Advertise on podcast: Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver

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: Why non-dualistic thinking is beyond conception and how mandalas can help us navigate the non-conceptualThe 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

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 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 deepensHow Buddhist meditation practice differs from “mindfulness” marketed as self-helpWhy trained teachers, lineage, and sangha (community) matterHow silent retreats and intensive practice entered into without preparation and care may become disorientingThe difference between meditation as self-help and meditation as a spiritual practiceThe importance of holding compassion for ourselves and others as a central purpose of practicePodcast 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 [email protected] 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 beliefFinding your lineage in the people you admire and want to emulateBringing the mind into line with truthHow realization deepens as you travel the pathHow the path can clear up confusion instead of adding to itMentioned 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 [email protected] 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 mindsCreating a personal ritual to connect with what mattersHow cleaning and caring for our space can restore a sense of dignityHow our clothing affects our state of mindNourishing our bodies as an expression of self-loveHow our environment can become a source of stability and strengthWatch 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 [email protected] 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 emotionsWhen stepping away is helpful, and when it becomes self-aggressionHow difficult emotions can deepen compassion for othersFinding wakefulness, focus, and wisdom within angerThe difference between experiencing a feeling and repeating its storyHow meditation trains us to bring attention back to our livesWatch 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 [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

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 teacher through experience rather than analysisHow meditation can make space for clearer seeingDeities as expressions of awakened qualitiesFaith as investigation, verification, and practiceWhy the Dharma is about waking up, not self-improvementMentioned in this episode Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path by Samuel Bercholz  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

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

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

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

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

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

Send us Fan Mail How do we recognize a true teacher? In this episode I talk about the outer teacher, the inner teacher, and the secret teacher. Along the way I share a story from teaching the Heart Sutra, reflect on an unexpected lesson about joy, and use a piece of music to show how wisdom can reach us through content, direct experience, and the context in which it all unfolds. Highlights: What the outer, inner, and secret teacher represent in Buddhist practiceWhy real learning is often based in recognition rather than picking up new informationHow expectations color the voice of the inner teacherA story from a Heart Sutra retreat and an unexpected teaching on joyHow music shows three different ways of knowingWhy the outer teacher's job is to point us toward the wisdom we already haveMentioned in this episode: The Heart Sutra 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

Send us Fan Mail It's no secret that many forces are competing for your attention, especially online. Some are noble and righteous. Some are not. Trying to track it all is...exhausting. The need for boundaries around our hearts and minds has never been more important. We must preserve our energy so that we can continue to care, dream, and love. Meditation helps establish mental and emotional boundaries. This is not about bypassing. It is about retaining life force to fight the good fight and respond to your world with intense clarity, compassion, and purpose. Please have a listen to this episode to learn more.  Highlights: Why meditation helps set strong mental boundariesReclaiming your attention from distraction and overwhelmHow working with the breath builds discernment and agencyWhy protecting your attention is a radical actThe difference between reacting to the world and responding on purposeHow protecting your energy lets you be of greater benefit to othersReferenced in this episode: Buddhist Cosmology: The Six Realms of Being (Episode 12) 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

Send us Fan Mail This is a shorter episode, recorded while my family and I accompany my mother through hospice care. I reflect on an instruction I received when I first learned to meditate: resting more fully on the out breath than the in breath. As I prepare to be with my mother at the end of her life, that instruction has taken on new meaning. I share a few experiences that have shaped how I understand death, presence, and what it means to simply be there when a loved one is dying. Highlights: Why my meditation practice rests on the out breathThe link between breathing out and letting goMy own near-death experience and how it colors the way I am accompanying my motherThe impossibility of knowing what is right during such moments 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

Send us Fan Mail What does "emptiness" actually mean in Buddhism? It is one of the most misunderstood teachings, often taken to mean nothingness or the absence of meaning. In this episode, I discuss emptiness through the Zen koan "Mu," a personal story of heartbreak, and the Buddhist understanding that we are not separate from one another. Rather than pointing to a void, emptiness shows the fullness of all phenomena and the compassion that comes from recognizing it. Highlights: The Zen teaching of "Mu" A story of my own broken heart that pointed out the nature of emptinessWhy emptiness does not mean meaninglessnessMind as relationalThe link between emptiness and compassionWhy meditation is about more than improving your thoughtsListener Question How do you work with someone who pushes your buttons? I share Pema Chödrön's advice “to feel the feelings and drop the story,” and why staying with the felt experience can change how we relate to difficult situations. Send me your questions: You can keep the conversation going or send your reflections via Instagram DM or through our form — I’d love to include them in future episodes. Music This week's song is Along Comes Mary by The Association, a pop classic with astonishing lyrics, unforgettable harmonies, and what may be the greatest handclaps ever recorded. Mentioned in this episode: My book The Wisdom of a Broken Heart: How to Turn the Pain of a Breakup into Healing, Insight, and New Love Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New course: 30 Days of Dharma For 30 days, beginning September 13th, I’m offering a chance to practice all of this together with a small group of people who want to take the dharma off the cushion and into ordinary life. We'll create a personalized daily routine, meditate, study the teachings, and look at how wisdom, compassion, and power actually show up at home, at work, and in our relationships. Every participant will have one-on-one time to consult with me and my co-teacher, Crystal Gandrud, about your practice before, during, and following the program. You don't need to be a Buddhist. You only need a willingness to begin where you are and be yourself. Space is limited. Learn more here. Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path Retreat  Let’s practice together in person at Drala Mountain Center, up in the Colorado Rockies, for a retreat on the bodhisattva path: what it takes to live with real courage and an open heart in the middle of our ordinary, chaotic, beautiful lives. We'll talk honestly about how to recognize and rouse basic sanity right where we already are. Everyone's welcome, and you don't need any prior meditation experience. Learn more and register. 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