Jenn Pelly Josh Korda meets with a participant after leading a meditation session at Dharma Punx, a free, walk-in meditation class that fuses the tenets of Buddhism and punk rock. Below: The Dharma Punx logo.

In late October, my stress levels hit an all-time high. I wanted to escape, but no fancy spa for me. Being the sort of girl who wears vegan combat boots and listens to Bikini Kill while steaming kale, I decided to hone inner peace at Dharma Punx. The free, walk-in meditation class fuses the tenets of Buddhism and punk rock every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

While some may question whether these sessions confuse achieving Nirvana with listening to it, participants note that there are common threads running between the Buddhist faith and the punk movement. Like Buddhism, punk music and lifestyles are centered on streamlining and simplification: three-chord Ramones-like song structures, straight-edge lifestyles, and Do-it-Yourself work ethics that cut out the middleman.

Led by Josh Korda, a tattoo-covered Buddhist Brooklynite with gauged ears, the 25-minute sessions at Lila Yoga, Dharma, and Wellness, 302 Bowery attracted a variety of practitioners. On that particular Tuesday night, a young beret-clad woman sat in front of me, and a grey-haired man in a yellow polo to my right, along with many tattooed 20 and 30-somethings. Mr. Korda opened wide the front windows, surrounded by tiny portraits of Buddhist gods, and in floated sidewalk sounds, cabbie screeches, and ambient New York noise.

During the guided session, Mr. Korda encouraged us to close our eyes, mindfully clear our minds, and become “present” by focusing on one sound. He often quoted the Buddha. Following the sessions, Mr. Korda regularly gives 30-minute talks on cultivating inner peace and dealing with stress. Above all, on my visit, he emphasized monks as role models. “Monks don’t cultivate happiness in other people,” he said. “We’re all too over entangled in each other’s lives. Unless you have your own inner peace, you’ll try to get happiness from other people.”

My mind did wander frequently throughout the session — to how horrible my posture is, a cup of coffee at Think, and most of all checking on my iPhone. (And many people reached for their Blackberries as soon as the meditation ended.) But I was Zenning throughout the week. And luckily, I’ve got all year to hone my inner peace, without floating anywhere. Intrigued my Mr. Korda’s practice, the Local chatted with him about how Dharma Punx has evolved since its launch on the Bowery in 2005, the benefits of meditation, and more.

How did you get involved with Dharma Punx?


Noah Levine, who wrote the book “Dharma Punx,” came to the East Coast in 2003 and started teaching at Tibet House on 15th Street. The first Dharma Punx meetings were there. Noah left for L.A. in autumn of 2005. He asked me to take over for him.

Has Dharma Punx on the Bowery evolved since it started?


At first, the core members were just from the punk/hardcore community Now, there are a lot of people who have never listened to hardcore or punk, never gotten tattoos or worn hoodies. The East Village has certainly to a degree gentrified. That’s basically been mirrored at Dharma Punx. We have a large gay and lesbian population. We still have vegan-bicyclist-crustpunk types; members of other subcultures and countercultures.

Jenn Pelly A packed room gets ready to meditate at Dharma Punx.

Why does Dharma Punx attract people who embrace alternative ideas and lifestyles?


The Buddhist teachings are what you could lump into anti-materialism. A lot of people think their security and purpose will come from popular, external things—from their careers, or from accumulating nice objects, or having lots of friends on Facebook. To engage in Buddhist practice is to spend your time practicing principles that are not necessarily rewarded in the world. For instance, prioritizing compassion, friendliness, appreciation of the success of others, rather than competition. Practicing equanimity—not over-engaging in your career so that it causes stress in the rest of your life.

Why are the classes free?



I don’t take money for teaching; the monks I’ve studied under have counseled me not to. Spiritual life should never come at a cost. I’m pretty tattooed and leftist and progressive in my politics. But I’m what you would call an old-school Buddhist.

I can’t believe I’d never heard of Dharma Punx until last month. Do you advertise?


A lot of people will stumble upon us. I’ve never spent a penny on promoting Dharma Punx. It’s all been word of mouth. It’s in the tradition of early Buddhism to not advertise. I try to keep it small. We have to make about $100 a night in donations, and that’s our entire financial burden. The Tuesday night class gets anywhere from 65 and 80 attendees; every square inch of seating space is taken up.

Jenn Pelly Attendees listen to Mr. Korda talk about honing inner peace.

What was the last concert you went to?


I see Mastodon whenever they come through. I like Chromehoof, which is weird theatrical punk prog from England, and Deerhoof. I also have a large collection of rap. Up there would be groups like the Wu Tang Clan. I love Ghostface Killah.

Do you live in the East Village?



I lived in the East Village from 1980 to 1995 on Avenue B. It was a dangerous place, but I loved it. I live now in Williamsburg. When I moved there in 2000, it reminded me of the East Village around 1988, when it was an oasis of creativity. When I lived on Avenue B, there were bands like Sonic Youth and Swans. Today we have YouTube and Facebook that can instantaneously catapult an artist or scene to international recognition. Back then, well after bands had albums out, you could still hang with them. Word wasn’t getting out as quickly.