Ep. 616 – The Truth of Emptiness with Susan Piver

Carried by a discourse on The Heart Sutra, teacher and author Susan Piver joins Raghu to explore the truth of emptiness.Grab your copy of Susan’s book: Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart SutraThis week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Susan chat about:Practicing The Heart Sutra with only one syllable: ahhThe truth of emptiness through recitation of non-truths Understanding emptiness as bliss, not as voidnessThe commitment to self interest that many westerners experienceReleasing the ego as the first step towards embracing emptiness Being both empty and luminous at the same timeThinking of emptiness as complete interconnection and fullnessSusan’s psychedelic experience: staying in the present, being in the womb of blissThe six transcendent actions and how they all spring from generosity Check out this free, downloadable translation of The Heart Sutra from Plum Village“You’re empty of separate existence. Your parents, their parents, their parents, if someone ate a different sandwich a thousand years ago, you wouldn’t be here. Emptiness could just as easily be called fullness, completely connected.” –Susan PiverAbout Susan Piver:Susan Piver has an international reputation as an exceptionally skillful meditation teacher. She teaches workshops and speaks on mindfulness, innovation, communication, relationships, and creativity. Susan has been a student of Buddhism since 1995, graduated from a Buddhist seminary in 2004, and was authorized to teach meditation in 2005. In 2012, she founded The Open Heart Project, the world’s largest online-only meditation center. Susan is also a New York Times bestselling author. Her most recent book, Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra, is now available. You can keep up with Susan on Instagram or on her website.Join Susan for a 5-day Kripalu meditation retreat this NovemberSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author and changemaker Shermin Kruse examines the timeless principles of Stoicism and their power to foster mindful, intentional, and empathetic living.Grab a copy of Stoic Empathy HERE to learn more about living a Life of Influence, Self-Leadership, and IntegrityThis week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Shermin Kruse:Embracing discomfort and challenges as catalysts for personal and spiritual growthShermin’s powerful story of growing up in Iran during the wartime of the 1980s and 90sHow Stoic philosophy transformed Shermin’s approach to work, meditation, therapy, and daily lifeThe profound relationship between Stoicism and empathyShermin’s Stoic inspiration mother, aunt, and cultural rootsUnderstanding the Stoic ideal of the dichotomy of controlShermin’s mystical, otherworldly experience while giving birthPracticing intentional pause and mindful response to life’s stimuliMoving beyond the ego and awakening to loving awarenessAbout Shermin Kruse:Shermin Kruse is an award-winning idea curator, global change-maker, complex-system negotiator, lawyer, speaker, and storyteller. Shermin has nearly two decades of experience working in competitive strategy and game theory applications, corporate and community advocacy, brand protection and augmentation, as well as dispute resolution for individuals, public-company boards of directors, international corporations, and Fortune 500 Companies. Shermin also has a decade of parallel experience producing thought-leadership events, including TEDx conferences and a network of salon series. She teaches Negotiating with Tactical Empathy, Global Transactions, Cross-Border Deals, and Leadership at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Shermin is a mother of four, living in the heart of Chicago. Her personal journey from the war-torn streets of her native Tehran to the elite corporate boardrooms of the world informs her deep commitment to fostering empathy, control, justice, and global understanding. Learn more on Shermin’s website.“It’s a kind of resilience and a kind of Stoicism that is very counter to the image of the statue, stoic, white, male figure that we think about when we imagine Greek Stoicism. The interesting thing about Stoicism is all that it has in common with Buddhism, meditation, dance, passion—all of those things.” –Shermin KruseSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Silver and Raghu Markus explore the life and teachings of George Gurdjieff, the Russian-born mystic and philosopher of consciousness.This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and David have a discussion about:How a teenage David Silver was first introduced to Gurdjieff’s teachingsGurdjieff’s influence on the 1960s counterculture and the evolution of consciousness movementsThe call to “do only what is new and fresh” and live in search of the miraculousDoing the work literally and figuratively; supporting oneself and moving towards clear mentation Gurdjieff’s view of humans as incomplete sleepwalkers, mechanically reacting to lifeGradual awakening through self-observation, inner struggle, and