Buddhism Beyond Belief with 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.
Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver
The Four Noble Truths and the Middle Way: Foundations of the Journey
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):
- Life is suffering (Dukkha) – More accurately, life is unsatisfying because everything is impermanent.
- Cause of suffering – Grasping, clinging, and pretending we can make things unchanging.
- Cessation of suffering – Let go of grasping, and suffering will cease.
- Path to cessation – The Noble Eightfold Path (e.g., right view, right speech, right livelihood, etc.).
Three Types of Suffering:
- Suffering of suffering – Painful experiences like illness and death; inevitable.
- Suffering of change – Joy and success are temporary; fear of loss brings suffering.
- All-pervasive suffering – A background unease or existential dissatisfaction, even when life is “good.”
The Middle Way:
Buddhism embraces neither eternalism (belief in eternal divine reward/punishment) nor nihilism (belief in nothing beyond material existence).
The Middle Way is not the mid-point between the two. What is it?
Direct Experience Over Belief:
Don’t take the Buddha’s word for it — verify teachings through your own lived experience.
Belief systems, even Buddhist ones, are seen as potential obstacles.
Wisdom comes from mixing teachings with direct experience, not from intellectualization.
Final Reflection:
The true spiritual path is one’s own journey of discovery.
All teachings are tools; the real teacher is your own mind, inseparable from wisdom itself.
Produced by Citizens of Sound
Music by: Derek O'Brien
©Open Heart Project