Noah Levine
Encyclopedia
Noah Levine is an American
Buddhist teacher and the author of the books Dharma Punx: A Memoir and Against the Stream. As a counselor known for his philosophical alignment with Buddhism and punk ideology
, he identifies his Buddhist beliefs and practices with both the Theravada
and Mahayana
traditions. He holds a master's degree in counseling psychology from CIIS.
Levine is the son of American Buddhist author Stephen Levine
, and received teacher training from Jack Kornfield
of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California
. He also lists the 14th Dalai Lama
, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ram Dass
, Joseph Goldstein
, Sharon Salzberg
, Norman Fischer, and Sylvia Boorstein as his teachers.
As a youth, Levine was incarcerated several times. His first book, Dharma Punx, details teenage years filled with drugs, violence, and multiple suicide attempts—choices fuelled by disillusionment with American mainstream culture. His substance abuse started early in life—at age six he began smoking marijuana—and finally ended in a padded detoxification cell in juvenile prison 11 years later. It was in this cell where he hit "an emotional rock bottom" and began his vipassana practice "out of a place of extreme drug addiction and violence" While incarcerated, he saw for the first time how the practice his father taught him gave him the tools to relieve the fear and uncertainty that pervaded his life.
He currently leads Dharma
and vipassana
meditation retreats and workshops across the United States and teaches weekly meditation classes in Los Angeles. A member of the Prison Dharma Network
, Levine works with juvenile and adult prison inmates, combining meditation techniques with psychotherapy
. He "[explores] how they can have a deeper understanding of what has happened and what they need to do in order to be free, on many levels—free from prison, free from the trauma of the past."
He has helped found several groups and projects including the Mind Body Awareness Project, a non-profit organization that serves incarcerated youths.
One notable aspect of Buddhist Dharma is the path of our choices, the actions past and present and the intention for future action – (ref. Buddhist Law of Karma). Levine's past—addiction, incarceration, violence, initial rejection of Buddhism and meditation—are all defining characteristics of his writings and teachings. "We all sort of have a different doorway to dharma or spiritual practice. Suffering is a doorway. For me it was the suffering of addiction, violence and crime which opened me at a young age, 17 years old. I was incarcerated, looking at the rest of my life in prison and thought, 'Maybe I will try dad's hippie meditation bullshit.' Suffering opened me to the possibility of trying meditation."
In Levine's second book, Against the Stream, released in April 2007, "he presents what he has learned about and through Buddhism" and "clearly returns to such central ideas as impermanence and suffering".
Levine is the subject of the feature length documentary, Meditate and Destroy, directed by Sarah Fisher of Blue Lotus Films. The documentary was shown in film festivals and independent screenings from 2007-2008. Meditate and Destroy was released on DVD in 2009 by Alive Mind Media.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Buddhist teacher and the author of the books Dharma Punx: A Memoir and Against the Stream. As a counselor known for his philosophical alignment with Buddhism and punk ideology
Punk ideology
Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture. In its original incarnation, the punk subculture was primarily concerned with concepts such as rebellion, anti-authoritarianism, individualism, free thought and discontent...
, he identifies his Buddhist beliefs and practices with both the Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
and Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
traditions. He holds a master's degree in counseling psychology from CIIS.
Levine is the son of American Buddhist author Stephen Levine
Stephen Levine (author)
Stephen Levine is an American poet, author and teacher best known for his work on death and dying. He is one of a generation of pioneering teachers who, along with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg, have made the teachings of Theravada Buddhism more widely available to students...
, and received teacher training from Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield is a teacher in the vipassana movement of American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, including as a student of the Thai monk Ajahn Chah...
of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California
Woodacre, California
Woodacre is an unincorporated town and census-designated place located in the San Geronimo Valley in Marin County, California. Woodacre is located south-southwest of Novato, and 8 miles northwest of San Rafael, the nearest incorporated town is Fairfax, 4 miles east-southeast. Woodacre has the...
. He also lists the 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
, Joseph Goldstein
Joseph Goldstein
Joseph Goldstein is one of the first American vipassana teachers , co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, contemporary author of numerous popular books on Buddhism , resident guiding teacher at IMS, and leader of retreats worldwide on insight and...
, Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg is a New York Times Best selling author and influential teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in West. She co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein, in 1974...
, Norman Fischer, and Sylvia Boorstein as his teachers.
As a youth, Levine was incarcerated several times. His first book, Dharma Punx, details teenage years filled with drugs, violence, and multiple suicide attempts—choices fuelled by disillusionment with American mainstream culture. His substance abuse started early in life—at age six he began smoking marijuana—and finally ended in a padded detoxification cell in juvenile prison 11 years later. It was in this cell where he hit "an emotional rock bottom" and began his vipassana practice "out of a place of extreme drug addiction and violence" While incarcerated, he saw for the first time how the practice his father taught him gave him the tools to relieve the fear and uncertainty that pervaded his life.
He currently leads Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
and vipassana
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
meditation retreats and workshops across the United States and teaches weekly meditation classes in Los Angeles. A member of the Prison Dharma Network
Prison Dharma Network
The Prison Dharma Network is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 with the mission of supporting prisoners and prison volunteers in transformation through meditation and contemplative spirituality in prisons...
, Levine works with juvenile and adult prison inmates, combining meditation techniques with psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
. He "[explores] how they can have a deeper understanding of what has happened and what they need to do in order to be free, on many levels—free from prison, free from the trauma of the past."
He has helped found several groups and projects including the Mind Body Awareness Project, a non-profit organization that serves incarcerated youths.
One notable aspect of Buddhist Dharma is the path of our choices, the actions past and present and the intention for future action – (ref. Buddhist Law of Karma). Levine's past—addiction, incarceration, violence, initial rejection of Buddhism and meditation—are all defining characteristics of his writings and teachings. "We all sort of have a different doorway to dharma or spiritual practice. Suffering is a doorway. For me it was the suffering of addiction, violence and crime which opened me at a young age, 17 years old. I was incarcerated, looking at the rest of my life in prison and thought, 'Maybe I will try dad's hippie meditation bullshit.' Suffering opened me to the possibility of trying meditation."
In Levine's second book, Against the Stream, released in April 2007, "he presents what he has learned about and through Buddhism" and "clearly returns to such central ideas as impermanence and suffering".
Levine is the subject of the feature length documentary, Meditate and Destroy, directed by Sarah Fisher of Blue Lotus Films. The documentary was shown in film festivals and independent screenings from 2007-2008. Meditate and Destroy was released on DVD in 2009 by Alive Mind Media.
External links
- Noah Levine's Official Website
- Noah Levine audio from the DIY Dharma website
- Zen and the Art of Slam Dancing article by David F. Smydra, Jr. in the Boston Globe, 9/19/04.
- An article about sexuality and desire on the spiritual path featured in ascent magazine.
- An interview with ascent magazine.
- Audio Interview Series on Buddhist Geeks
- Meditate and Destroy- Documentary film website