Claim OwnershipBuddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver
Subscribed: 16Played: 146
Subscribe
© 2025 Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver
Description
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.
25 Episodes
Reverse
In this episode, I dive into the fourth of the six paramitas, or transcendent actions, from the classical Buddhist teachings: exertion. If you’ve been following along with our exploration of the first three—generosity, discipline, and patience—you’ll know these aren’t lofty ideals but practical ways to bring dharma off the cushion and into real life. Here, we go deep into what exertion really means. Spoiler: it’s not about trying harder. I talk about what makes exertion so powerful, what gets...
In this episode, I move on in our exploration of the Six Paramitas (“transcendent actions”) to the third paramita: patience. There is a common misconception that patience means tolerating bad behavior or remaining silent in the face of harm. Instead, patience is a profound and active spiritual practice that can help us transcend aggression and stay present with reality as it unfolds. Drawing on classical Buddhist teachings and a personal story about losing my temper in traffic, I talk a...
This week we continue our exploration of the Six Paramitas (or Transcendent Actions)—the Buddhist teachings on how to go beyond suffering and confusion into wakefulness, compassion, and liberation. I talked about the first paramita, Generosity, in a previous episode. Now we look at the second: Discipline. This isn’t the harsh, rigid discipline of making yourself do things you don’t want to do. Here, discipline is a joyful, courageous return to presence—a practice of continuously coming back t...
In this episode, I explore a little-known yet profoundly practical Buddhist teaching: The Seven Riches of the Universal Monarch. I warmly invite you to look beyond the modern view of mindfulness as merely a stress-relief tool; rather, consider your practice as a transformative lens on how to live fully, wisely, and with meaning. Drawing from classical Buddhist teachings, my own seminary training, and over 30 years of personal practice, I share how these "seven riches" can serve as guiding pri...
This episode starts off a new series on the Six Paramitas (Transcendent Actions). Focusing on the first paramita: generosity, I share how this quality—often misunderstood as mere niceness or material giving—is actually the foundation for waking up, finding sanity, and increasing the sanity of this world. I talk about three forms of generosity: Ordinary generosity – Giving material things with an open heart The gift of dharma – Sharing wisdom in a humble, useful way The gif...
2In this new episode, I explore what it actually means to become a Buddhist through the Refuge Vow. Potentially misunderstood as a formality or an unnecessary label, I discuss the spiritual and practical significance of the vow. Refuge is taken in the Three Jewels—Buddha (awakening), Dharma (wisdom/path), and Sangha (community). What do they mean? I also share about my own journey in taking the vow in 1993, how I was trained and given permission to offer the vow myself, and the internal change...
In today’s episode, I take a deep dive into the meditation questions I’ve been asked the most over the past three decades—as a student, as a teacher, and now, as someone who teaches others to teach. We talk about the real stuff. The messy, wonderful, confusing, luminous questions that arise when you sit down on your cushion and meet your own mind. Highlights: “Why can’t I stop thinking?” You’re not supposed to. That’s not a failure—it’s reality. Thoughts are not the enemy. “Why do ...
In this episode, I explore a classical teaching throughout the Buddhist world, The Four Reminders, also known as the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind to the Dharma. When I first heard them, I thought how can I forget what I just heard?! Turns out, I can’t. Warning: once you hear them, you can’t unhear them either. They are at once brutal and deeply compassionate. Much like life itself. Highlights: The Four Thoughts are uncomfortable but essential contemplations that help you see with wh...
In this episode, I explore the tension between spiritual teachings on egolessness and the deeply personal need for self-understanding. I talk about how meditation reveals both the illusion of self and the reality of who we are. I also share how the Enneagram—a system of personality types—has been an invaluable tool for fostering compassion and clarity in myself and my relationships. Highlights: 1. The Problem with Egolessness Teachings on “no self” can feel like a shaming of personal identity...
In this very, very crazy world, it’s easy to feel powerless. But from my decades of Buddhist practice, I've learned that it’s not just an inside job– you can actually arrange your outer world to give you strength. 1. Clean Up Your Space I know this sounds like a scold but it isn’t. When you walk into chaos, you feel chaotic. When you walk into a space that's been tended to—not perfect, just cared for—you feel elegant. Your care then perfumes the environment. 2. Wear Nice Clothes Not fancy or ...