conscious effort Shedding false pretenses to discover a unified, authentic selfHow Gurdjieff’s philosophy inspired Ram Dass’s spiritual visionThe Seekers of Truth and The Sarmoung Brotherhood The transformative and ongoing practice of self-remembering Pre-order your copy of There Is No Other: The Way to Harmony and Wholeness a profound collection of newly gathered writings from Ram Dass and edited by Parvati Markus. Ram Dass shows us how a house divided against itself—whether that “house” is our individual self or the society in which we live—can come together in wholeness. Learn more: There Is No Other Way Pre-OrderAbout George Ivanovich GurdjieffGurdjieff, who was born in the late 1800’s, was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 1918, but fled the impending Red Army invasion of Armenia in 1920, which rendered him stateless. Gurdjieff taught that people are not conscious of themselves and thus live their lives in a state of hypnotic "waking sleep", but that it is possible to awaken to a higher state of consciousness and serve our purpose as human beings. Learn more about Gurdjieff HERE and pick up some of Gurdjieff’s most famous work, Meetings with Remarkable Men.About David Silver:David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.“His father basically said to him, you must not do anything old, you must always try and do something new and fresh, you must already be honest, you must always support yourself, These were all important in Gurdjieff’s life. You must be in search of the miraculous, because what else is there?” —David SilverSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Offering a perspective of hope and unity, Danny Goldberg and Raghu Markus explore morality, polarization, and how negative media drives collective anxiety.Pre-order Danny’s upcoming book, Liberals with Attitude: The Rodney King Beating and the Fight for the Soul of Los AngelesThis time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Danny discuss:The uproar surrounding the brutal beating of Rodney King by the L.A. policeSeeing history as the study of change, and looking into how history impacts our lives todayHow the human condition largely remains the same century after centuryThe inner conflict between morals: choosing what is right vs. what feels safeBuilding bridges by connecting over universal human values instead of polarizing politicsHealing our felt sense of separation by remembering that we are all interconnectedThose who feel they are losing power when others make progressThe seduction of negative news media and how it feeds collective anxiety and divisionFinding perspective by remembering that every era faces troubling timesConsidering the Sermon on the Mount as a moral compassLearning to honor fear without being a slave to it Click HERE to pre-order There is No Other by Ram Dass, with contributions from Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and more. About Danny Goldberg:Danny Goldberg is an author and music executive who has spent decades in the business. As a manager, Danny’s clients included Bonnie Raitt, Nirvana, The Allman Brothers Band, and Sonic Youth. As a label executive he was President of Atlantic Records, and Chairman of Warner Bros Records and the Mercury Records Group – among others. Danny Goldberg’s previous books include Bloody Crossroads 2020: Art, Entertainment and Resistance to Trump, Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain, How The Left Lost Teen Spirit, Bumping Into Geniuses: My Life Inside The Rock and Roll Business and In Search of The Lost Chord: 1967 and the Hippie Idea. Learn more about Danny and his work HERE.Check out the article Culture, Empathy and Resistance by Danny Goldberg and the book NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari“People always say to me, ‘It’s never been this way’. That’s just absolutely not true. We had slavery in this country. Women couldn't vote until 1920. Homosexuality, you could still go to jail up until the 60s for it. The AIDS epidemic during the Reagan period. Not to mention human history, the Crusades, and the Holocaust. There have been many, many dreadful times.’” – Danny GoldbergSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Holding grief alongside wise teachings on death, Jaymee Carpenter and Raghu Markus discuss the great loss of Lady Diana J. Mukpo, wife of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.Listen to Jaymee’s interview with Lady Diana J. Mukpo HEREThis week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Jaymee chat about:Remembering Lady Diana J. Mukpo, the wife of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the great Tibetan LamaChogyam Trungpa’s leadership out of occupied Tibet, through the Himalayas, and into IndiaRaghu’s experience meeting Chogyam Trungpa and having an instant connectionLiving in two planes at once: holding grief while realizing that death is ultimately just a conceptHow clinging and even subtle attachments can pull us away from the present momentJaymee’s practice of looking at things three different waysTransforming the polarity