Dharma Punx's Noah Levine under investigation

A. Wells, S. Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly; ATS Exec. Dir. Andre Hardy (againstthestream.org)

A shocking letter was sent out to the "Against the Stream Community" today.

It concerns its founder, author, ex-con, punk rocker, licensed therapist, and recovery drug addict Noah Levine, student of Spirit Rock's Jack Kornfield, and son of the famous Jewish Buddhist writer Stephen Levine. He is being accused of "sexual misconduct" with no salacious details given.

Did Noah Levine

• sexually harass an employee, patient, member, or board member?
• Did he say something risque at one of his popular weekly talks referring to penises and such?
• Are we to seriously believe Board Member and paid backer Mary Stancavage or popular biracial co-teacher JoAnna Harper are going to be fair judges of these scary sounding accusations?

Here is the shocking letter in full sent by ATS Executive Director Andre Hardy. (Maybe, like Trump, Levine can fire him for investigating this?)

 

Accusation

I own this place! You can't fire me!

It is with great regret we announce that we have received reports of sexual misconduct by Noah Levine which require an investigation.

During the investigative process we are required to suspend Noah's teaching activities with Against the Stream and his membership on the Board of Directors.
 

He hired me. I'm going to defend him.

We know this announcement may have significant emotional impact on you, as it does on the teachers and staff, and we plan to be of support in whatever way we can. This is a time for the refuge of [correction: not "refuge of" but "going-for-guidance to" the] Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

All classes will continue as scheduled. If you have questions, please feel free to call (805) 764-1340.

• ATS Teachers Council: Matthew Brensilver, Vinny Ferraro, JoAnna Hardy, Cheryl Slean, Mary Stancavage
• ATS Board of Directors: Heather Briggs, Charles Boyd, Vinny Ferraro, David Francis, Jacqueline Drummond Lewis, Leda Maliga, Brooke Rowland

COMMENTARY

Is this a Jewish patriarchy or ego thing?

This is what happens when you turn your meditation center idea into a "corporation" and start a money-making business (Refuge Recovery Counseling and Sober Living Facility) with all those $100,000s in donations we give.

Or maybe it's trying to work in uber PC Hollywood and Santa Monica with so many traumatized, drug abusing and sex abuse recovering LGBTQ clients and addicts. That's a tough crowd to herd like cats into a clientele.
 
Accuser(s)

Who cares about ATS? I own RR, Inc. now

Good luck saving your business, and your counseling license, and your reputation, man. Do we believe the accusations? We haven't heard them. If the accuser/s want to tell us their story, we're willing to listen, publish it, press for answers from Levine and his lawyers, and agitate for compensation that saves the Center. 

Did he do it, whatever "it" is? We can believe it, but it would be shocking. It seems more likely that this is Harvey Weinstein hysteria, but we're willing to believe.

Levine's just an addict and a man -- though one of thought he was enlightened (stream enterer) like his teacher and promoter Jack Kornfield (who wrote that Zen looking certification that hangs behind the desk at the original ATS Buddhist Meditation Center on Melrose Ave. next to the Refuge Recovery office it bought).
 

Who me? I'm just a down home guy.

This is like a giant "business" now, not at all what it started as. And if Noah is such a [blank] that he would blow it all by raping or molesting someone, cheating on his wife with a coworker or client, or saying a bad word to a too sensitive person, that is f'd up.

Harvey W., help us all in the age of the #MeToo Movement and #TimesUp and #Enough! Levine is or was a writer for the Huffington Post; wonder if they'll fire him just for being accused. What drama and what a mess.