Meditate & Destroy

Meditate and Destroy profiles the persona who quite possibly represents America’s most unexpected Buddhist: former punk rocker and juvenile delinquent Noah Levine, bestselling author of the book Dharma Punx. As a teenager, Levine was mired in an abyss of violence, drug and alcohol abuse – and criminal detention. When he hit bottom, attempting suicide in juvenile jail in the late 80’s, Levine received a phone call from his father who instructed him how to take baby steps toward initiating meditation practice. Knowing that he either need to die or to change, Levine tested meditation and felt a glimmer of freedom from his intense suffering.

Today, Levine is a respected teacher and figure in what is perhaps the most unconventional Buddhist community in the country: the “Dpunx Nation.” Staking claim to his egalitarian urban vision, Levine states that “Buddhism is not just for hippies anymore” as he reaches out to a new generation of youths who are turning to meditation as they seek a departure from their lives of drugs, violence and crime. In major cities throughout America, these unlikely Buddhists find comfort – and affinity – in Levine’s approach. Today, New York, Hollywood, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boulder and Portland all host regular Dharma Punx-inspired meditation groups that allow punks to develop their own awareness on a deep level while retaining their edge and individuality.