So glad to have you as a dharma sibling, my friend. We've talked about this topic at length but something that is coming up for me right now as I read your piece is—we often talk about what a teacher owes a community when they've caused harm, but we often don't ask what is the sangha's role in creating the conditions and culture where power is checked and repair is possible. How do we fiercely, but lovingly create the possibility for forgiveness, honesty, and accountability?
Exactly! And maybe what we need to be doing is taking our teachers off their pedestals? When we hold such strict hierarchical structures in our sanghas (ie. the guiding teacher or lineage holder is the end all-be all in a community) we set ourselves up for disrepair when hurt or harm inevitably arises in sangha. What if we had more reciprocal flows of responsibility and accountability between teachers and sangha? Maybe we need to dream up some guidelines about this!
It made me so happy to read this conversation!! In my sangha we have been talking about power this year and something a teacher Sarah Dōjin Emerson, said (and I’m paraphrasing ) is that we mistake how the priest has power, that it is only through the power of the sangha. The sangha role in creating the conditions feels so important to talk about while also holding that the power that the priest has makes accountable in particular ways.
I have until very recently felt that hierarchy in dharma communities, and particularly soto zen where I primarily practice, is problematic. Since our sangha’s discussions on power I feel more like they can be a very skillful container to practice what having power means and what one can do with it. Sarah has recently been calling it a hierarchy of care and that has felt like a helpful way for me to engage with power.
Vipassana, I love Sarah!! I don’t think we’ve ever met but I’m a friend of many folks at BZC. I feel that in my bones—that the sangha gives the teacher power. Thank you for sharing <3
Dear Jessica, thank you so much for this beautiful piece! Grateful to hear it in your voice as well.
Something that has been coming up for me over the last few months within my community and also on hearing you name the three jewels together is that so often in communities that I have been in they are separated in speech and writing. I’ve been exploring my relationship with the precepts and to me the separation of the three jewels feels like disparaging them. I so appreciated that you centered the three jewels and then spoke about Sangha acknowledging its exclusion in western Buddhist communities.
Also, naming that neither resistance within a community nor resistance outside a community is more moral is so beautifully put. On of my organizer mentors often says that there a many many ways of participating and we have to find ways to include them all.
I will be sharing this with so many people! I know many folks who will appreciate it.
Vipassana! It’s so great to hear from you and I’m grateful for your reflections. I’d be curious to hear more of your thoughts about the separation of the three jewels in speech and writing.
I’ve been really exploring my relationship with the precepts too (and want to write about this!) and as you reflect here, when you start to deeply engage them, it brings the three jewels into reality. Not causing harm with my speech, not taking what is not freely given - these are things that we practice in community. And the accountability of community creates a container where friction around the precepts can (ideally) be safely explored.
re: inside institutions vs outside, do you know the social change ecosystem map! It essentially names that we all have roles to play in creating change, ie the many ways of participating.
So much to discuss! I’m overdue for a visit to BZC and hope we can connect in-person soon!
So glad to have you as a dharma sibling, my friend. We've talked about this topic at length but something that is coming up for me right now as I read your piece is—we often talk about what a teacher owes a community when they've caused harm, but we often don't ask what is the sangha's role in creating the conditions and culture where power is checked and repair is possible. How do we fiercely, but lovingly create the possibility for forgiveness, honesty, and accountability?
Exactly! And maybe what we need to be doing is taking our teachers off their pedestals? When we hold such strict hierarchical structures in our sanghas (ie. the guiding teacher or lineage holder is the end all-be all in a community) we set ourselves up for disrepair when hurt or harm inevitably arises in sangha. What if we had more reciprocal flows of responsibility and accountability between teachers and sangha? Maybe we need to dream up some guidelines about this!
Yes, exactly. It's a misunderstanding of sangha. Why are our spiritual communities completely hinged on one person to begin with?
It made me so happy to read this conversation!! In my sangha we have been talking about power this year and something a teacher Sarah Dōjin Emerson, said (and I’m paraphrasing ) is that we mistake how the priest has power, that it is only through the power of the sangha. The sangha role in creating the conditions feels so important to talk about while also holding that the power that the priest has makes accountable in particular ways.
I have until very recently felt that hierarchy in dharma communities, and particularly soto zen where I primarily practice, is problematic. Since our sangha’s discussions on power I feel more like they can be a very skillful container to practice what having power means and what one can do with it. Sarah has recently been calling it a hierarchy of care and that has felt like a helpful way for me to engage with power.
AH a hierarchy of care! I want to hear more about that concept!
Vipassana, I love Sarah!! I don’t think we’ve ever met but I’m a friend of many folks at BZC. I feel that in my bones—that the sangha gives the teacher power. Thank you for sharing <3
Dear Jessica, thank you so much for this beautiful piece! Grateful to hear it in your voice as well.
Something that has been coming up for me over the last few months within my community and also on hearing you name the three jewels together is that so often in communities that I have been in they are separated in speech and writing. I’ve been exploring my relationship with the precepts and to me the separation of the three jewels feels like disparaging them. I so appreciated that you centered the three jewels and then spoke about Sangha acknowledging its exclusion in western Buddhist communities.
Also, naming that neither resistance within a community nor resistance outside a community is more moral is so beautifully put. On of my organizer mentors often says that there a many many ways of participating and we have to find ways to include them all.
I will be sharing this with so many people! I know many folks who will appreciate it.
Vipassana! It’s so great to hear from you and I’m grateful for your reflections. I’d be curious to hear more of your thoughts about the separation of the three jewels in speech and writing.
I’ve been really exploring my relationship with the precepts too (and want to write about this!) and as you reflect here, when you start to deeply engage them, it brings the three jewels into reality. Not causing harm with my speech, not taking what is not freely given - these are things that we practice in community. And the accountability of community creates a container where friction around the precepts can (ideally) be safely explored.
re: inside institutions vs outside, do you know the social change ecosystem map! It essentially names that we all have roles to play in creating change, ie the many ways of participating.
So much to discuss! I’m overdue for a visit to BZC and hope we can connect in-person soon!
I would love to connect in person! I’ll message you :)