In this episode, I take a deep dive into a topic that a lot of people (myself included) find confusing; what does it mean to be egoless? Drawing from my 30+ years of experience, I share my own issues with the call to transcend ego within the Western cultural backdrop of individualism, shame, and self-judgment. Key Points: "Ego as the enemy" can reinforce cultural self-shaming: Broadly speaking, we are wired to monitor, scrutinize and “fix” our flaws and mitigate our failings. This kind ...
In this episode, I share my personal adaptation of Buddhist principles for relationships, "The Four Noble Truths of Love." Drawing from my own 26-year marriage and moments of deep disconnection, I talk about how Buddhist wisdom helped me navigate challenges. Key Points include: Love Affairs vs. Relationships: There is a fundamental difference between love affairs (characterized by romance, intensity, desire, and perhaps some drama) and relationships (characterized by intimacy, closeness...
Which one are you in right now? In this episode, I explore the six realms of Buddhist cosmology which can be understood as both literal places of rebirth and psychological states we all experience. I also mention how this might help us contextualize the chaos and cruelty of our current political situation in the US. The realms include: The God Realm - A place of complete abundance where beings have everything they desire but no motivation to seek enlightenment The Jealous God/Asura Realm ...
Why do we turn to meditation when things fall apart—and what are we really supposed to do with all these overwhelming emotions? In this short episode, we explore three powerful ways to relate to difficult feelings like anger, fear, and anxiety: as afflictive; as bridges to compassion; and as hidden forms of wisdom. All three ways are accurate, though usually only the first is described in Buddhist writings. In this episode, you’ll hear about how to work skillfully with emotional intensi...
In this episode, Susan reflects on one of the most common meditation struggles: staying consistent. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why can’t I just do the thing I know is good for me?”—this episode is for you. The surprising truth? It’s not a discipline problem. It’s a misunderstanding of what meditation really is. Main Topics Covered: The Real Reason Consistency is Hard It’s not about willpower. Most people approach meditation as self-improvement—but it’s actually a spiritual practice. ...
In Buddhism (as in most wisdom traditions), compassion is central—but it’s often misunderstood. It’s not about being nice, it’s about being awake. True compassion is wise, fierce, and rooted in awareness. “Idiot compassion” is a term coined by Chögyam Trungpa to describe misguided kindness that stems from the three poisons: Grasping – trying to feel good or be liked. Aggression – trying to control or make something (or someone) disappear. Delusion – trying to avoid seeing what is really goi...
Trusting a spiritual teacher is one of the most important—and complex—decisions on the path. This talk explores three personal experiences: one with a brilliant but inscrutable and controversial teacher, another with a teacher whose misconduct led to a break, and a third with a humble, quietly extraordinary master who became the true source of guidance. The central lesson? Let your practice—not personality—be the guide. Ask yourself: Does this deepen my path? Do I respect the community? A...
In the previous episode, we discuss a teaching that is central throughout the Buddhist world: the Prajnaparamita sutra, also known as The Heart Sutra. While being utterly confounding, at the same time it is a perfect primer on the true meaning of emptiness and ultimate compassion. Turns out, these are the same thing. Who knew?! If you missed it, just go back one episode. In this episode, we go through the Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge line by line and look at the variou...
In this episode, we discuss a teaching that is central throughout the Buddhist world: the Prajnaparamita sutra, also known as The Heart Sutra. While being utterly confounding, at the same time it is a perfect primer on the true meaning of emptiness and ultimate compassion. Turns out, these are the same thing. Who knew?! There are many translations of this important teaching. The one discussed in this episode is here. In part one of this two-part episode, Susan talks a bit about the hist...
The Buddha’s Early Life & Awakening Siddhartha was a protected prince, shielded from suffering by his father. He encountered old age, sickness, and death for the first time during a trip outside the palace. This led him to renounce his privileged life and seek liberation from suffering. He meditated under the Bodhi tree, seeking truth beyond suffering. Achieved enlightenment, saw through the nature of suffering, and articulated the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths (Overview): L...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States