thanks to unfettered friends

I will not be beginning my story today.  But I still intend to do so, since neither Mr. Conrad nor anyone from the Board of Unfettered Mind has responded to the requests I made in my letter of August 4th, and no changes have been made to the Unfettered Mind grievance policy which, for reasons already explained, is unacceptable in its current form.

I would like to thank George Draffan for making a public statement recognizing the inadequacy of UM’s current  grievance procedure, and for pointing out how the absence of a more appropriate procedure generates unnecessary confusion and innuendo, only adding harm to an already painful situation.

I also wanted to acknowledge the lively and probing internet discussions currently being held on the subject of teacher misconduct.  These are being hosted by Grace Schireson, Ph.D. on Sweeping Zen  and Justin Whitaker, Ph.D. (candidate) on Patheos.com. Both discussions have shed much light and inspired much needed public debate on the ethical, spiritual, psychological and practical dimensions of teacher misconduct.  The hosts are doing an exemplary job moderating the (sometimes heated) exchanges that these kinds of public discussions necessarily spark.

For those who are interested, there will be another public discussion tomorrow hosted by the Faith Trust Institute.  This one will take the form of a (free) public roundtable on the subject Abuse and Misconduct by Buddhist teachers and will be moderated by Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune.

I did not want to publish the first installment of my story while all of this was going on.  I was also, quite frankly, too busy participating in these discussions and getting to know the views of those who are far more knowledgeable and experienced on the subject than I am.  Some of these people have been very generous to me personally and I am very grateful for what they have shared so freely:

Grace Schireson  kindly offered to speak to me this week and, though she had just returned from a trip abroad, took time out of a busy schedule to share with me her precious wisdom as a woman, mother, psychologist and Buddhist teacher.   

Erik Storlie has been faithfully corresponding with me and encouraging my efforts to make these issues public, supporting me at times when it became especially challenging for me to continue.  He has been incredibly kind and caring, and I am deeply grateful for his unwavering support and commitment.

Kobutsu Malone has been a model of courage and (wrathful?) compassion, and has generously shared his time and resources with me.  Kobutsu has all of my admiration in making himself available 24/7 to counsel survivors of clergy misconduct as part of his indefatigable effort in trying to right wrong actions.  Gassho.  

Margaret Gouin, whom  I have never met personally but whom I consider my dearest dharma friend, has been an inexhaustible source of wise counsel and sisterly compassion and to whom I will remain ever grateful.  My heartfelt thanks to you, dear Margaret, and I look forward to meeting you in Ottawa soon.

Finally, I would like to thank my dear John O. for being my loyal friend through it all.