Student Guidelines
The Association for Spiritual Integrity exists to cultivate cultures of integrity in spiritual leadership, supporting teachers, organizations, and communities in doing the inner and relational work that makes ethical behavior sustainable.
Central to that work is the relationship between teachers and students. These guidelines are offered in that spirit: not as rules, but as an invitation to honest, mature, and mutually respectful engagement on the path. We have an online form where students can report an ethical concern regarding a member teacher. When ethical concerns arise between a student and a teacher, ASI offers a confidential process to support both parties. Our Evaluation and Restoration Team (ERT) meets with the student and, if the student agrees, reaches out to the teacher to open a conversation. Where both parties are willing, we facilitate professional mediation. ASI covers the cost of mediation, and upon completion we invite both teacher and student to contribute what they are able, so that the same support can be extended to others who need it.
In the meantime, there are steps you can take if you have an ethical concern. First, if you feel unsafe in any way, please seek safety and support immediately. If necessary, contact the appropriate authorities.
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If there is an issue between you and a spiritual leader/teacher/guide, please have courage and take the first step by contacting them directly and airing your grievance. Most problems can be worked out through clear and open communication.
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The ASI wants to encourage students to take these and whatever other actions they can to promote spiritual integrity. Students can take a proactive role in demanding better behavior and ethical practices from spiritual leaders.
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The ASI encourages every spiritual leader to use feedback forms with their students. Feedback forms offer you, the student, an opportunity to communicate your grievances. Teachers are encouraged to be responsible for the impact they have and to welcome feedback and maintain open lines of communication with students.
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The ASI has provided feedback forms that teachers can use. You can bring these forms to the attention of your spiritual teacher. If they are already ASI members, they should have a feedback system in place. If they are not an ASI member you can ask them to create a transparent grievance process and show them the ASI feedback forms as an example.
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You can report an ethical concern about an ASI member here.
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Ask your spiritual leader/teacher/guide if they are currently abiding by a code of ethics and good practice. If they say they are, you can ask to see the code. If they are not, you can recommend that they visit our website and review our code of ethics with an invitation to join the ASI.
This work is long term and collective. We are building something from within the culture, growing it from the inside out. We believe that when teachers and students engage honestly, with mutual respect and genuine accountability, something genuinely new becomes possible. We are grateful to everyone who is part of that effort.