Signing Up for Groups
This section is about how to make groups at Sati Sangha sustainable.
As the group leaders, we will help groups evolve and live their best lives; trying to offer some variety in format, and have them available to all who are interested.
When you sign up for a group, you may look forward to attending just as we are looking forward to having you participate. But unexpected events and technological difficulties may sometimes pull you away from attending. We don’t collect a fee up front and, because we often meet online, we don’t have a basket or envelope for collecting financial support. Repeated online monthly donations make this very easy. But donating monthly isn’t an option or a good way for everyone. Besides, you may be in a more open group where people drop in.
Other meditation group leaders have suggested that if you are in an ongoing group, that when you miss a group session, you might consider a donation to Sati Sangha. If you are participating in a drop-in group, give as frequently as you are able.
We are interested in your experience if you find yourself in this situation, and would value your feedback.
General Communication
We get to know each other through meditation practicing and sharing our reflections. Our dharma and meditation offerings are typically given in small groups, occasionally larger groups, and occasionally one on one.
Our desire is to create a safe space where people can share freely, to their comfort level, and expect what they share to be held with care and respect. We ask that people talk about their own experience and try not to label and identify each other by what is shared, at a particular point in time.
We would like to emphasize that no one can do this perfectly. This is a collective effort to use kindness, understanding, and appropriate restraint in our speech and email communication. If conflicts arise please try to talk directly with each other, first. If this cannot be resolved, please bring the issue to a teacher.
Ethical Statements
This Code of Ethics is intended to inform and support the relationships and interactions between and among teachers and students of Reflective Meditation as it is practiced within Sati Sangha.
For most of us, Reflective Meditation is a relational practice, often done independently but not solely alone. We get to know each other through our meditation practice and the sharing of our reflections. We acknowledge a collective effort to use kindness, understanding, and appropriate constraint in our speech and other communication.
We gather strength from being willing to talk about our misunderstandings and ignorance in relationships with others in our community and agree to take responsibility for our intentions and actions. We do this with the intention to learn from our mistakes, express our regrets, and practice compassion and understanding for ourselves, and for those who walk with us upon this path.
The Buddhist precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. The statements below are based on those five precepts and define our ethical conduct individually and organizationally.
- We honor the varied life experiences and conditions each of us brings to practice. We inquire with curiosity, and respect different needs and paths of development. We endeavor to not “kill off” others’ experience with disrespect or advice, or by misuse of the power inherent in roles of explicit or implicit leadership. We strive to treat each person with respect and dignity, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, mental or physical form or capacities.
- In offering our teachings on a donation basis, we are grateful to receive. Along with this honor comes the responsibility of allowing others to give freely without coercion. Organizationally, we commit to act responsibly and to communicate candidly regarding financial matters. Any fees we charge for events are based solely upon the cost for us to offer them.
- Sexual relationships between student and teacher are prohibited. We endeavor to maintain appropriate sexual relationships within our lives and community, and to create an atmosphere free from sexual harassment. As a lay community, we aim to become more aware of our desires and behaviors in regards to our friendships, attraction to others and romantic relationships.
- With our speech, we endeavor to be kind and honest. Our desire is to create a safe space where people can share freely, to their comfort level, and expect what they share to be held with care and confidentiality. We favor dialogue over silence and encourage people to talk about conflicts and disagreements. We encourage people to speak up when there is significant conflict. Our intention is to offer an atmosphere free from retaliation. We encourage reconciliation when possible. If not possible, we agree respectfully to part ways.
- In order to reduce recklessness and heedlessness, we will not abuse mind-altering substances. While participating in events with Sati Sangha, we will attend with an intention not to abuse these substances.
Additional precepts for teachers and council members
We acknowledge the power we have in teaching and council positions. We endeavor not to abuse our power and to become more aware of nuanced power dynamics. Our community is small, and we understand some of the dangers of being isolated in our approach to meditation; therefore, we take a conscious interest in the broader community of dharma and meditation teaching. We agree to be accountable to another teacher or peer in our community when working with others, and to co-create opportunities for consultation and supervision when we are teaching meditation and dharma. Also, we acknowledge in our sangha dual relationships between teachers, students, and volunteers are inevitable; we engage in them with care. Sexual relationships between teacher and student are prohibited.