In the early 1980s, shameful revelations of sexual, financial, and substance abuse by several respected Zen masters and other teachers of the dharma first came to light. These teachers were idolized by their communities. Some had encouraged such idealization to strengthen their students’ faith, but it left them alone on their pedestals, without checks or balances on their behavior. In those days, practically no one demanded accountability and transparency, nor dared give honest feedback to teachers. Students whose teachers abused their trust either stopped practicing or left their sanghas.
I know women who are still recovering from the damage done to their spiritual lives back then. Even today, women Buddhists who dare to speak out face derision and scorn from their male teachers and those who support them. Of course, some men have also been victims of abuse, usually at the hands of male teachers. ~ Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman
