Thank you so much to all who joined us for this meeting! The video replay is available below.
Topic: ASI Code of Ethics and Good Practice – Revisions for Review
Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Following many hours of work, the ASI Code of Ethics and Good Practice has been considerably revised. We wanted to make the Code more concise and easier to read. This is our first significant revision, which we hope makes it a document that better reflects the culture of our community.
We are ready to offer it to you and our community for feedback and comments. Tell us what we missed or omitted. Tell us what needs expansion so that we can add supporting text where required. The Code will never be etched in stone. It is important to us that it continues to evolve, reflecting the needs and values of our sector.
ASI Code of Ethics and Good Practice
Revised August 2020
As spiritual teachers and leaders, we commit to:
- Performing our work in accord with the highest standards of ethics, right behavior, and professional competency.
- Engaging in continuous and unending self-reflection, learning, and holistic personal growth.
- Cultivating essential personal qualities such as honesty, integrity, compassion, humility, and empathy.
- Respecting equally the rights, dignity, and privacy of all students and fellow practitioners.
- Holding in confidence everything conveyed to us in confidence, whether through direct communication or correspondence.
- Honoring local laws with respect to the disclosure of information in cases of sexual abuse, child endangerment, and the intention to harm oneself or others.
- Being honest and transparent regarding business and financial matters.
- Being self-aware, open, and humble about the limitations of our knowledge and experience.
- Treating students’ questions, concerns, doubts, and experiences with respect, and never trivializing or dismissing their inquiries.
- Listening seriously to honest feedback about our own methods and behavior—and, when appropriate, requesting and encouraging it.
- Fostering autonomy, empowerment, self-sufficiency, and emotional maturity in our students.
- Refraining from giving counsel in matters outside of our areas of training and expertise.
- Establishing and maintaining clear, concrete, and appropriate professional boundaries with all students, employees, and associates.
- Not seeking or presuming exalted privileges or glorified status because of our role as spiritual teachers.
- Using only with proper care and caution any techniques that can potentially cause harmful side effects.
- Addressing promptly any personal issues, concerns, or challenges that might affect our professional competency.
- Making only honest, realistic statements regarding the benefits of our teachings, practices, courses, and other offerings.
- Regularly reviewing our motivation for serving as teachers and monitoring the integrity of our words and actions.
- Acknowledging that, regardless of our spiritual attainment, we are human beings with human personalities, limitations, drives, and needs.
- Never attempting to satisfy our personal aspirations, needs, or desires by exploiting, abusing, or deceiving a student.
- Never abusing the trust of students to obtain sex, money, free labor, or other benefits.
- Refraining from intimacy, touching, and suggestive remarks that are, or can be construed as, inappropriate in a student-teacher context.
- Using skillful means to teach in a kind, loving, compassionate manner.
- Offer support to teaching colleagues and ASI members to the extent they are able and available.
Note: We intend to develop a supporting document to flesh out further nuances on some of the above points – particularly around sex.
Please donate if you can, to support the future work of the ASI.
Donation
While we offer this special online event for free for everyone to attend, please consider making a suggested donation of $10 or more to support the Association for Spiritual Integrity to continue sponsoring more events like this one. All donations are made in USD funds. The ASI is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation. Thank you 🙏
Suggested Donation: $10
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