One group that works with those harmed by clergy sexual abuse offers this insight: ‘In our work with survivors of clergy sexual abuse we often ask the question, Would this have happened if he/she was your neighbor and not your pastor? Overwhelmingly the answer is ‘no’. The witness of survivors underscores the truth that the clergy role carries with it a power and authority that make meaningful consent impossible.”

One important factor to keep in mind is that abuse does not have to be physical; in many cases, it may be verbal or emotional. This seemingly less severe abuse often leads the victim to doubt her reactions because she is not being physically attacked and may  not be able to explain the abuse to herself or others.”

It was during these years – the 1980s and1990s – that one after another prominent male Buddhist teacher was revealed to have engaged in sexual misconduct or abuse and became the subject of scandal. Buddhism clearly had a problem on its hands, and it still does; the sexual abuse of students by male Buddhist teachers continues to this day…These events and their harmful effects need to be acknowledged in any book on modern Buddhism.”

[T]he model of clergy misconduct recognizes that consent is not possible between clergy and congregants.”

As of 2025, fourteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws that make it illegal for clergy to engage in sexual misconduct with adult congregants.”

[I]t is important to recognize that sexual abuse and misconduct in Buddhism is a global issue and that victims/survivors of abuse exist in Buddhist contexts worldwide.”

Sexual Violation:  “to violate means to infringe upon someone, to transgress and can also mean to rupture or to break. Violations can happen with stealth, with manipulation…to anyone who is significantly vulnerable to the office of others.”

If you’re a clergy person, and you have what seems to you and them to be a consensual sexual relationship, that is still considered criminal in 13 states….Consent is a slippery if not non-existent idea when it comes to spiritual teachers and students of any kind.”

Even when they [victim-survivors] are involved in sexual misconduct, they do not necessarily want to have the sexual attention or the sexual acts, but they feel that they must. And so along with ‘why didn’t they leave?’, which is a question which puts the burden attention on the victim, or survivor rather that the person who abused their power, there’s another question that comes up all the time, which is ‘What didn’t you consent?’ “

[T]here is something particularly insidious about spiritual trauma; it is almost always relational, often occurs at a young age, may happen over long periods, and is normative, ignored, and sometimes framed as a great good.”