Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

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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:
Why non-dualistic thinking is beyond conception and how mandalas can help us navigate the non-conceptual
The Five Buddha Families:Vajra: How anger is connected to precision.
Ratna: Pride, richness, generosity, and the wisdom of equality.
Padma: How longing is a form of discriminating awareness and sensitivity to nuance.
Karma: Anxious speed and the ability to accomplish what is meaningful.
Buddha: How spaciousness and wakefulness can also express themselves as unfocused and spacey.

How recognizing these five energies in ourselves and others can deepen compassion and support the path to liberation.
Podcast After Party Music 
I share why I love the distinctive guitar playing of Steve Cropper on Booker T. & the M.G.'s Green Onions, and how his spare, stinging style echoes the influence of Lowman Pauling.
Watch this episode on video
If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here.
New Online Workshop on The Five Buddha Families
Join Kevin Townley for Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression, a 4–hour workshop on November 14th at 11am et. Kevin will guide you through the Five Buddha Families and how the difficulties or confusion states that we might experience can actually fuel our creativity. There will be time to work on artmaking in real time.
 Learn more and register 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. 

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

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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 foolproof) sources such as lineage and profound spiritual insights provided by true teachers (aka realized beings who won’t also try to get you to take off your pants or give them all your cash.) 
I share my own experience with PTSD and how it has shown up in my decades of meditation practice.  I talk about how Buddhist teachings differ from self-help and how to approach meditation with the compassion of self-love rather than the aggression that may accompany the wish to “fix” ourselves.
Highlights:
Meditation amplifies our inner state rather than  calming it which may be why, for some, suffering deepens
How Buddhist meditation practice differs from “mindfulness” marketed as self-help
Why trained teachers, lineage, and sangha (community) matter
How silent retreats and intensive practice entered into without preparation and care may become disorienting
The difference between meditation as self-help and meditation as a spiritual practice
The importance of holding compassion for ourselves and others as a central purpose of practice
Podcast After Party Music 
“Think” by The Five Royales showcases Lowman Pauling’s epic, stinging, minimalist guitar style, a style that influenced many. Though he has remained relatively unknown, you’ve heard his influence on players from the 60s, 70s, and beyond. Respect and all hail, Lowman Pauling! 
Mentioned in this episode:
The Dark Side of Mindfulness (Atlantic Magazine, September 2026)
The Dark Knight of the Soul (Atlantic Magazine, June 2014)
Watch this episode on video
If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is coming soon.
New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity
Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register 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 info@susanpiver.com
Produced by Citizens of Sound
Music by: Derek O'Brien

©Open Heart Project

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 belief
Finding your lineage in the people you admire and want to emulate
Bringing the mind into line with truth
How realization deepens as you travel the path
How the path can clear up confusion instead of adding to it
Mentioned in this episode
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Gampopa
Watch this episode on video
If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here.
New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity
Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register 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 info@susanpiver.com
Produced by Citizens of Sound
Music by: Derek O'Brien

©Open Heart Project

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 influences how we work with our minds
Creating a personal ritual to connect with what matters
How cleaning and caring for our space can restore a sense of dignity
How our clothing affects our state of mind
Nourishing our bodies as an expression of self-love
How our environment can become a source of stability and strength
Watch this episode on video
If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here.
New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity
Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register 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 info@susanpiver.com
Produced by Citizens of Sound
Music by: Derek O'Brien

©Open Heart Project

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 emotions
When stepping away is helpful, and when it becomes self-aggression
How difficult emotions can deepen compassion for others
Finding wakefulness, focus, and wisdom within anger
The difference between experiencing a feeling and repeating its story
How meditation trains us to bring attention back to our lives
Watch this episode on video
If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here.
New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity
Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register 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 info@susanpiver.com
Produced by Citizens of Sound
Music by: Derek O'Brien

©Open Heart Project