534. SAND Panel on Sexual Misconduct, Money, Power, Trauma & Ethics in Spiritual Communities Buddha at the Gas Pump

Panel Discussion at the Science and Nonduality Conference on Sexual Misconduct, Money, Power, Trauma & Ethics in Spiritual Communities, with Jac O'Keeffe, Mariana Caplan, Craig Holliday, and Miranda Macpherson


Introduction by Rick Archer

The spiritual awakening sweeping the world may be critical to addressing our critical problems.
Ethical breaches by spiritual teachers sabotage this awakening.
How the ASI was founded. Its role & perspective.
Qualities and Characteristics of a healthy teacher, student, and spiritual community.
What to look for in a spiritual teacher
The student’s responsibility.
Healthy teacher/student relationships.
Support for teachers recognizing their blind spots.
Are higher consciousness and more ideal behavior correlated?
Continual growth and learning, even in the teachers’ seat.
Discriminating between Awakening, Integration process, and actualization.
Abiding exclusively in nondual awareness vs. developing a multi-layered perspective.
What contributes to unhealthy behavior or cult-like tendencies.


Questions and answers

Guru addiction
Money issues in spiritual communities
The responsibility teachers and students share
The importance of therapy.
Teachers referring students to other teachers.
How long to stay with a teacher
Teachers inviting students to give them feedback

Discussion of this panel in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this discussion.

Recorded October 25, 2019

Video below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


YouTube Video Chapters:


00:00:00 - Introduction and Purpose of the Organization
00:02:40 - Establishing Guidelines for Spiritual Teachers
00:04:40 - Introduction of Spiritual Speakers
00:06:29 - Qualities of a Healthy Spiritual Teacher and Student
00:08:38 - Pursuing Growth in Spiritual Communities
00:10:47 - Accountability and Ethics in Teaching
00:12:47 - The Role of Humility in Teaching
00:14:31 - The Role of Trust in Teacher-Student Relationships
00:16:17 - The Process of Idealizing Teachers
00:18:23 - The Interplay in Unhealthy Relationships
00:20:25 - Higher Consciousness and Behavior
00:22:22 - Aligning with Integrity in Sexuality, Money, and Power
00:24:26 - Embracing Lifelong Learning
00:26:20 - Finding Balance and Growth in Education
00:28:08 - The Tricky Spot of Non-Dual Awareness
00:30:02 - The Deterrent of Fixed Notions and the Endless Possibilities of Awakening
00:32:02 - The Problem with the Search for Enlightenment
00:33:49 - The Danger of Group Think in Spiritual Communities
00:35:41 - Challenging Group Think and Teacher-Student Relationships
00:37:41 - Recovery from Guru Addiction
00:39:35 - Working on Our Relationship with Money
00:41:30 - The Illusion of Giving in Spiritual Teachings
00:43:30 - Mobilizing Teachers in the Shift
00:45:27 - The Power of Students Speaking Up
00:47:02 - The Development of Spiritual Maturity
00:49:05 - Engaging in Good Therapy and Trauma Healing
00:50:43 - Referring a Student Out of Their Depth
00:52:12 - Long-term relationships with students
00:54:24 - A Teacher's Role in Empowering Students
00:56:09 - The Need for Connection and Support in the ASI Community
00:58:01 - Music Interlude