Taking Refuge with Noah Levine

The Mind Body Awareness Project is proud to announce that Noah Levine will be giving a talk in Santa Cruz to support its work. Founded by Levine 16 years ago, the MBA Project offers mindfulness meditation and emotional literacy to incarcerated and at-risk youth throughout the Bay Area and will begin working in the Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall this month.

Like many self-destructive kids, Noah tried to cope with life’s challenges with alcohol and drugs, but still felt empty. While locked up in the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall himself, Noah searched for positive ways to channel his anger and rebellion and began to practice mindfulness-based meditation. Meditation transformed Noah, and after practicing it for several years, he wanted to equip other at-risk youth with the same tool that helped him.

In this special evening, Noah will talk about how to find happiness from taking refuge in ourselves as wise and compassionate beings rather than looking to outside sources for contentment. In Buddhism this is called taking refuge in our own potential for awakening, the path that leads to awakening and the community that supports us on the path.

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Author of Dharma Punx, Against the Stream, The Heart of the Revolution, and Refuge Recovery, Noah Levine is a Buddhist teacher, author, and counselor. He has created a Buddhist approach to addiction recovery called Refuge Recovery that includes peer led meetings as well as a professional treatment center. He is also the founding teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society with centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco and over twenty affiliated groups around North America. He teaches meditation classes, workshops, and retreats internationally.

This evening is by donation only and all proceeds will go to support Mind Body Awareness Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Please RSVP so we know how many to expect.