On Deepak Chopra, Jeffery Martin, and the Epstein Files: This Conversation Isn't New
Official Statement: February 2026
The recent revelations connecting prominent spiritual teachers Deepak Chopra and Jeffery Martin to Jeffrey Epstein have sent shockwaves through spiritual communities worldwide. We want to speak to this moment, not from a place of reactive shock, but from eight years of sustained work addressing the cultural conditions that make such revelations possible.
To Those Who Are Hurting
First, to the students and followers of these teachers: your pain is real and valid. The betrayal you feel, the disillusionment, the questioning of everything you trusted: we see you. We stand with you. To discover that teachers you looked to for wisdom were connected to systems of exploitation creates a rupture that goes beyond disappointment. It shakes the foundation of trust itself.
We especially acknowledge the survivors of Epstein's network of abuse. Their suffering cannot be overstated, and we hold them with deep compassion as these revelations continue to unfold.
Why This Keeps Happening
We've been here before. Different names, similar patterns: shock, calls for change, renewed commitments to "do better." If reactive outrage could solve this problem, we would have solved it decades ago.
The issue isn't individual bad actors. The issue is the culture that enables them.
Spiritual teachers are different from politicians, celebrities, or corporate leaders. We expect more of them because they are spokespersons for wisdom traditions, transmitters of practices that connect us to something larger than ourselves. We often assume, incorrectly, that spiritual insight automatically translates to ethical behavior, that awakening includes the development of love, compassion, honesty, humility, and integrity.
This assumption leads us to place teachers on pedestals. Some pedestals are footstools; others reach the clouds. But the altitude is dangerous. The view from up there is seductive. The admiration is addictive. The trappings of wealth and fame are tantalizing. And the shadow runs deep.
Teachers are human. They are not equipped for the altitude atop the pedestals we place them on, and we should never put them there.
But it's not just about pedestals. It's about power—specifically, about whose power gets centered and protected.
Let's name what's often left unsaid: the spiritual world has a gender problem. Male teachers are given unearned status. Their voices dominate. Their panels often lack women. Their organizations can prioritize their brand over accountability. When they are accused, defense can come quickly. When they harm, they are often protected. When women speak up, they are dismissed, discredited, or silenced.
The connections between prominent male spiritual teachers and Epstein's network are not coincidental. Both worlds operate on similar dynamics: charismatic men with concentrated power, enveloped by inner circles that protect their interests, embedded in cultures where questioning authority is discouraged, and run by systems that value reputation more than accountability.
What We're Doing About It
The Association for Spiritual Integrity was founded eight years ago because we saw these patterns and knew that shock and outrage were not enough. We needed infrastructure. We needed to address the cultural misalignments that allow shadows to grow.
Our work is proactive, not reactive. We're building something new, not just responding to the latest scandal.
Because our Honor Code of Ethics and Good Practice is central to our work, some people assume we exist to scrutinize teachers for fault and failure. That is a misunderstanding of our purpose. We are not an enforcement organization. Our primary mission is to support spiritual teachers in living their integrity, to provide a landing place where leaders can explore their humanity without the pressure of an isolated pedestal.
We work from a systemic perspective. We recognize that when leaders lack support, education, and peer accountability, the conditions for harm are exacerbated. Our approach is to cultivate cultures that prevent harm by moving from isolated authority toward shared responsibility.
What we offer:
-
A voluntary, peer-led community where teachers participate because they want to align their conduct with their realization
-
An Honor Code that serves as a guide for deepening authentic, ethical relationships
-
Educational resources, webinars, and community gatherings
-
Peer support for spiritual leaders navigating the complexities of their roles
-
Consultation and, when needed, processes for upholding accountability
-
Mediation referrals and support for repairing harm in student-teacher relationships
-
A "we" space that is community-driven, responsive, relational, and heart-centered
Nearly a thousand teachers and organizations have become ASI members. Membership is currently free and requires an agreement to abide by the ASI Honor Code, not as a burden or a mere obligation, but as a humble expression of commitment to the communities they serve.
What Needs to Change
We don't have all the answers. But we do have frameworks, experience, and clarity about what needs to shift:
1. From pedestalization to partnership. Spiritual teaching needs to move away from the guru-on-high model toward relationships of mutual respect and shared responsibility. Teachers need peer communities where they can be accountable, vulnerable, and human.
