Former Shambhala teacher arrested for sexual assault of a child

[Aloka]

An article from the Lion's Roar website today:

Former Shambhala teacher arrested for sexual assault of a child

William Karelis allegedly assaulted a 13-year-old who he met through his position as a teacher in Shambhala.

https://www.lionsroar.com/former-sha...lt-of-a-child/

Any comments ?

[KathyLauren]

Very, very disappointed.

Yes, you can find bad apples in any group, but you would hope that a Buddhist (or any religious) group would filter most of those people out or retrain them. That's kind of the whole point, isn't it?

Too many Buddhist groups are afraid to impose a code of conduct on their teachers, because that's not the way it was done in the old country. It's time we adapted that tradition to the realities of our society.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy

[Luca]

Um the articles headline is very misleading. He was forced to resign his teaching position nearly 10 years ago due to misconduct. He went rogue and decided to not stop engaging in using dharma teaching for self centered sexual conquests. It is sad indeed but it doesn't mean the Center as a whole is responsible or condoned his behavior. The obviously didn't when they asked him to resign.

[KathyLauren]

Fair point.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy

[Aloka]

Too many Buddhist groups are afraid to impose a code of conduct on their teachers, because that's not the way it was done in the old country. It's time we adapted that tradition to the realities of our society.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy

I totally agree, Kathy.

[manoPG]

The amount of sexual predators in Buddhism seems to rival that of any other major religion.

Personally, I put a little 'strike mark' next to institutes that have leaders that are into this kind of thing, because to the vinaya, it is considered the same as cutting off your own head, literally!

The Tipitika tells us to walk alone if we don't meet friends who are honest and good:

329. If for company you cannot find a wise and prudent friend who leads a good life, then, like a king who leaves behind a conquered kingdom, or like a lone elephant in the elephant forest, you should go your way alone.

330. Better it is to live alone; there is no fellowship with a fool. Live alone and do no evil; be carefree like an elephant in the elephant forest.

331. Good are friends when need arises; good is contentment with just what one has; good is merit when life is at an end, and good is the abandoning of all suffering (through Arahantship).

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipi...d.html#dhp-329


As we aren't exactly spoiled in our choices of Buddhist groups to join in the West, we are still supposed to remain our street smarts and judge those by their adherence to the 8NP.

“‘It’s through living together that a person’s virtue may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.

“‘It’s through trading with a person that his purity may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.

“‘It’s through adversity that a person’s endurance may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.

“‘It’s through discussion that a person’s discernment may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period ; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.’

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN3_11.html

[Olderon]

Don't want to turn this into a gossip thread, but my investigation into this topic with regard to Buddhist monasteries in Asia, particularly in Tibet, goes back years to the early 1900's and includes monks even found to be fighting over young novices in the Buddhist Monastic community.

In The West, we are not free of such experiences both inside and outside such monastic communities, which practice celibacy as other posters have already pointed out, and such abuse is not limited to abuse of children.

I will leave it there. For those who have an interest, case studies of such incidents are (sadly) readily available on the internet.