Noah Levine

Noah Levine is an American Buddhist teacher, author, and counselor, born in 1971. He is recognized for his distinctive approach that integrates Buddhist philosophy with punk ideology, and for his significant contributions to addiction recovery and prison outreach programs. Levine's teachings align with both the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions.

Early Life and Influences

Born the son of Buddhist author Stephen Levine, Noah Levine experienced a tumultuous childhood marked by his parents' struggles with addiction and their subsequent divorce. He developed a "core distrust of authority," which initially led him to reject his father's teachings. His early life was characterized by significant drug use, violence, and suicide attempts, finding solace and expression in the punk rock scene. A turning point occurred in 1988 following a period of incarceration, where he began to recognize his addiction and tentatively applied anapanasati meditation techniques taught by his father. This experience led him to embrace the straight edge movement and establish a consistent meditation practice.

Career and Contributions

Levine trained under Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and later earned a master's degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He currently leads meditation retreats and workshops across the United States and teaches at the Against the Stream Meditation Center in Los Angeles. As a member of the Prison Dharma Network, he works with incarcerated individuals, combining meditation techniques with Western psychology to foster understanding and freedom from past trauma. Levine has also been instrumental in founding organizations such as the Mind Body Awareness Project, which serves incarcerated youth, and Refuge Recovery, a community dedicated to Buddhist-inspired addiction recovery.

Allegations and Impact

In March 2018, Against the Stream (ATS) announced an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Levine. While Levine denied the accusations, an independent investigation concluded that he had likely violated the Teacher's Code of Ethics concerning harm through sexuality. This led to his removal from the ATS Board of Directors and contributed to the financial difficulties and subsequent closure of ATS centers. Spirit Rock Meditation Center also rescinded his authorization to teach, stating he was no longer part of their lineage. Despite these findings and recommendations to cease teaching, Levine has continued to teach, not recognizing the legitimacy of the allegations.

Notable Works

Levine is the author of several influential books, including:

• Dharma Punx (2004)
• Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries (2007)
• The Heart of the Revolution: The Buddha's Radical Teachings on Forgiveness, Compassion, and Kindness (2011)
• Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction (2014)

His life and work were also the subject of the documentary "Meditate and Destroy."