4th Foundation with Noah Levine4th Foundation with Noah Levine
Against The Stream
Mindfulness of The Mind Objects
1:05:32•10 Jul 2026
Craving, Suffering and Mini Nirvanas: Noah Levine on the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness
Episode Overview
- Mindfulness begins with kind, non-judgemental awareness of the breath and body, learning to ignore the mind’s stories without fighting them.
- Suffering includes birth, decay, death, grief, not getting what we want and losing what we wish to keep, and can be named directly in practice.
- Craving for things to be different than they are is highlighted as the central cause of suffering in meditation and daily life.
- Moments of ease and non-suffering are framed as tastes of nirvana, which also arise and pass and can themselves become objects of craving.
- Long-term practice and retreats are presented as ways to increase tolerance for discomfort and reduce the overall amount of suffering in life.
“Anytime that we're not at ease, happy, relaxed with what's happening, there's some craving. There's some clinging. There's some resistance.”
What drives someone to seek a life with less suffering and more ease? This talk from the Against The Stream meditation community centres on the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, with teacher Noah Levine guiding a roomful of meditators through a very down‑to‑earth look at the mind, craving and freedom.
You’ll hear Noah start with a short, practical sit: relaxing the jaw, softening the belly, and learning a surprisingly radical skill – "learning to ignore your mind" long enough to feel the breath and the body. From there he walks through the four foundations of mindfulness: breath, body, feeling tone (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral), and finally the mind and its "objects" such as craving, aversion and moments of ease.
The heart of the talk is a clear explanation of dukkha (suffering) and the Four Noble Truths. Noah breaks down the Buddha’s list – birth, decay, death, grief, not getting what we want, and losing what we love – using everyday language and some humour, including a blunt description of babies as "born into a craving body".
He then connects this directly to meditation practice by encouraging people to name suffering and its cause in real time: "what is the story that is making this moment unacceptable?" There’s also an honest discussion of "mini nirvanas" – those ordinary moments when you’re not suffering – and how easy it is to start craving those pleasant states and "turn freedom into suffering".
Noah shares from his own decades in recovery and practice, contrasting a life where he felt he suffered "90% of the time" with his current sense of suffering about "10% of the time". Announcements about day‑longs, retreats and community events round things off, all framed as opportunities to deepen this work of seeing craving clearly and loosening its grip.
If you’re curious how Buddhist mindfulness can meet both everyday stress and addiction‑shaped suffering, this talk might give you plenty to reflect on. How often are you actually not suffering, and do you notice it?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.