Ethical Policy

The purpose of this policy document is to help maintain and foster a supportive
environment for Buddhist practice within The Buddha Project. This document describes
the ethical responsibilities of people working within The Buddha Project, such as board
members, teachers, staff, facilitators and volunteers. This document is accompanied by
the Protection from Abuse document, which outlines the procedures that should be
followed if complaints or grievances against any of these people should arise.
As Dharma practitioners, our main concern when grievances arise is the ability to
forgive and be compassionate within an understanding of karma. Genuine forgiveness
and apologies for inappropriate actions should in general be accepted and encouraged.
This means that the ‘victim’ also has a responsibility to be compassionate.
A fundamental responsibility to ourselves and to The Buddha Project community is to
create a supportive, harmonious, and safe environment for Dharma practice. If we
notice conduct that we believe is harmful to an individual or the community as a whole,
it is crucial that we recognize and express our concerns, so a culturally appropriate
forum for dealing with problems, needs to be developed. Ethical guidelines are
commonplace in most businesses, organizations, and government offices. As a Dharma
organization, we should maintain an even higher standard of ethics than an ordinary
organization.

As Buddhist practice includes the support and involvement of a spiritual community,
team members in The Buddha Project are caretakers of the community’s well-being. We
share a responsibility to foster an environment of integrity and respect. Part of our
shared responsibility involves refraining from behavior that harms other participants or
the community as a whole. Another part of our shared responsibility is to attend to any
concerns we may have about misconduct within The Buddha Project.

The Buddha Project team members are trusted to behave in ways that further the
community’s well-being. These individuals are seen as representing Ven. Losang
Gendun and The Buddha Project; in that way, they act as ambassadors, and their
behavior is a reflection on Ven. Gendun and the entire organization.
Examples of misconduct include, but are not limited to, physical violence, sexual
harassment, such as inappropriate and unwanted sexual advances, misappropriation of
community funds for personal use, and sexual relationships between teachers and
students. Misconduct on the part of those in positions of trust can significantly
undermine the community’s integrity and practitioners can be considerably
demoralized, and lose faith. For these reasons, this behavior is prohibited, and the
procedures outlined in the Protection from Abuse document should be put into place if
such a breach occurs.

The Bodhisattva Vows are the basis of ethics in The Buddha Project.
In addition, the following policy is established:
Relationships: Sexual relationships between The Buddha Project team members,
especially teachers, and beginning Dharma students are strongly discouraged, due to
the power and authority imbalances inherent in this relationship. The Buddha Project
team members should also be careful to refrain from behavior that could be interpreted
as sexual advances or sexual harassment. In addition, even if a potential relationship
between a team member and a student would not otherwise be discouraged, no team
member should make sexual advances to any participant during a course or retreat.
Right Speech: It is important that The Buddha Project team members be careful not to
gossip about or disparage other teachers, other The Buddha Project team members, or
students, or use harsh or abusive language. We should avoid speech that is
intentionally hurtful. If we are hurt or angry, we should wait before we respond and
think about the impact and usefulness of our words.

Finances: Great care should be taken in dealing with finances. In a Dharma
environment, the way certain financial transactions are handled is regulated by codes
of conduct that are far more stringent than those of an ordinary business. Money that
has been donated for specific Dharma projects should never be made available for
general operating expenses, except as a temporary loan, and income from Dharma
items should be used for Dharma purposes, not for general expenses. All income and
expenditure should be clearly and transparently accounted for, according to generally
accepted accounting principles.

Non-discrimination: Our way is to accommodate and not exclude anyone on the basis
of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or physical handicap. The Buddha
Project team should also be aware that there are laws in effect in many countries
prohibiting discrimination based on many of these factors. The underlying principle,
which is a fundamental part of our Dharma practice, is to treat others with respect, in a
way in which we would like to be treated.
Because of the uniqueness of the teacher-student relationship, The Buddha Project
Dharma teachers / facilitators are required to observe the following additional policy:

Confidentiality: Teachers / facilitators should respect the confidentiality of students,
and treat all communications from students with professional confidence. Teachers
should assume that all conversations with students are private, and should not disclose
information acquired in the conversation without the consent of the student. This is
another way of respecting the guideline of right speech mentioned above. This is also
required of facilitators.

Qualifications: Dharma teachers/facilitators should be honest about their qualifications,
and should be careful to correct any misrepresentation of their qualifications.
Relationships: Teachers/facilitators are not to engage in a sexual relationship or
communicate such an intention with a student who they meet during one of their
classes. If a teacher/facilitator and student wish to enter into an intimate relationship,
the teacher/facilitator must take responsibility to ensure that a period of more than six
months has elapsed between the end of the course and the beginning of the
relationship. This is to help protect both the teacher and the student from misusing the
teacher-student relationship.

Dharma teachers/facilitators are usually held to high standards of conduct and thus
should make every effort to conduct their personal relationships in an exemplary
manner. Teachers/facilitators should never use their authority and position in order to
initiate sexual and intimate relationships with students.
If the Ethical Policy is Breached.

In a case that a team member or volunteer is accused of having breached The Buddha
Project Ethical Policy, and a grievance procedure is initiated against them (see
Protection from Abuse document), that individual’s case should be considered by the
Board of The Buddha Project.

It is The Buddha Project policy that every individual accused of breaching ethical policy
be given the opportunity to explain their behavior, and if it is agreed that they indeed
were unethical, have the benefit of receiving an explanation of why their conduct was
considered unethical. If that individual agrees to change that conduct in line with The
Buddha Project Ethical Policy, they should be given the opportunity to continue serving.
However, if they do not agree, or are considered to have breached Ethical Policy a
second time, they will be dismissed immediately from their position.