Accountability

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Hierophant; from the Mystic Glyphs, Sex:

 When you are surrounded by people who think you are godlike, and treat you that way, the danger is that after a while you will begin to agree with them. Of course, one would hope that spiritual teachers would not fall into that trap, but obviously some do. ~David Loy

          It used to be that people thought sexual abuse was a Catholic clergy thing. But thanks to social media and women who refused to be silenced and shamed, the world now sees it for the plague it is. It is rampant everywhere, not just in white folks' religion, but inside the indigenous world as well. It spreads beyond the spiritual sphere into the workplace, education and familial patriarchs. It is time to stop romanticizing our teachers and leaders and see them as the fallible humans they are. As Dr. Lobsang Rapgay explains about the offender, "When you’re perpetrating sexual or emotional abuse, you split off a sense of personal responsibility, morality, and empathy." Kick down the pedestals and see with clear eyes. While we need teachers and leaders, we also need to enforce accountability for those in such positions.

The Buddha's Four Reliances

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Rely on the teaching, not on the person.

Rely on the meaning, not on the words.

Rely not on what’s cryptic, rely on what’s clear. 

Rely not on opinion, rely on wisdom.