The Buddha's teaching is crystal clear: of the three foundations that support the whole path of practice, the foremost is sila—ethical living, goodness. The other two, samadhi and prajna, meditation and wisdom, follow. Given this clarity, it's troubling to see communities once again grappling with the abuse, betrayal, and damage that continue to haunt and discredit our Buddhist world.
In addition to the well-publicized scandals involving Sogyal Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham, and Eido Roshi, I could name two dozen discredited male teachers from recent decades. As a psychologist and dharma teacher, I've observed and consulted with several communities struggling with their teacher's misconduct. And I've been through my own devastating experience. In the 1990s, the scourge of substance abuse and sexual misconduct robbed me of the Zen master husband who was the love of my life.
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