see and act in the world, this step turns us inward again, toward our direct experience. Right Mindfulness is not about self-improvement or optimization. It is a way of relating to the mind as it is. Through meditation, we begin to see that thoughts are not a problem to solve, but something to notice, release, and return from, again and again. In this episode, I explore Right Mindfulness through three qualities that arise in practice: precision, openness, and spaciousness. Highlights Why mindfulness is not a tool for fixing yourselfThe simple meditation formula: notice, let go, come back, begin againWhy thoughts are not the problemPrecision as the foundation of practiceOpenness to allowing experience to be as it isSpaciousness for the true nature of mindThe shift from identifying with thoughts to recognizing awareness itself Music After Party This week I share “I Won’t Cry” by Doug Sahm, a true Texas legend.  You can also listen here. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is coming soon. Thoughts? You can send your questions or reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Get your copy of The Buddhist Enneagram From March 10 – April 10, you can receive 30% off the new physical edition of The Buddhist Enneagram when you order directly from Shambhala Publications. Use code ENNEAGRAM30 at checkout. If this book has been on your reading list, or if you know someone who might benefit from this perspective on the Enneagram, this is a great time to pick up a copy. Buy yours here. If you’d like a free chapter, sign up for my weekly meditation newsletter here. Fearless Creativity: A Meditation and Writing Retreat  Join me at Drala Mountain Center in the Colorado Rockies for Fe 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. MAR 20

    The Noble Eightfold Path: Step Six: Right Effort

    Send us Fan Mail This week we explore Right Effort, the sixth step of the Noble Eightfold Path. While the earlier steps guide how we understand reality and how we act in the world, Right Effort begins to turn inward. It concerns how we work with our own mind and inner life. Right Effort does not mean pushing harder or forcing yourself to improve. It begins with a commitment not to give up on yourself. From there, it becomes a practice of directing your energy wisely, caring for your inner world, and recognizing that even difficult states of mind can contain seeds of wisdom. In this episode, I explore Right Effort through three lenses: foundational, relational, and transformational. Highlights Why Right Effort is not about striving or pushing yourselfA personal story about learning not to give up on myselfThe role of daily structure in supporting what truly mattersHow meditation helps us reclaim agency over our attentionThe effort required to remember our shared humanityWhat it means to “look deeply” at difficult emotionsHow anger, desire, anxiety, and spaciness can contain seeds of wisdom Music After Party For the after party, I share a short song called Regular Rabbit by Stephen Spencer. He writes songs based on stories told by his young daughter, and they capture something simple and reassuring about being human. This one brings me joy every time I hear it. You can also listen here. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. Thoughts? You can send your questions or reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Get your copy of The Buddhist Enneagram From March 10 – April 10, you can receive 30% off the new physical edition of The Buddhist Enneagram when you order directly from Shambhala Publications. Use code ENNEAGRAM30 at checkout. If this book has been on your reading list, or if you know someone who might benefit from this perspective on the Enneagram, this is a great time to pick up a copy. Buy yours 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

    30 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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