You drift off in meditation. Then you notice you drifted off. How?
Take one step back. Then another. Awareness noticing awareness has no end point. (However, if you find one, CALL ME.)
In that gap, karmic seeds are not planted.
This is the rightest Right Action.
Just republished a beautiful new edition of my book with Shambhala Publications.
Get 30% off the new print of The Buddhist Enneagram March 10–April 10 with code ENNEAGRAM30.
https://www.shambhala.com/the-buddhist-enneagram.html?srsltid=AfmBOooGQr3z4RXvghiNncoS-J0DGc-TzHJ1mByyfI9qvxOQs7hPITyX
I’ll be at Trident Booksellers in Boston for an in-person conversation on The Buddhist Enneagram. We’ll explore how the Enneagram and Buddhist practice can deepen self-understanding and compassion.
FREE.
March 11 at 7pm
https://tridentbookscafe.com/event/2026-03-11/author-event-susan-piver
Right Action is not fixed. What is right in one moment may be wrong in another.
So where do we begin?
The Five Precepts offer a powerful starting point. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not abuse intoxicants (definition of that is up to you). Avoid sexual misconduct.
We do not have to fill every silence.
Before you speak, pause. What is the purpose of these words? Are they true, useful, timely?
If you are not sure, you can wait.
Silence is not a problem. It is often the most honest thing in the room.
Right livelihood may sound ordinary, but in the Buddhist view it is part of the path to liberation.
In this new episode, I explore why our work matters spiritually.
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
The world is moving fast and the heart can feel fragile. Tomorrow, Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 PM ET, join Bridget Bailey for a live workshop to practice cultivating courage, presence, and joy even in difficult times. Register here: https://openheartproject.com/ccct-expanding-7-mar-2026/
Right action isn’t a fixed formula. It asks us to stay awake to context, to relationship, to what is actually happening right now.
The Noble Eight Fold Path is not about following a script, but about cultivating the clarity and courage to respond with wisdom in each moment.
Notice how certain you are about what you are about to say.
If you are guessing, skating by, hoping no one will notice, pause.
Right Speech is not only about what we say. It is very often about what we choose not to say.
Restraint can be an act of wisdom.
What becomes possible when we tend to the heart?
Open Heart Project teacher Bridget Bailey is teaching Cultivating Compassion in Challenging Times. This workshop offers practices to strengthen courage and connection in community.
Join us: https://openheartproject.com/ccct-expanding-7-mar-2026/
Listening is a rare skill. Most of us are doing something else while we listen.
We are waiting to agree, disagree, or defend our position.
Real listening asks that, for a moment, we set aside our own thoughts and allow someone else’s to fully land.
That is where connection begins.
I’m looking forward to joining the Dharma in Dialogue series through Shantigar with Marisa Viola for a conversation on meditation and bringing the dharma into everyday life.
I hope you’ll join us. This event is free with the option for donation: https://www.shantigar.org/dharma-in-dialogue
You can do everything “right” and still find yourself in an old pattern.
That doesn't mean you failed.
From a Buddhist point of view, causes and conditions are unfolding beyond what we can see. We cannot trace where they began. We will not see where they end.
But we can choose how we show up now.
Life can feel overwhelming, especially during these troubled times. Join us for a new workshop with Bridget Bailey on Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 PM ET. This live 4–hour webinar offers more than comfort—it provides tools. Register here: https://openheartproject.com/ccct-expanding-7-mar-2026/
New podcast episode is live.
I explore how Right Action extends from Right View and Right Intention to guide our decisions in the world.
We look at Right Action through three different lenses: ethical behavior; a way to of benefit, and a path to liberation.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Our words can either fuel suffering or help dissolve it.
Before we speak, we ask: Is it the right time? Is it true? Is it beneficial?
We practice meditation to create that small gap between impulse and expression.
Right speech has the power to transform the world.
We are not separate from each other.
When we realize this, our intentions shift. Our words are chosen more carefully. Our decisions are no longer just about us.
Nothing we do is isolated. Every action, every choice, every sentence touches the whole.
We are interconnected.
Right now, many of us care deeply, but our nervous systems are overloaded. Join Bridget Bailey and The Open Heart Project on Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 PM ET to learn practices that help you stay open and steady, even in difficult times.
https://openheartproject.com/ccct-expanding-7-mar-2026/
Fearless Creativity isn’t about techniques or critique. It’s about creating the conditions where creativity can arise naturally: a steady schedule, shared silence, and time on the page.
I would love to see you there: https://www.dralamountain.org/program/fc526-fearless-creativity/
Join Bridget Bailey and The Open Heart Project on Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 PM ET, for a workshop on the Four Immeasurables, or heart practices. When the world feels overwhelming, opening the heart matters.
Register here: https://openheartproject.com/ccct-expanding-7-mar-2026/
New podcast episode is live! This week, I explore the third step of the Noble Eightfold Path and the four kinds of speech to abandon. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Doing the right thing is not a transaction.
The real practice is acting from clear intention, even when the outcome is uncertain.
When the sense of separation softens, even a little, intention becomes less about proving, grasping, or defending. It becomes about caring.
New episode of Buddhism Beyond Belief is live now. In this episode, I share a story from the early days of my business, when a major opportunity forced me to ask what matters more: success or integrity?
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
When the world feels heavy with uncertainty, we can cultivate the heart’s natural capacities to meet that uncertainty with courage and care. Join Bridget Bailey for a workshop on Saturday, March 7 at 12:00pm–4:00pm ET. Registration now open: https://openheartproject.com/ccct-expanding-7-mar-2026/
Calling all creatives: join me for the Fearless Creativity Retreat at Drala Mountain Center. The land, schedule, and shared container help people listen deeply and let their work emerge. May 13–17. https://www.dralamountain.org/program/fc526-fearless-creativity/
I've been reflecting on how aggression fuels more aggression.
If we want to change the course we are on, we have to speak clearly and act courageously without becoming what we are resisting.
Can we oppose harm without using its methods? What might that look like in our own lives?
Live now! New episode of Buddhism Beyond Belief.
In this episode, I begin a conversation on the Noble Eightfold Path by exploring Right View. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
I cannot defeat my enemies, but I can strengthen my friends.
Here's a short clip from my podcast that attempts to speak to these terrible times and our options for response.
Listen to the full episode wherever you get podcasts.
When people are trapped in fear, violence, or survival, imagining a better world is not available to them.
Dreaming becomes a luxury.
That does not make the vision less necessary. We cannot accomplish what we cannot see. Keep visioning.
