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by Susan Piver
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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Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I talk about the two kinds of compassion in Buddhist teachings: relative and absolute. Relative compassion starts with letting ourselves feel what we feel, including anger, sorrow, and frustration. When we soften toward our own experience, we genuinely soften to others and how this softening can expand and expand into the territory of absolute compassion. I tell the story of a recent encounter that showed me how quickly my heart can close, and how the great t...
Send us Fan Mail The Five Buddhist precepts may sound straightforward, even familiar: don’t kill, steal, lie, engage in inappropriate sexual conduct, or use intoxicants. But there is more to these standards of behavior than what you read on the surface. I explore how the precepts invite us to pay attention to what sustains or diminishes life, how we treat others, and the many ways we distract ourselves from what is true. The precepts, as I was trained, are not permanent vows of perfecti...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Buddhism Beyond Belief, I explore The Five Buddha Families, a mandala that maps five forms of wisdom and their corresponding expressions of confusion. From the sharp precision of Vajra to the spacious awareness of Buddha, each family offers a way to understand our own patterns, recognize the gifts and challenges in ourselves and others, and cultivate greater compassion. I also share examples from everyday life to bring these energies into focus. Highlights:...
Send us Fan Mail A 2026 Atlantic article explored “The Dark Side of Mindfulness.” They published a similar article in 2014 that also discussed negative results from meditation practice, “The Dark Knight of the Soul”. (Not sure why “knight” was used, tbh.) In this episode, I look at both articles and talk about the risks that I’ve seen arise, not from meditation per se, but from meditation practiced without the guardrails provided by such time-tested (though by no means foolp...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I look at The Four Dharmas of Gampopa, four short sentences I've recited as part of my daily Buddhist practice for more than thirty years. Together they sketch the whole path: connecting my mind with truth, deepening realization, clarifying confusion, and finding that confusion is not separate from wisdom. You certainly don't need to be a Buddhist to explore this formula. Highlights What "grant your blessing" can mean outside religious beliefFinding you...
Send us Fan Mail How we arrange our outer world can have a surprising effect on our inner state. In this episode, I talk about how creating an environment of stability, simplicity, and respect for objects can help us meet a difficult world with more confidence and strength. I share four simple ways to work with our environment: creating a ritual, caring for our space, wearing clothes that feel good to us, and eating food that nourishes us. Highlights: Why working with our environment influenc...
Send us Fan Mail How do we work with strong emotions when the world feels frightening, divided, and uncertain? I look at three Buddhist approaches to difficult emotions: pacifying them, recognizing them as gateways to compassion, and discovering the wisdom within them. The key is learning to let go of the story and feel the feeling. Highlights: Three Buddhist approaches to working with strong emotionsWhen stepping away is helpful, and when it becomes self-aggressionHow difficult emotions can ...
Send us Fan Mail In Part Three of my conversation with my longtime teacher and spiritual friend Sam Bercholz, we talk about the strange and wonderful ways teachers can enter our lives, and how meditation can help us become more receptive to what is already here. We talk about devotion, wakefulness, Buddhist deities, and faith as something we investigate and put into practice rather than simply believe. Highlights: How Sam and I became spiritual friends more than 30 years agoRecognizing a teac...
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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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