Michael Levin, long-time dharma practitioner and student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Michael Levin passed away on August 14, 2025 in Belmont, Massachusetts. Michael had been living, in recent years, and receiving care at the Belmont Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, with support from his wife Emily Weidman.
Soon after his passing, the Hospice Chaplin and Emily, both Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, were able to be present with Michael, practice, and recite mantras together. Also, a Drikung Kagyu lama, who had been contacted close to the time of Michael‘s death, was able to do phowa practice for him. The feeling was that Michael “chose” a good time to transition.
In addition to his practice and study of Buddhism over many years, Michael was involved at M.I.T., in the 1960’s, in early research of A.I. and software programming languages (Lisp). As well, in the 1980’s, he was a co-founder of Gensym, Corp., applying A.I. technology to the field of real-time process control and monitoring of complex industrial systems.
Post a Tribute to Michael Levin
Tributes
I believe it was Mike Levin, whom I met. It was just another of those brief encounters in the sangha, which had a powerful effect upon my path. I was only recently introduced to the dharma. Even so, I was taking a deep dive. I was a member of Skylake, gladly welcoming a quiet man who was “new.” I thought that no one else was around, but I would soon to learn we are often surrounded by mysterious entities. This, I learned later from Arawana, was Michael. It was the only time I encountered him. There was an exhibit of the beautiful thangka paintings of Gurmi Lama, adorning the walls of the dining room.
Just as in a museum, people come and go, and their respective attraction to the representations of the art, serve to bring those people together. So, Michael and I found ourselves ,standing silently side-by-side before the figure of Vajrayogini. Out of the corners of our eyes, we made a connection, as if she was our ambassador. We turned toward each other. He spoke to me. They were the only words we shared:
“Some day you will meet her.”
I felt heat, rising up in my body, and then tears poured from my eyes. It was a blessing, an act of great kindness.
I believe it was Mike Levin, whom I met. It was just another of those brief encounters in the sangha, which had a powerful effect upon my path. I was only recently introduced to the dharma. Even so, I was taking a deep dive. I was a member of Skylake, gladly welcoming a quiet man who was “new.” I thought that no one else was around, but I would soon to learn we are often surrounded by mysterious entities. This, I learned later from Arawana, was Michael. It was the only time I encountered him. There was an exhibit of the beautiful thangka paintings of Gurmi Lama, adorning the walls of the dining room.
Just as in a museum, people come and go, and their respective attraction to the representations of the art, serve to bring those people together. So, Michael and I found ourselves ,standing silently side-by-side before the figure of Vajrayogini. Out of the corners of our eyes, we made a connection, as if she was our ambassador. We turned toward each other. He spoke to me. They were the only words we shared:
“Some day you will meet her.”
I felt heat, rising up in my body, and then tears poured from my eyes. It was a blessing, an act of great kindness.
Michael was deeply committed to the bodhisattva path and sharing the dharma. He was also a genius mind whose cerebrum cooked at a high temperature nonstop. I appreciated working with him and Emily in developing the Waltham meditation group. He was a genuine vajra brother and fellow classical music aficionado. His phowa, performed by Drikung Lama Sonam was really moving. Thanks for your contribution to this life, Michael!