that exists inside of ourselves Turning even the worst of situations into an opportunity for growth and something beautiful‘The mere eye’ where we hold our sense of self lightly Watching out for spiritual bypassing and practicing loving awareness From This Episode:Look deeper into Pema Chödrön, the renowned Buddhist nun mentioned by Jaymee and Raghu.Get a copy of Why We Meditate, a guidebook that will help you not only break free from negative patterns of thought and behavior but radically embrace your very being.Learn more about Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche through Ram Dass in an episode of Here and Now and in this earlier Mindrolling episode.About Jaymee Carpenter:Jaymee Carpenter is a highly revered spiritual teacher and psychospiritual counselor based in Ojai, CA, with a background of 13 years of multi-faceted professional experience in the field of addiction and mental health treatment. He is a 16-year meditation practitioner and teacher within the oldest lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma), which is his primary source of his own recovery and mental clarity. Jaymee spent 3 years recently as an apprentice to a Lakota shaman, co-facilitating sweat lodge ceremonies for hundreds of participants on sacred land blessed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He is additionally a master-level communicator and storyteller, and one of the world’s great listeners.Follow Jaymee Carpenter on Instagram and check out his podcast, Love is the Author “I start to cry. I cry for the normal reasons one cries. Loss, the sadness around not having another chance to say something to her. Then, I’m immediately greeted with how long she lived, all the accomplishments she made in this lifetime, that she studied the way out of the notion of death alongside Chogyam Trungpa…I’m met both with my grief and my teachings.” – Jaymee Carpenter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author Andy Chaleff speaks to personal and collective grief, teaching listeners that embracing loss can help us live a more fulfilling life.Get your copy of Andy’s book, Dying to Live: Finding Life’s Meaning Through DeathThis week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Andy have a conversation on:Andy’s early experiences with fear, existential dread, and childhood lossAndy’s emotional and intellectual process of writingChildhood grief, losing a parent, and losing a petBreaking free from a victimhood identity by reframing life’s challengesShifting perspective to see the world with gratitude and compassionProcessing collective grief in the face of global crises, politics, and inequalityHow to live in love instead of living in fearFinding the blessings in difficult circumstancesThe wisdom of Stoicism and learning to “live with death on the shoulder”Laughing at the dance between life’s seriousness and absurdityFinding the heart-mind in ourselves and providing service to othersAbout Andy Chaleff:Andy Chaleff is an author, mentor, and speaker whose life and work are grounded in radical emotional honesty. At eighteen, Andy’s mother was killed by a drunk driver just hours after receiving a deeply personal letter he had written — a soul-baring message he never imagined would be his last to her. That moment became the start of a lifelong inquiry into grief, love, and what it means to live without holding back.Today, Andy works privately with a select group of clients, from cultural icons to global leaders, offering mentorship rooted in vulnerability, clarity, and deep presence. His work invites people to reconnect with themselves and embrace the parts of life we’re taught to avoid. His books, often called spiritual memoirs, blend raw personal storytelling with existential insight. His newest, Dying to Live, explores how coming to peace with death can open us to the full beauty of life. Originally from California, Andy now lives in Amsterdam, where he directs Amsterdam's Welvaren, a center for coaching and leadership. Check out Andy’s website HERE. “It’s the recognition of fear that is a prime ingredient. It always goes back to fear of death, or, you can say it a different way, impermanence.” –Andy ChaleffSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu Markus and Ann Tashi Slater dive into The Tibetan Book of the Dead, bardo states, and how embracing death and impermanence can help us live with greater presence and purpose.Pick up a copy of Ann's September 2025 book, Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World.This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Ann discuss:The Tibetan Book of the Dead and how it can help us in modern Western cultureBardo states: the in-between, liminal spaces between death and rebirth, birth and death.How we regularly experience metaphorical death through the impermanence of relationships, identities, and momentsAccepting the reality of death and impermanence to avoid struggle and sufferingFinding grace in life-lessons and why Ram Dass initially thought his guru gave him the strokeAnn’s Tibetan lineage and strong connection to