Spiritual teachers, no matter the tradition, should never be sexually involved with their students. Period.

karma-sakyong-mipham-buddhism-waylon-lewis_629
And it’s about to slap the Sakyong on his ass big time.

Spiritual teachers who are sexually involved with their students are not, in fact, qualified to be spiritual teachers.

The notion that one can be partially enlightened but somehow not have that awakening reach their genitals and attitudes toward women is nothing other than absurd apologetics for rapists and an ill disguised attempt to help them avoid responsibility for their actions.

You cannot be awakened and a perpetrator of violence at the same time. You cannot be awakened and commit crimes against at risk populations at the same time. You cannot be awakened while at the same time making excuses for your bad behavior.

Is it clear yet?

 

 

2 thoughts on “Enough is Enough”

  1. Careful here. If one goes to an extreme, one may be saying that a person cannot be sexual at all and must be ascetic to make spiritual progress.

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    1. I don’t think I am anywhere near saying people shouldn’t be sexual. What I am saying is completely in accord accepted wisdom that where an imbalance of power exists, whether real or perceived, sexual contact is off limits because the party with less power may feel they cannot refuse. To be a spiritual teacher who is being sexual with his or her students is to be guilty of abusing those students and therefore of gross ethical, and possibly criminal, misconduct. There isn’t any grey area here. If you want to make spiritual progress, don’t be an abuser or a victim of abuse – of any kind.

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