Dharma Punx by Noah Levine
 

Was an interesting read as I have grown up in the punk rock scene also. It looks like if he didn't do something about his life with the spiritual side of things he may not be alive today. I think the mindfullness and teachings he used arent for everybody. When I hit my rock bottom about 2 years ago my doctor was encouraging me to look into mindfullness and meditation techniques. With the help of some much needed medication and eventually quitting alcohol I found my own peace. Thanks to the people who recommended the book as it was an interesting read.

bump for an awsome read.. im only 29, so i always love to hear stories about back in the day.. people dont understand why i get to excited when they tell me such and such band played in their backyard back in '82..

noah is a huge inspiration to me.. i was reading books about zen written by his father before i even knew who noah was..

i also would like to get my hands on that movie/doc. (whatever it is) that hes made..

figured you'd like it. i dug it.

thanks windysan do you have any other similar recommendations?

Well, I've read it too, several years ago and I'm 64. Of course I got started 45 years ago with Jack Kerovac and Dharma Bums.

"Pain or love or danger makes you real again...."
— Jack Kerouac (The Dharma Bums)

Also On the Road

"They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn..."
- Jack Kerouac, On the Road, Part 1, Ch. 1

I was supposed to read on the road by Jack Kerouac at school but didn't so I might give that a go. It was about the beat generation wasn't it? I think I thought I was to cool to read in those days.

Yea, the Beat Generation, used to read the stuff when I was about 17 in high school around about 1963. Hung around Washington Square, Bleeker Street, around Greenwich Village. Of course I dropped out of school and got into other things, so it was over all a long and twisted road but here I am, a clean and sober ex-beat/hippie, agnostic Buddhist on SR. Isn't life just too damn grand!

and everything is going to the beat - It's the beat generation, it be-at, it's the beat to keep, it's the beat of the heart, it's being beat and down in the world and like oldtime lowdown and like in ancient civilizations the slave boatmen rowing galleys to a beat and servants spinning pottery to a beat...”

And yes, for me my Zen is secular thus fitting the Connection: "Why do I identify as secular Buddhist? Because if someone burns the Dhammapada, retributive murder isn't on my mind. Toasting marshmallows and counseling the person on the suffering they're causing is." -- The Secular Buddhist