As lay-people in the role of Dharma teachers, the Melbourne Insight Meditation Teacher Community has reflected upon the application of the Five Precepts to our role in serving the Dharma, and have agreed to the following commitments. All teachers at Melbourne Insight Meditation are required to adhere to this Code of Ethics.

In undertaking this precept we acknowledge the interconnection of all beings and our reverence for all life. We agree to uphold the spirit of these teachings according to our ongoing individual reflections as encouraged in the tradition

We agree to not take that which does not belong to us and to respect the property of others. We agree to bring consciousness to the use of all the earth’s resources in a respectful and ecological way. We agree to be honest in our dealing with money and not to misappropriate money committed to Dharma projects. We agree to offer teachings without favouritism in regard to students’ financial circumstances.

We agree to avoid creating harm through sexuality and to avoid sexual exploitation and abuse. All teachers agree not to use their teaching role to exploit their authority and position in order to assume a sexual relationship with a student.

Because there is a possibility that single teachers in our community may develop partnerships with former students, we acknowledge that such a healthy relationship is possible, but that great care and sensitivity are needed.

We agree that in this case the following guidelines are important :

• A sexual relationship is never appropriate between teachers and students.
• During retreats of formal teaching, any intimation of future teacher-student romantic or sexual relationship is inappropriate.
• If interest is genuine and a committed relationship develops over time between a single teacher and a student, the student-teacher relationship must clearly and consciously have ended before any further development toward a romantic relationship. Such a relationship must be approached with restraint and sensitivity – in no case should it occur immediately after a retreat. A minimum time period of three months or longer from
• the last formal teaching between them, and a clear understanding from both parties that the student-teacher relationship has ended, must be coupled with a conscious commitment to enter into a relationship that brings no harm to either party.

We agree to speak that which is true and useful and to refrain from gossip in our community. We agree to hold in confidence what is explicitly told to us in confidence. We agree to cultivate conscious and clear communication, and to cultivate the quality of loving-kindness and honesty as the basis of our speech.

It is clear that substance abuse is the cause of tremendous suffering. We agree that there should be no use of intoxicants during retreats or while on retreat premises. We agree to not abuse intoxicants at any time. We agree that if any teacher has a drug or alcohol dependance problem, it should be immediately addressed by the committee.

The five precepts of non-harming are a vehicle for our happiness, a vehicle for our good fortune, a vehicle for the liberation of all beings. May our good intentions shine forth.

Definition of dual relationship, can be a combination of:

• Dharma teacher and therapist/counsellor/coach
• Dharma teacher and friend or friend of family members
• Dharma teacher and employee
• Dharma teacher and accepting gifts other than dana

The role of Dharma teacher requires that we bring discerning wisdom to the complex issue of dual relationships in sanghas and close-knit communities of friends and colleagues.

Very little consensus exists about nonsexual dual relationships, and Dharma teachers need to be vigilant in terms of potential risks to students and to themselves.

It is recognised that because of the many roles Dharma teachers assume in their work, family, community and social lives, dual or multiple relationships arise in unexpected ways. Some of these multiple relationships are potentially harmful.

A Dharma teacher refrains from entering into a multiple relationship if the multiple relationship could reasonably be expected to impair the teacher’s objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as a Dharma teacher, or otherwise risks an excessive power differential in relation to the person with whom the professional relationship exists.

Dual relationships that would not reasonably be expected to cause impairment or risk of excessive power differential or harm are not unethical.

If a teacher finds that, due to unforeseen factors, a potentially harmful multiple relationship has arisen, the teacher takes reasonable steps to resolve it with due regard for the best interests of the affected person.

It is cautioned that therapy clients are particularly vulnerable to unintended harm in the case of a dual role of therapist and Dharma teacher.

Where a person from any dual relationship is attending a retreat (but especially therapy clients), Dharma teachers are asked to:

1. Inform the ‘dual person’ attending the retreat/workshop that the teacher’s attention will be divided amongst a large number of people and that the teacher will not be in a position to offer the type of attention given in their other relationship. The dual person is given the choice of attending with a full understanding of these constraints.
2. For retreats or days of mindfulness where Open Dharma Inquiry is offered, Dharma teachers are asked to inform the ‘dual person’ prior to the event, to attend Dharma Inquiry with the co-teacher. If there is no co-teacher, a dual person is to refrain from attending Inquiry.
3. Ask a ‘dual person’ prior to the retreat to attend one-to-one interview sessions with the co-teacher. If no co-teacher is available, inform the dual person prior to the retreat about the differences between a one-to-one interview session and their other relationship, particularly any therapy relationship.
4. Dharma teachers should be very careful to differentiate mind states and meditation experiences that may appear to have similar characteristics to harmful mental states such as trauma dissociation or nihilistic mind states. For example, meditative dissolution experiences arise in many forms and could be confused with a trauma state.