Listening Council

Listening Council Purpose

The purpose of the Sacramento Insight Meditation (SIM) Listening Council is to offer support to sangha members who seek help in resolving:

1. Conflicts or communication difficulties between sangha members;
2. Complaints about perceived harmful behavior by another sangha member; or
3. Concerns about perceived ethical breaches on the part of any member of the SIM Board of Directors (Board) or Faculty, or any person acting in a SIM volunteer position.

The SIM Listening Council was created in recognition that, as in all communities, difficulties, misunderstandings, and conflict may sometimes arise within the SIM community. Unskillful behavior can occur even among experienced and dedicated practitioners. Our aspiration is to support the resolution of potential problems through effective, responsible means based on Buddhist principles of wisdom, compassion and right action.

Listening Council Composition

The SIM Listening Council will be composed of two to four sangha members appointed by the SIM Board of Directors (Board) in consultation with the Faculty. The names of Listening Council members will be available on the SIM website.

SIM’s Ethical Standards

SIM’s aspiration for all its activities is to create a welcoming environment where everyone can feel safe. This is the foundation for our meeting, studying, and practicing together in community. The basis of such an environment is conscious and ethical conduct and relationships.

Anyone who offers instruction, guidance, or mentoring on behalf of SIM is guided by the Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Teacher Code of Ethics, a statement of which is available on the SIM Website. Members of our community, including Board members, are likewise expected to:

• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of all community members, regardless of race, gender, age, ability, cultural background, or sexual identity
• Use moderate and courteous language in communications with other community members
• Avoid offensive or threatening behavior, whether verbal or physical
• Comply with all health and safety regulations, as determined by the Board, while attending SIM meetings

In addition, Board members are accountable for the ethical discharge of their fiduciary responsibilities to SIM.

Listening Council Process

1. A sangha member with one of the concerns described above may approach a member of the Listening Council and will be asked to submit a brief written summary of their concern.
2. A meeting with at least two members of the Council will be convened within two weeks of receiving this written communication.
3. Designated members of the Listening Council will meet with the person who has submitted the concern and listen wholeheartedly and non-judgmentally to whatever the person wants to share. This meeting will be confidential.
4. After this initial meeting, members of the Listening Council will confer regarding what they have heard and respond within one week to the person who requested the meeting.
5. After this consultation, the Listening Council may take one or more of the following actions:
   * Perform no intervention beyond deep listening;
   * Hold up to three additional sessions to assess and investigate the situation further, including meeting with others who may be involved in the conflict;
   * Recommend that a sangha member contact professionals on a resource list, prepared by the Listening Council, who may be able to offer mediation or individual counseling;
   * Refer the matter to the SIM Board.

Referral to the SIM Board

The Listening Council may refer the matter to the Board for further action in cases where the Listening Council are concerned that there may be a serious violation of ethical standards or conduct. This could include, for example, an ethical breach by a Board or Faculty member, or alleged gross or harmful behavior of a degree that is so disruptive that it could justify excluding a sangha member from further participation in the community.

For all referrals to the Board, the Listening Council will prepare a written report of its findings and provide it to the Board. The Board will handle the referral using the process set forth in the document “Board and Faculty Response to Problems within the Sangha.”

Confidentiality

The Listening Council will keep a written log of all of its meetings to discuss concerns raised by a sangha member. The log will be kept confidential unless the Listening Council refers the matter to the Board, in which case the log will be made available to Board members for their review. The Board will consider all Listening Council referrals during an Executive Session, striving to protect privacy of the individuals involved.

Council Members

Members of our community seeking support in resolving their concerns should feel free to reach out to one of our Listening Council members:

• Jerry Simkins (jerrys@sactoinsight.org)
• Robin Primavera (robinp@sactoinsight.org)
• Tom Vigran (tom@sactoinsight.org)
• Barb Briscoe (barbb@sactoinsight.org)