Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Spirit Rock

Our equity work at Spirit Rock is not elective, but central to all leaders and bodies, and needs to be a shared responsibility throughout the organization. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are integral aspects of our living dharma. Unless we institutionalize, embrace, and embody shared values around diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our culture and our work, the default will be to perpetuate the patterns of institutionalized racism and other “isms” that are dominant in society.

While the issues of institutionalized racism have surfaced most prominently in our teaching work, these issues must not be viewed as particular only to the teachers, but as a reflection of a broader institutional challenge.

Accountability is essential for our work to match our intentions. Our structures and practices have lacked accountability in the following areas:

Our culture has been conflict-averse. In the interests of harmony, we have often avoided difficult discussions. Harmony should not mean withholding criticisms or shying away from conflict. Rather, this breeds disharmony, particularly when unhealthy power dynamics are involved and people of color and other historically marginalized groups are mistreated.

Spirit Rock has had a non-traditional governance structure, which has lacked consistent effectiveness and allowed informal power centers to operate without accountability. There has been a lack of clarity about where power, and thus accountability, reside. There is a need to bring structural transparency to our decision-making processes.

As individuals, we have not held ourselves or each other accountable for developing, using, and taking leadership around a race/equity lens. Institutionally, we have not established processes or practices for holding each other accountable through this lens.

Power dynamics have operated in a way that has held a historic group of predominantly white leaders in power and made it difficult for people of color and others who have been historically marginalized to be full partners in our work. To transform this power structure imbalance requires that we be aware of formal and informal power structures, so that we can break down patterns of exclusion.

We must also steer away from a pattern of prolonged processing, or the equally harmful pattern of non-reactive passive silence, that delays effective action and ultimately undermines our collective power. The governance structure has not clearly given appropriate positional power to a person or group; we must clarify the governance structure, empower leadership, and hold leadership accountable.

Teacher issues are not teacher issues alone; they are institutional. The work of teachers is central to our collective work as an institution and community. It is important to ensure that the actions of teachers are consistent with our institutional commitments, accountable to our values, and governed by our Board.

While acknowledging our global connectedness, it is also important to acknowledge that there are different historical and current realities that impact the lives of people of color. Spiritual bypass is using the teachings to go around a problem or painful issue rather than going through the issue to understand how to solve it.

Spiritual bypass can lead us to ignore or downplay differences that are important to see and appreciate. It is akin to a color blind approach, which perpetuates racism by failing to acknowledge it, and devalues our differences based on culture, history, and lived experience. Spiritual bypass can also occur when we ask for forgiveness for harms done without reflection and dialogue needed to understand the impact of our actions and respond appropriately.

It is important to name and understand patterns of racism and other forms of oppression in order to build equity in our community and institutions. This awareness includes understanding oppression as a system that operates within our institutions and is perpetuated by individual behaviors, both by commission and omission.

• Develop shared understanding and commit to living Spirit Rock’s values and principles related to DEI within our Dharma mission.

• Continue the development and evolution of practice for diverse communities from their entry and introduction to dharma practice, through their paths of deepening practice, into their involvements with multi-year programs, community leadership development, and—crucially—teacher training.

• Proactively develop teachers of color and others from diverse backgrounds that reflect the multiplicity of experiences in our broader community.

• Engage in healthy exchange with, and in support of local, diverse saṅghas.

• Develop and prioritize programs that appeal to and are welcoming of diverse communities, including programs created and led by diverse teachers.

• Develop a culture of open communication where DEI conversations are ongoing, feedback is welcome, and conflict is appreciated as an opportunity for growth.

• Learn and practice agreements and skills for multicultural communication and conflict resolution.

• Develop and institutionalize a practice of ongoing discussion and inquiry regarding race, bias, and unconsciousness, among teachers, staff, board, and board committees.

• Develop an effective, transparent governance structure that supports accountable action and empowered leadership.

• Acknowledge and transform informal power structures to increase accountability.

• Require diverse and inclusive retreat teaching teams by establishing a time frame and protocol for multi-person teams to consistently diversify and include teachers of color.

• Develop mechanisms for feedback and accountability related to DEI goals for teachers, staff, board, and board committees, and hold individuals and groups accountable for micro-aggressions, unconscious racism, and unintended impact at personal and interpersonal levels, as well as acknowledge, affirm, and appreciate successes and accomplishments toward DEI goals.

• Regularly review progress on implementation of this DEI plan at Board of Directors and Board committee levels, to assure that we are achieving not just the letter but also the intent and operational expression of our DEI goals.

• Ensure the Diversity Working Committee provides ongoing direction for DEI efforts.

• Develop and meet goals for diversity of staff, teachers, board, and board committees, through strategies such as a more flexible work culture or satellite offices in urban areas.

• Commit to ongoing learning and training for teachers, staff, board, and board committees related to DEI.

• Establish ongoing, open communication and engagement with diverse communities in our DEI commitment, values, learning, and activities, and foster exploration of broader community engagement.

• Develop annual budgets to fund implementation of DEI goals, particularly in support of teachers and practitioners of color.

• Develop governance structures that support and further these DEI goals.