In the 1960s and ’70s, a procession of skilled, charismatic, and presumably enlightened gurus came to the United States from India and attracted large numbers of followers. Their collective impact was extraordinary, and it has, for the most part, endured. Largely because of those teachers, and those who preceded and followed them, India’s perennial wisdom was implanted in our spiritual soil, shifting our understanding of the relationship between the individual and the Divine and ushering practices like meditation into the mainstream.
But the gurus cast a shadow as well. Rumors of sexual impropriety and other misconduct were attached to some of them at the time, although concrete evidence was sparse and denial ran deep in that pre-Me-Too era. Disciples did not want to hear that the teachers they saw as embodiments of goodness were, in fact, morally deficient.
In subsequent years, however, additional proof surfaced, and the number of accused gurus multiplied. By the time I wrote American Veda, which was published in 2010, I had to devote an entire chapter to the scandals. It was the shortest chapter in the book and the most difficult to write. It also attracted the most passionate emails. The messages were basically of two types: “How dare you lend credence to absurd accusations about my divine guru?” and “You were too kind to those degenerate reprobates.”
Like many observers at the time, I thought the ’70s-era misconduct was an artifact of a unique historical moment. Most of the gurus were monks who’d grown up in a conservative culture, renounced worldly life, dwelled in secluded ashrams, and then found themselves in bawdy America at the peak of the sexual revolution, surrounded by adoring females in miniskirts. It was easy to assume that future teachers would be less likely to get into trouble and that new generations of seekers would be wiser and less vulnerable.
But the abuses were not consigned to history. They continued, only more of it has been exposed thanks to courageous victims— sadly, not all of them consenting adults—who have come forward with convincing personal stories. The perps included not only the Indian gurus I mentioned earlier, but also Buddhist teachers from various parts of Asia, as well as Americans and Europeans who had either been authorized to represent specific lineages or had set up shop on their own. Not to mention a sickening number of clerics ordained in the mainstream Abrahamic traditions.
By now, we’ve seen and heard it all, and we’re appalled.
ETHICS IN THE FOREGROUND
Given that troubling history, it would seem that the need for ethical reform in certain segments of the spiritual spectrum is urgent. While offenders no doubt represent only a small minority of spiritual leaders, the damage they cause can be severe, and it extends well beyond the immediate financial scandals have cast a shadow over all of conventional religion and alternative spiritualities alike.
To reverse the cynicism and mistrust caused by ethical lapses, and to protect spiritual seekers moving forward, a multipronged, multilevel response is needed. One essential piece is for institutions to step up and put the well-being of congregants, devotees, and students above their leaders’ reputations, and even above the survival of their organizations. We’ve seen how the instinct to close ranks by silencing victims, burying evidence, and otherwise covering up the facts has only made things worse. Organizations need to establish unambiguous codes of conduct and create procedural mechanisms for enforcing them, while protecting the rights of both accused and accuser.
We also need to create educational programs for spiritual aspirants of all types, from members of mainstream congregations to the growing numbers of unaffiliated seekers who prefer to draw from multiple sources. They need to know how to recognize the warning signs of potential abuse and learn how to protect themselves and others. They need to understand the dangers of cults, which are breeding grounds for exploitation. And they need to know how to approach spiritual leaders humbly and respectfully—without allowing humility to become gullibility and respect to turn into blind worship.
A third locus of reform is no doubt the most vital one: spiritual teachers themselves. Whether they are ordained by traditional religious institutions, are certified by unconventional spiritual organizations, or operate independently or under secular auspices, it is essential that everyone offering spiritual guidance talk the talk by championing the importance of ethical behavior and walk that talk by modeling the highest standards themselves. By their fruits we shall know them.
Some spiritual institutions, of course, already have effective policies and procedures in place for preventing abuse and holding offenders accountable. But not all of them, and not every spiritual teacher is subject to organizational oversight. Indeed, the need for reform is critical among the ever-growing cohort of independent teachers who strike out on their own, with or without rigorous training, to offer their services to individuals and groups in courses, workshops, retreats, and online. These spiritual entrepreneurs are subject to no institutional oversight and are restrained by no authorities who are empowered to hold them accountable. A follower who experiences, witnesses, or suspects improper behavior on the part of such teachers would be hard-pressed to find a procedure for registering a complaint, much less a sanctioning body with the power to decertify an offender, as, say, the American Psychological Association can do with psychotherapists.