2. From isolated authority to distributed accountability. No spiritual leader should operate without oversight, feedback systems, and accountability structures. This includes:
-
A publicly available code of ethics
-
A system for receiving and responding to feedback
-
A harm response plan
-
Ongoing training and support for personal development
3. From protection of reputation to centering of harm. When harm occurs, the default response cannot be to protect the teacher's image or the organization's brand. The people who have been harmed must be centered. Accountability must be genuine, not performative.
4. From unexamined power dynamics to conscious equity. The issue isn't simply that there are more male teachers than female ones, although that's part of it. The deeper issue is about how power operates in spiritual spaces and who gets protected when harm occurs.
We've observed patterns that need naming:
-
Certain voices dominate platforms and panels while others are marginalized
-
When accusations arise, some teachers receive immediate defense and protection while others are quickly dismissed
-
Power can be misused regardless of gender; we've seen women operate within patriarchal structures and cause significant harm through irresponsible use of authority
-
The real question is: who has access to power, how is that power exercised, and what happens when it's misused?
This requires all of us - students, organizations, conference organizers, publishers, workshop venues, and teachers themselves - to examine:
-
How to factor in ethics and integrity when allocating speaking opportunities, financial resources, and platform access
-
Whether accountability structures apply equally regardless of a teacher's fame, gender, or following
-
How we each respond when someone in a position of spiritual authority causes harm
-
Whether we're centering those who have been harmed or protecting those who caused harm
-
The choices we make about whom we follow, promote, fund, and give authority to
The goal isn't to replace one hierarchy with another. It's to create structures where power is transparent, accountability is consistent, and protection is extended to the vulnerable rather than the prominent.
5. From spiritual bypassing to embodied ethics. Spiritual awakening and ethical development are not the same thing. Spiritual insight does not automatically confer interpersonal skills, boundary awareness, or power literacy. Teachers need education and support in these areas, not as optional extras, but as foundational requirements.
What This Moment Asks of Us
This time feels different. The conversations happening online have depth. Questions are being asked about unearned status, the need for cultural change, the structures that enable exploitation. People are moving beyond individual outrage toward systemic analysis.
This is the conversation ASI has been having for eight years. The infrastructure is taking shape. You don't have to start from zero.
To spiritual leaders: If you want support in building ethical practices into your work, we're here. If you're ready to move from isolation to community, from defensiveness to accountability, from pedestals to partnership, join us.
To organizations: If you're looking for resources that support accountability and transparency, we'd be happy to share what we've learned. If you're committed to cultural change, let's work together.
To students and seekers: You deserve teachers who are committed to their own growth, who have accountability structures in place, who don't ask you to silence your concerns or dismiss your experience. You deserve safe communities where integrity is an ongoing reality, not just a claim or an assumption.
To everyone doing similar work in your own communities: Let's connect. This work is too big for any one organization. We need a movement.
A Call to Accountability
We call on Deepak Chopra, Jeffery Martin, and others not named to accept full accountability for their associations and actions. Publicly where possible, privately where appropriate. Not defensive explanations. Not spiritual bypassing. Genuine accountability that centers the harm caused and demonstrates a commitment to making amends.
We also call on the organizations and venues that have platformed these and other ethically questionable teachers and continue to do so to examine their own complicity. When you pay significant fees to headline "brand name" teachers, you participate in the spiritual-industrial complex. When you prioritize reach over integrity, you enable the very patterns we're critiquing. This moment asks for honesty about the choices you've made and why.
Where We Go From Here
Integrity is not a destination; it is an ongoing, collective practice. The work of cultural transformation is slow, often invisible, and requires sustained commitment beyond the news cycle.
We're in this for the long haul. We invite you to join us.
Read our website to learn more, attend our upcoming webinars, or explore our resources on Insight Timer.
We believe change is possible, but only if we're willing to look honestly at the structures we've built, the power we've concentrated, and the harm we've enabled. And only if we're willing to build something new together.
The conversation is happening. The infrastructure exists. We invite you to be part of it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Association for Spiritual Integrity Building cultures of accountability, transparency, and care in spiritual communities