Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

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.

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The podcast currently has 72 episodes available.

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Number 1: Conversation with Samuel Bercholz, founder of Shambhala Publications and my meditation teacher, Part One
Send us Fan Mail I talk with my longest time spiritual friend, Samuel Bercholz, founder of Shambhala Publications and author of the new book, Rude Awakenings. It was written at the request of his second root teacher, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, who asked Sam to write a book containing everything he learned from his first root teacher, the great and mysterious Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. For me, this book lives up to its subtitle: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path. It was written by someone who has known and published almost all of the great Buddhist (and other) masters of our lifetime, checked everyone’s sincerity and realization, and drawn, as far as I can tell, impeccable conclusions about the true dharma and who and what to trust. I trust him deeply. In addition to his extraordinary accomplishments, he is my closest spiritual friend. Sam taught me how to meditate more than 30 years ago and is still my meditation teacher. He gave me the refuge vow (by which one formally commits to the Buddhist Path), taught me how to give this vow, and, most importantly, introduced me to my root teacher, Tulku Thondup Rinpoche. In this first of 3 short episodes, we talk about his beginnings as a practitioner, the centrality of Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, wakefulness, lineage, and why the relationship with a teacher is so important in Vajrayana Buddhism. We also look at how to find a teacher without becoming confused by cultural forms or an individual’s charisma. Highlights:Why did Sam write this book?Who are Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal and how do you invoke them?What is the 7-Line Supplication?How do you find a teacher? What qualities do you look for?The relationship between teacher, lineage, and awakened mindWhy a teacher is indispensable in Vajrayana practiceHow to investigate a potential teacher with both intelligence and heartThe difference between Buddhist teachings and the cultures in which they developedFor more on my personal thoughts about Chögyam Trungpa and other teachers who have influenced me, please listen to episode 8, “Who Can You Trust in the Spiritual World?”Mentioned in this episode: Traleg Kyagbon Rinpoche Thinley Norbu Rinpoche Ogyen Chowang Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print and in audio format Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness. Learn more and buy your copy 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project
September 04, 202616min
Number 2: Conversation with Samuel Bercholz, founder of Shambhala Publications and my meditation teacher, Part Two
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I continue my conversation with Sam Bercholz. We talk about bringing the dharma into the modern West without reducing it to either cultural imitation or scientific validation. We discuss the three yanas, emptiness and fullness, egolessness, and devotion. Sam shares a way to understand devotion as appreciation for wakefulness and a willingness to be guided by someone who embodies it. Stay tuned for Part Three next week. Highlights:Why dharma does not require scientific validationThe three yanas Emptiness as fullness, not nihilismWhat egolessness actually meansDevotion as appreciation, trust, and openness to guidanceHow a teacher-student relationship forms through investigation and experienceHow Sam met Chögyam Trungpa RinpocheWhy he named his business Shambhala Publications Mentioned in this episode Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path by Samuel Bercholz Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra by Susan Piver Meditation in Action by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness. Learn more and buy your copy 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project
September 11, 202621min
Number 3: Three Ways to Work With Heartbreak: Part Three
Send us Fan Mail Heartbreak can make our usual strategies for managing pain useless. It can also show us what is true about being human: everything changes, everything ends, and love is precious because it cannot be held onto. In this episode, I look at how heartbreak itself can become part of the spiritual path. Highlights:Bringing heartbreak to the path without trying to turn it into a lessonHow impermanence shows us the preciousness of each momentWhy heartbreak reveals our deep connection with other peopleHeartbreak as love unbound from an objectBeing with what is, without trying to change itMentioned in this episode: My book, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print and in audio format Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness. Learn more and buy your copy 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project
August 28, 202611min
Number 4: Three Ways to Work With Heartbreak: Part Two
Send us Fan Mail When heartbreak is overwhelming, the instinct is often to make it stop. But what if the practice is not to fix what we're feeling, but to learn how to be with it? In this episode, I continue looking at three ways Buddhism offers us a path through heartbreak. The second way is practicing loving-kindness. Highlights:Learning to make space for a racing mind instead of trying to shut it downWorking with the intensity of heartbreak without insisting that it disappearHow loving-kindness can turn suffering into compassionExtending our wish for relief for ourselves, those we love, strangers, difficult people, and all beingsWhy caring for others can bring back a sense of strength and agencyWatch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print and in audio format Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness. Learn more and buy your copy 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project
August 21, 202614min
Number 5: Three Ways to Work With Heartbreak: Part One
Send us Fan Mail Heartbreak is something we have the tendency to want to get rid of as quickly as possible. But some heartbreaks cannot be “fixed” or hurried. In this episode, I look at how Buddhist teachings can help us when heartbreak has a life of its own. We start with the mind: learning to be with what is happening rather than trying to change it. Meditation is a way to let the mind settle naturally in times of emotional upheaval. Highlights:Why some heartbreaks cannot be solved or pushed away quickly The three yanas as three different ways to work with heartbreakThe first step is learning to work with your mindWhat heartbreak can show us about love, compassion, and being of benefitMentioned in this episode: My book, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart More on the yanas in this podcast episode, Episode 26, How to Choose a Meditation Teacher Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. 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 on mindfulness. Learn more and buy your copy 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project
August 14, 202611min