her grandmother Ensuring that we are living in alignment with the things we care most about Why reflecting on death while alive can lead to more conscious, intentional livingMaintaining traditions as a way to accept reality, process grief, and find meaning in lossRecognizing our interdependence and having compassion for other peopleCheck out the film The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life, narrated by Leonard CohenAbout Ann Tashi Slater:Ann Tashi Slater has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Paris Review, Tin House, Guernica, AGNI, Granta, and many others. Her work has been featured in Lit Hub and included in The Best American Essays. In her Darjeeling Journal column for Catapult, she writes about her Tibetan family history and bardo, and she blogged for HuffPost about similar topics. She presents and teaches workshops at Princeton, Columbia, Oxford, Asia Society, and The American University of Paris, among others, and was a regular speaker at NYC’s Rubin Museum of Art during the museum's 20-year run. You can learn more about Ann and sign up for her newsletter at http://www.anntashislater.com. And learn more about Ann's new book, Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World, here.“The really fundamental lesson of the bardo teachings is that awareness of impermanence allows us to actually, counterintuitively, find the happiness that we’re looking for. When we struggle against it, we make ourselves miserable because there’s nothing we can do to change it. Things end.” – Ann Tashi SlaterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recorded live at the 2025 Summer Mountain Retreat, this homestyle chat with Raghu Markus, Nina Rao, and Robert Thurman explores the Bhakti-Buddhist lineage of Ram Dass and Maharaj-ji.Join us this December for the 2025 Ram Dass Legacy Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat in Maui!This time on Mindrolling, Raghu, Nina, and Robert discuss:The story of finding Neem Karoli Baba and filling up on poori and potatoesHow Maharaj-ji miraculously healed Krishna Das’s injured kneeThe wonderful interplay between Ram Dass and Buddhist teachersNina’s relationship with Sri Siddhi Ma, an intimate devotee of Maharaj-ji (considered by many to be a saint in her own right)Seeing everyone as the guru and living the best way that we canNina’s journey to the foothills of the Himalayas and meeting Siddhi Ma for the first timeThe Buddhist perspective on the soul (ātman) and whether we truly have oneWhy ‘Be Here Now’ is actually a mantra of care and femininity The Bhagavad Gita and the meaning of karma yoga Letting go of fear around birth and death by focusing on liberation from sufferingBeing here now in the best way we can by loving those around us rather than running away from the pain in the world “My own take on it in terms of what we represent and what goes on here is really, truly, a combination of Bhakti and discriminating wisdom represented by Buddhist perspective.” – Raghu MarkusAbout Nina Rao:Nina Rao is a devotional singer. She tours with Krishna Das, playing cymbals, singing, and acting as his business manager. Nina has two of her own albums, “Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts” and “Anubhav”. Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York and beyond. Together with Chandra and Genevieve Walker, Nina operates the 21 Taras Collective. You can keep up with Nina on her website or find her on Instagram @nina_rao and on Facebook @NinaRaoChant. “I didn’t realize that I was looking for a guru until Krishna Das started talking about Neem Karoli Baba. When I heard about him and I felt that presence that came alive when Krishna Das was talking about Maharaj-ji, I wanted to meet him.” – Nina RaoAbout Robert Thurman:Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University and President of the Tibet House U.S., and is the President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. His new book, Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life, is now available. “What is the best way to 'be here now'? It’s to love Raghu, to love Nina, to love Maharaj-ji, it’s to love everything here and now and make it beautiful and the best. Be as beautiful and as best as you can be because that’s absolute. That’s the way to 'be Nirvana now'.”  – Robert ThurmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Continuing their earlier conversation, Dr. Bruce Damer and Raghu Markus have a socially charged discussion on facing our collective karma with equanimity and grace. Start with the first part of this conversation HERE.In this episode, Raghu and Dr. Damer explore:Ram Dass’s teachings on social justice and keeping our hearts open in hellUnderstanding collective karma and how it shapes the world we live in todayWhy this moment in history may be the most powerful time for spiritual awakening and intellectual growthBalancing awareness of global challenges with one’s own personal and spiritual developmentCultivating equanimity and positivity instead of falling into fear, stress, or panicThe importance of satsang