The independent teachers who have generated the most concern are those who adopt some version of the guru-disciple model of spiritual transmission. In some of those settings, teachers who are said to have attained higher states of consciousness—“enlightenment,” “awakening,” “realization,” and so on—are held to be above and beyond the judgments of right and wrong that apply to us ordinary folks. This can create a cultlike atmosphere in which the all-knowing teacher cannot be questioned and doubt and dissent are demonized.
The notion that spiritual status redefines morality is rooted in a questionable assumption—that awakening to the ultimate truth of Oneness is automatically accompanied by moral perfection. The awakened one is assumed to be so attuned to divine will that anything they do is, by definition, right and good on a cosmic level, even if it doesn’t seem to be so on the human plane. It’s a seductive notion, as anyone who’s been in the presence of a wise and magnetic teacher can attest.
The facts on the ground, however, suggest that the theory is flawed. This discovery prompted serious thinkers to ponder the nuances and complexities of the relationship between spiritual attainment and ethical behavior. One of the more useful contributions came from integral philosopher Ken Wilber, who proposed that human beings grow along various “lines of development” and those lines progress at different rates like cars on a highway, not in lockstep like railroad cars. Simply put, one may be quite advanced in one area, say verbal ability, and not so much in another, say emotional intelligence. And a spiritual teacher might be quite advanced on measures of consciousness, spiritual insight, and skillful guidance, and at the same time be less developed morally and ethically. Based on the living evidence of many presumably enlightened people, that would seem to be, at the very least, a plausible hypothesis.
EMPOWERMENT AND INTEGRITY
Seekers, practitioners, students, and congregants need to be educated about the perils, not just the promises, of the spiritual path. They need to be empowered to maintain proper boundaries and hold spiritual authorities accountable for their behavior. And both teachers and students alike need frequent reminders that no one, no matter how brilliant or presumably enlightened, should be placed on a pedestal so high that no mortal could withstand the altitude.
One example of an attempt to provide such reminders and fill the ethical vacuum is the Association for Spiritual Integrity (ASI), on whose board I serve. The nonprofit was conceived at the 2017 Science and Nonduality conference by a small group of spiritual leaders who shared a deep concern about revelations of misbehavior among their peers—mostly sexual exploitation, but also financial and other abuses of power.
According to its website (spiritual-integrity.org), “The ASI is a voluntary, inclusive, international organization of spiritual leaders, teachers and guides,” whose mission is “to foster the fundamental role of strong ethical principles in the ongoing developmentof spiritual leaders and communities.” It’s a membership organization “open to anyone in a position of spiritual leadership who agrees to abide by the ASI Honor Code of Ethics and Good Practice.” (As of this writing, the young organization has more than 750 individual and 50 organizational members.)
The code, which is periodically updated based on comments and feedback, has been the centerpiece of ASI’s efforts, which also include webinars on pertinent topics, a procedure for mediating complaints about members, and small-group peer support for spiritual teachers. Says ASI’s cofounder and president, Jac O’Keeffe, “We offer support to leaders so that the wider spiritual community is better informed about topics like the ethical use of power, working with feedback, and setting respectful boundaries.”
Those of us who want to see America’s diverse and fertile spiritual landscape continue to flourish can only hope that ASI and similar efforts convince teachers to place ethical behavior in the forefront of their work and to be humble enough to recognize that they, like their students, are works in progress. We also need to make every effort to empower seekers and students to exercise their discernment, make smart decisions, and remember that their teachers may be wise, captivating, and supremely helpful, but they are also, without exception, human beings with all that being human entails.
This article was written by MindBodySpirit.fm podcast host Philip Goldberg and originally appeared in Spirituality&Health Magazine. Visit spiritualityhealth.com. You can see Philip’s Bio and listen to his podcast here at: mindbodyspirit.fm/shows/spirit-matters-with-philip-goldberg. Also, please visit philipgoldberg.com.
