answers to some questions about An Open Letter

Thank you to all who have been reading the blog, and especially to those who have taken the time to make comments.  I appreciate all of your contributions very much.

I wanted to briefly address some of the questions you have raised either publicly or privately:

  

"Are we to take it that the idea of setting up a grievance procedure has been dismissed out of hand?”

 I don’t really know, but I hope not!  The only person who can really answer that definitively would be someone from within Unfettered Mind.  I do know that, so far, there has been no response to the invitation extended by An Olive Branch last April to Stephanie Siebert, President of Unfettered Mind, to offer help to her and the board in setting up such a procedure.

“I wonder why you felt the need to "take to the streets"?”

Because there has been no movement using other means.   Prior to the publication of An Open Letter, and over a period spanning almost three years, we have tried different avenues to engage Unfettered Mind in addressing conflict and/or grievances: direct communication between the affected parties, an informal mediated dialogue and, now, recourse to an outside party to help us set up a formal grievance process.  All have been ignored or rejected by Unfettered Mind.

The only avenue currently available to students is to submit concerns in writing to Stephanie Siebert, President of Unfettered Mind.  Beyond that, there is no transparent procedure available as a guideline for any grievance process, and students who have used this avenue have felt dismissed and re-wounded.

“[your] objective is to ruin the reputation of a longtime respected teacher.”

This forum is not intended as a place to air personal grievances, or call into question the valuable contributions of a well-loved Buddhist teacher.  Its sole intention is to openly report on a serious impasse within his organization that has badly affected at least two students.  

I hope that nobody will harshly judge anyone else for any errors committed during this process; we are just human after all and even at times, as Peter reminds us, just fools.  But there is basic human goodness in every one of us and I hope that this is what will ultimately guide this discussion to which I invite everyone to participate freely.

I would again like to invite Mr. McLeod, the President and board of Unfettered Mind to participate in this discussion and to please correct me if I have misrepresented the situation in any way.  I do hope that you will ultimately agree to committing to a fair, compassionate and transparent way of handling conflict within your organization and this without jeopardizing anybody’s reputation.

update to an open letter to unfettered minds

Dear Friends,

I wanted to give you an update of the situation since publishing An Open Letter to Unfettered Minds.

First, there has been no response from Ken McLeod (director of Unfettered Mind), from Stephanie Siebert (President of Unfettered Mind), or from the board of Unfettered Mind.  Yesterday I invited Mr. McLeod and Ms. Siebert personally to comment or respond to my Open Letter, and also asked them to provide me with the names and emails of the members of the board of Unfettered Mind to add them to my mailing list.   I am awaiting their reply and sincerely hope that they will choose to participate in this discussion.  

Other members of Unfettered Mind have received the Open Letter, and every teacher who has or will be moderating a discussion on Unfettered Mind ning has been contacted individually.  So far, only George Draffan has been willing to take up the issue with Ken McLeod and the board.  One authorized teacher that I contacted accused me of “spreading gossip and slander”.  I explained to her that lobbying for a grievance policy is not about taking sides for or against any person, but about supporting a forum in which students and teachers can air their grievances openly and honestly.  A grievance policy in fact protects both teachers and students from gossip and slander.

Many people not affiliated with Unfettered Mind have been very supportive.  These people include Yvonne Rand, Alan Senauke, Stephan Bodian and Alex Berzin.   Stephan Bodian has given me permission to link to his article In the Shadow of the Dharma which is the best article I have read to date on the subject.   Alex Berzin reminded me of this paragraph from the Open Letter published following the 1993 Conference of Western Buddhist Teachers in Dharamsala with H.H. the Dalai Lama :

In recent years both Asian and Western teachers have been involved in scandals concerning sexual misconduct with their students, abuse of alcohol and drugs, misappropriation of funds, and misuse of power. This has resulted in widespread damage both to the Buddhist community and the individuals involved. Each student must be encouraged to take responsible measures to confront teachers with unethical aspects of their conduct. If the teacher shows no sign of reform, students should not hesitate to publicize any unethical behavior of which there is irrefutable evidence. This should be done irrespective of other beneficial aspects of his or her work and of one's spiritual commitment to that teacher. It should also be made clear in any publicity that such conduct is not in conformity with Buddhist teachings. No matter what level of spiritual attainment a teacher has, or claims to have, reached, no person can stand above the norms of ethical conduct. In order for the Buddhadharma not to be brought into disrepute and to avoid harm to students and teachers, it is necessary that all teachers at least live by the five lay precepts. In cases where ethical standards have been infringed, compassion and care should be shown towards both teacher and student.

In reading this paragraph, I was particularly struck by the plea for “compassion and care” toward both teachers and students.  Regardless of one’s ethics or beliefs, whether “Buddhist” or not, compassion and care are standards to which we should all hold if we are committed to peaceful relationships.

Unfortunately, the wall of resistance that has met the two students who have made allegations so far is not the compassionate response they had hoped for.  I do hope that we will find a small crack somewhere.