Transcending Insanity, Part Five: Meditative Absorption Artwork

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.

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Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

Transcending Insanity, Part Five: Meditative Absorption

September 19, 2025 • Susan Piver • Season 1 • Episode 25

In this episode, I explore the fifth of the six paramitas, or transcendent actions of the bodhisattva path: Meditative Absorption—sometimes just called meditation.

But this isn’t your typical “sit on the cushion and follow your breath” kind of conversation. We go deeper into what it means to live meditation—to carry the practice off the cushion and into our everyday experience.

Highlights from this episode:

Why the Buddhist path is so much more than stress relief
Meditation isn’t just about calming down or feeling better—though it may help with that. It’s a path of waking up, and of learning to live more fully and meaningfully.
What meditative absorption really means
On the cushion, we train our attention by returning again and again to an object—often the breath.

Off the cushion, meditative absorption means being fully present in our lives, moment to moment—absorbed in experience rather than just our thoughts about it.

A deep inquiry into thought itself
Where do thoughts come from? Where do they go? Can we remain absorbed in what lies beyond them?
An exquisite (and challenging) passage from a traditional Buddhist text
I read a short but powerful teaching on the nature of thought, mind, and perception—and how they are ultimately without a fixed basis.
What is a Bodhisattva, really?
Someone who vows to be of benefit to all beings—not because they’re a “good person,” but because, eventually, you realize… what else is there to do?
My personal story of taking the Bodhisattva Vow
Including what I gave up (and immediately wanted back), and why that experience still teaches me something today.
The cloud and sky metaphor for meditation
Your thoughts are the clouds. You are the sky. That sky-like awareness is what meditative absorption connects you to.

As always, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to find value in these teachings. The dharma is vast, pragmatic, and endlessly nuanced. I share what I’ve learned through 30+ years of practice, not because I have the answers—but because these teachings continue to challenge and change me.

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