SF meditation center to close after famous founder accused of sexual misconduct

Noah Levine teaches a class at the Santa Monica Against the Stream center. After Levine was accused of sexual assault in March, all against the Stream chapters will close at the end of September. Noah Levine teaches a class at the Santa Monica Against the Stream center. After Levine was accused of sexual assault in March, all against the Stream chapters will close at the end of September. Photo: Won K./Yelp Photo: Won K./Yelp Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close SF meditation center to close after famous founder accused of sexual misconduct 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Five months after launching an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against its founder, a popular Buddhist meditation center in San Francisco has announced it will close its doors at the end of September, along with two additional chapters in Southern California.

Noah Levine, a fixture in the American mindfulness scene and the author of multiple books about his journey from drug-addicted punk to Buddhist practitioner, founded the nonprofit Against the Stream in Southern California ten years ago. In 2014, he opened a center in the San Francisco's Mission District, which hosts multiple donation-based classes, weekend retreats and well-attended nightly meditations. Levine also founded a for-profit addiction treatment program and center called Refuge Recovery.

In March, as powerful men began toppling with the onset of the #MeToo movement, a woman accused Levine of sexual assault, according to emails leadership sent to Against the Stream members obtained by SFGATE. In one such correspondence, the Against the Stream board of directors said it had suspended Levine's teaching activities and board membership. The board also said it had hired a private investigator to probe the initial claim of assault, as well as multiple allegations of sexual misconduct that followed thereafter. Levine continued teaching at Refuge Recovery centers during his Against the Stream suspension.

Levine called the allegations "false" in an email sent to those on the Against the Stream list serv. He said all his interactions with the accuser were "mutual with clear and open communication."

"I am doing my best to meet all of this with forgiveness and compassion, bringing mindfulness to all of the unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and sensations that are arising and passing through my heart, mind, and body," he wrote.

Last week, following months of keeping members in the dark about the ongoing investigation, Against the Stream leadership, in an email obtained by SFGATE, announced Roberta Yang, an attorney and investigator of workplace harassment, had completed her investigation into the allegations against Levine.

"Ms. Yang concluded that with multiple women, Mr. Levine violated the Third Precept of the Teacher's Code of Ethics, namely, 'to avoid creating harm through sexuality,'" the board said in an email to members. The organization's code of ethics explicitly prohibits teachers from various forms of misconduct, including stealing, free speech and sexual impropriety.

The board stressed Yang's findings are not a "finding of guilt or liability by a court," though a Los Angeles police officer told Jezebel in July that his department was investigating Levine's alleged behavior.

The email also said Levine had been removed from the board and barred from teaching at Against the Stream centers. The pending September 30th closure of the three California centers — in San Francisco, Melrose and Santa Monica — is directly related to the months-long controversy surrounding Levine, organization officials wrote.

"While ATS has previously experienced precarious financial moments," the email said, "this period has eroded core capacities of the organization. Fiscal impacts were immediate ... Four Board members resigned, a co-guiding teacher departed, two affiliate centers – Boston and Nashville – are dissociating from ATS, and our Executive Director is planning to depart at the end of his contract period."

After the announcement last week, members of the San Francisco "sangha" — a Buddhist term for community — took to Facebook to express their sadness, calling the closure "devastating" and "a huge loss."

One member of a 2,000-person Facebook group said it felt "like leadership threw the community under a bus."

"It strikes me as a real tragedy that all of the good is being thrown out along with the problematic charismatic founder," another said.

According to the email from Against the Stream leadership, teachers at both the Southern California and San Francisco centers were in the process of creating new offerings and classes "to ensure that former ATS communities across the country are supported going forward."

On Monday, members of the San Francisco sangha announced on Facebook the creation of the SF Dharma Collective, a "community-led sangha transitioning from our previous organization, Against the Stream." A newly minted website for the group said it would begin meeting every Friday and Saturday of September at the Against the Stream space (2701 Folsom St.) to "discuss our continuation as a sangha."

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.