and sangha—gathering in community for deeper spiritual connectionHow spiritual wisdom from gurus and teachers can be misinterpreted or become misunderstood over timeDr. Damer’s connection to philosopher Dr. Kaushik, wisdom from Krishnamurti, and psychedelics from Terence MckennaAltered states of consciousness and connecting into the mind at large“These beings don’t just come out of nowhere. There's a karma that we collectively have, actions that we have taken that have created what we are now looking in horror at.” – Raghu MarkusLinks & Recommendations from this episode:Read more of Ram Dass on Finding Space for Equanimity in Social JusticePreorder the upcoming book Strange Attractor, to learn more about the hallucinatory life of Terence Mckenna Listen to Dr. Kaushik’s insightful audios HERECheck out Dr. Bruce Damer’s Podcast, Levity Zone, featuring episodes with Dr. Kaushik About Dr. Bruce Damer:Dr. Bruce Damer is a scientist, psychonaut, and humanitarian. Dr. Damer is Chief Scientist at BIOTA Institute, UC Santa Cruz. He is an astrobiologist working on the science of life’s origins, spacecraft design, psychedelics and genius. Dr. Bruce has spent his life pursuing two great questions: how did life on Earth begin, and how can we give that life (and ourselves) a sustainable pathway into the cosmos? A decade of scientific research with his collaborator Prof. David Deamer at the UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering resulted in the Hot Spring Hypothesis for an Origin of Life published in the journal Astrobiology in 2019. Dr. Damer also has a long career working with NASA on mission simulation and design and recently co-developed a spacecraft to utilize resources from asteroids. Advancing research into altered-state innovation, Dr. Damer recently cofounded the Center for MINDS. You can keep up with Dr. Bruce Damer on Twitter or read his scientific writings HERE.“Perhaps what we’re doing now is we’re getting ready to go through another one of these compression points and shed off those things and then emerge back out. It’s possibly the time for the greatest spiritual growth as well as intellectual, we have the tools of A.I. It really challenges us to decide what’s essential.” – Dr. Bruce DamerSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Discussing the spiritual experiences that shaped his life, Dr. Michael Shandler describes the lessons he learned from taking psychedelics, meeting Baba Hari Dass, and more.Grab your copy of Dr. Michael’s award-winning memoir, Karma and Kismet, HERE.In this episode, Raghu and Michael have an elaborate discussion on:Dr. Michael’s early encounters with antisemitism and racism in boarding school and the South African militaryThe impact of Zionist upbringing on Dr. Michael’s worldview and his transformative time living in an Israeli kibbutzHealing strained parental relationships: how Dr. Michael overcame challenges with his fatherDr. Michael's time with Baba Hari Dass, Ram Dass’s teacherWhy chasing multiple psychedelic trips may be less valuable than simply integrating lessons from the firstRestoring balance to the nervous system with yogic practices and AyurvedaA heart-centered teaching from Neem Karoli Baba: Poori and PotatoesCheck out Ram Dass’s Here We All Are lecture, mentioned in this episode. About Dr. Michael Shandler:Dr. Michael Shandler is an award-winning author, speaker, and life coach with over forty years of experience guiding individuals and teams on their journeys toward psycho-spiritual well-being. and optimal performance As the founder of Vision Action Associates and former director of leadership and organization development at Arthur D. Little in London, U.K., Shandler has spent decades helping leaders, teams, and individuals tap into their potential, combining psychological insight with cutting edge collaborative techniques and the perennial wisdom of the ages.In 2024, Shandler’s multiple award-winning memoir, Karma and Kismet, A Spiritual Quest Across Continents, Cultures, and Consciousness, was published by Koehler Books. This award-winning narrative chronicles his personal journey through adversity and triumph, exploring the powerful forces of fate and karma that have shaped his life across continents and cultures. His work resonates with anyone seeking transformation, self-discovery, and a deeper understanding of life’s interconnectedness.“During the meeting, he said to me, ‘How many times have you taken LSD?’ Who knew? I didn’t really remember. I said, ‘I can’t really remember Baba Ji.’ He said, ‘The first trip you took was the important one, everything else was a waste of time after that.’”– Dr. Michael ShandlerThis episode is brought to you by Dharma Moon.Join Senior Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern for a provocative and playful online discussion exploring the profound practices of mindfulness and the journey of becoming a meditation teacher.Learn more and sign up for a free online talk about becoming a meditation teacher with David at dharmamoon.com/deepening.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.