ASI Community Gathering on Ethics, Tenets #17 & #18, Not Abusing Trust of Students For Personal Gain

Community gathering on August 28, 2023 which is building on our webinar with Carol Merchasin “Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual Communities” ( • Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual ... ) our follow-up community gathering focused on two tenets of the ASI Honor Code of Ethics that relate to this topic. We explored these points together and discussed what they might mean to us individually and collectively:

#17. Never abusing the trust of students to obtain sexual gratification, money, free labor, or other personal benefits.

#18.Being particularly mindful of sexual boundaries with students—and honoring them at all times.

Time ran out of time to fully discuss Tenet #18, so we did a follow-up discussion viewable here: • ASI Community Gathering on Ethics, Tenet #...

The conversation was facilitated ASI Board Member Kimberley Lafferty.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to the Code of Ethics and Sexual Misconduct

00:03:25 - Guidelines for Spiritual Leaders

00:06:03 - Ethical Principles and Boundaries in Spiritual Organizations

00:08:15 - Establishing Principles for Teacher-Student Relationships

00:11:20 - The Importance of Fallibility in Spiritual Leaders

00:13:04 - Growing Up and Waking Up

00:15:03 - Sharing Reflections and Insights

00:17:56 - The Importance of Growing Up

00:21:49 - Speaking out about personal experiences of abuse

00:23:43 - Bringing Shadow into the Conversation

00:26:23 - The Imperfection of Enlightenment

00:29:51 - Embracing Humanity in Spiritual Teaching

00:32:03 - Support and Growth in Spiritual Communities

00:34:26 - The Right Use of Power and Misuse of Power

00:37:08 - Addressing the Denial of Personal Growth

00:39:48 - Continuing the conversation

00:41:38 - Addressing Fear and Judgement within the Sangha.

00:43:17 - Vulnerability and Protection in Satsang

00:45:09 - Legal Protection and Best Practices for Handling Relationships in Organizations

00:47:52 - Best Practices for Ethical Conduct in Spiritual Communities

00:51:38 - Ending the Student-Teacher Relationship

00:53:47 - Navigating Relationships in the Spiritual Community

00:56:00 - Navigating the Chemistry of Infatuation

00:57:44 - The Connection Between Shadow and Moral Precepts

00:59:44 - Building Bridges and Cultivating Shadow Awareness

01:02:18 - The Field of Developmental Psychology and Consciousness Development

01:04:03 - The Power of Traditions and Scriptures

01:05:51 - Embracing the Nuances of Divine and Sexual Love

01:07:52 - The Importance of Sharing authentically and Vulnerably

01:10:18 - The Importance of Sharing the Teachings+01:11:09 - The Worst Darkness Possible

01:13:08 - Gratitude and Community