Chris Marti:
What if we were to hold dharma teachers to the same moral standards we hold everyone?
I agree with you completely, Chris. Anyone who did what John Yates/Culadasa did would be violating his marriage outrageously, and then of course there’s the matter of breaking the law by going to sex workers. (On that subject, by the way, from what I understand men often do that in order to
protect their marriages, because the transactional nature of the relationship minimizes the complication of having an affair with someone, getting emotionally involved, etc.)
My own thoughts: Culadasa took special vows, which he then broke. That in itself is a violation of trust. He also did something that obviously would harm the sangha if it came out, which it inevitably did. So he behaved recklessly towards the community. We’re not just talking about a slip-up or a “mistake” either, but a long-term, extensive pattern of violation involving many women.
I agree that all of us have to look at our unrealistic expectations and ask ourselves what role these have played in our practice. Are we thinking underneath it all that if we practice well over many years we will become perfect, or that we will unlock the secrets of the universe and dwell in a realm of jhanic bliss that will obliterate more primitive urges? I have discovered a remnant of such thinking in myself in light of this situation. Are we attached to authorities, to father figures? Do we want a kindly, trustworthy person to tell us how to practice, how to be in this world? Again, I have had a longstanding tendency in this direction.
So yes, maybe this fall from grace can have good results for some of us if we go more deeply into our unexamined assumptions. But there are other, better ways for a teacher to help students see these things than disillusioning them in this way. I’m thinking about the reddit threads I’ve been following, full of folks who are bogged down in skeptical doubt. So to those who suggest that Culadasa’s actions have harmed only himself, his wife, and perhaps the women with whom he was involved, I have to say that I disagree. There has been harm done that demands an apology. Culadasa is a public figure, his teachings involve more than just a how-to manual for a perceptual shift, and his behavior does matter.
I acknowledge that he did not get involved with students or their partners, and this, of course, is a good thing, but neither did he just have a slip-up or two. There is an element of compulsion in what he did, and then of course there’s the problem of the money, and the lying. I am emphasizing all of this not to be judgmental, but because I want to be clear about what has happened. We can say that teachers are humans, but along with making mistakes, or giving way to compulsions, humans have to clean up, and in order to do that properly they have to see the mess as clearly as possible, with no softening or excuses. There are reasons, but reasons are not excuses.
None of what I’ve said means that I don’t have compassion for this man. I have great compassion for him, I believe he has offered the world a tremendous gift with his teaching and his book, and I think there are still good things he can do as his future unfolds. But the good does not cancel the harm; both need to be acknowledged. In addition, the meditation community going forward needs to learn more from this and similar cases about how extensive practice and attainments intersect with other aspects of human drives and experience. We want our practice to help us to do more good in the world, and less harm. There is work to do in figuring out how. May all beings find peace and joy.
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