Becoming with Noah Levine
July 21, 2025
I’ll Be Happy When
I'm going to talk tonight about a few different things, but one of the main themes I've been reflecting on is what the Buddha calls "becoming"—this tendency of our mind to believe we'll finally be happy when we get somewhere else, when we become something else, when there's a destination to reach.
Now, I'll talk about it further, but of course, in Buddhism, there is a destination—nirvana. The Third Noble Truth points to the end of desire, the destination of enlightenment, wisdom, and compassion. We are striving to develop, uncover, and experience those qualities. Yet so often, our minds say, "I'll be happy when..."—when something other than wisdom arrives, some sensual or material gain, some external achievement or attainment.
What is it that your mind tells you you need to be happy? I’ll be happy when ____.
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