Concerns have been raised about allegations of misconduct within the Sangha and our organization’s capacity to address these challenges. In order to address these past concerns, as well as formulate policy for the future, the Board of Directors of Rinzai-ji has now established a formal process that is set forth below, for anyone who feels that a person affiliated with Rinzai-ji has acted in a way that is destructive to a feeling of mutual respect and a trusting environment. The Board is particularly concerned about allegations of unwelcome sexual advances. The Board of Directors and the teachers of Rinzai-ji are unified in their commitment to establish a process to provide a safe and constructive environment for individuals to come forward and report any complaints they have regarding harmful and inappropriate behavior, so that any such conditions can be addressed and remedial actions taken to insure respect for all members of the Rinzai-ji sangha.
Investigation of any complaint will be prompt, and, if a problem is determined to have occurred, the Board will take action to address and prevent any reoccurrence of the unwelcome conduct. The person bringing forward the concern will be informed of the progress of any investigation and its conclusion.
This policy prohibits any retaliation against anyone making a complaint. Any report of retaliation will be handled as an additional form of harassment according to Rinzai-ji policy.
Ultimately the mission of Rinzai-ji is for us all to discover true equality, and our authentic self that can act and speak from that experience of true equality. The policy outlined below is intended to insure a training environment that fosters this mission.
Rinzai-ji is committed to providing a work/study environment within the Sangha, in keeping with religious and moral principles of the organization, free of unlawful harassment. Rinzai-ji policy prohibits harassment because of race, color, sex, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal or state law or local ordinance applicable to nonprofit religious corporations. All such harassment is unlawful. Rinzai-ji’s anti-harassment policy applies to all persons involved in the operation of Rinzai-ji and prohibits unlawful harassment by any teacher, employee or student of Rinzai-ji, including Oshos, co-workers and co-students.
If you believe that you have been unlawfully harassed, please send an email to the Ethics Committee confidential email address at conduct@rinzaiji.org. You may request to speak directly to a female Zen practitioner ombudsperson, an ordained male Osho designated for this purpose, or an independent female human relations consultant; or, you may directly provide a written complaint, which should include details of the incident or incidents, names of the individuals involved and names of any witnesses. All harassment complaints will be referred to the Rinzai-ji Ethics Committee and, if necessary, the Board of Directors of Rinzai-ji to resolve the matter. Rinzai-ji will immediately undertake effective, thorough and objective investigation of the harassment allegations.
If Rinzai-ji determines that unlawful harassment has occurred, appropriate remedial action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved. Any teacher, employee, or student determined by Rinzai-ji to be responsible for unlawful harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Rinzai-ji will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
All employees and students are responsible to do their part to assure that our Sangha is free from unlawful harassment. Rinzai-ji requires all employees to immediately report any incidents of harassment forbidden by this policy so that complaints can be quickly and fairly resolved.
Rinzai-ji will not tolerate sexual harassment in the Sangha. Rinzai-ji also prohibits comments, gestures and conduct which might not violate state or federal law, but which are inappropriate in our environment, or which would be destructive to the mutual respect and trust necessary to accomplish our mission. No person in this organization is exempt from this policy.
Sexual harassment is considered to exist whenever there are unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or any other visual, verbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
1. Submission to the conduct is made (either implicitly or explicitly) a condition of the individual’s employment or continued participation in the Sangha;
2. Submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as the basis for an employment decision affecting the harassed employee; or
3. The harassment has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with the employee’s work performance or the student’s learning process, or creating an environment which is intimidating, hostile, or offensive to the employee or student.
All individuals are responsible to do their part to assure that our Sangha is free from sexual harassment.
If you believe that you have experienced sexual harassment, or have witnessed such behavior towards another, by any teacher, employee, student, or other person doing business with or for Rinzai-ji, or that any such person’s comments, gestures or conduct are objectionable, you should report the matter by sending an email to the Ethics Committee confidential email address at conduct@rinzaiji.org. You may request to speak directly to a female Zen practitioner ombudsperson, an ordained male Osho designated for this purpose, or an independent female human relations consultant; or, you may directly provide a written complaint, which should include details of the incident or incidents, names of the individuals involved and names of any witnesses.
Rinzai-ji prohibits any reprisals or retaliation against any individual for reporting or making a complaint of harassment or of any otherwise objectionable comments, gestures or conduct, or for participating in an investigation of any such report or complaint.