Sunyata Retreat Centre Ltd Complaints Procedure
Complaints Procedure
The foundation of the document are the five precepts of Buddhism*, and the process of managing complaints will be guided by these five precepts, legislation, and good practice in our role as a public body and a charity.
The policy/procedure document has two overarching components. Complaints of a general nature and those which are of an ethical nature.
Conflict may arise in any community and the health of our sangha is not measured by the absence of conflict, rather by our willingness to address it openly and to grow through its resolution. Our commitment to learn from this process is an application of the Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and can assist in deepening our practice.
Part 1 Raising a concern
If a person associated with Sunyata Retreat Centre has a concern they would like to address, this complaints procedure is here to act as a guide and to assist people in identifying the type of concern.
General complaints:
General complaints, i.e. practical issues pertaining to the running of the centre should be sent to [email protected]
Ethical complaints:
While ethical breaches in our community are fortunately rare, we recognise that they can occur.
The Board of Trustees at Sunyata Buddhist Centre has established the Ethics and Reconciliation (EaR) Council to investigate complaints of an ethical nature. The EaR council is made up of two board members and two experienced lay practitioners.
Concerns of an ethical nature (e.g. misconduct of a teacher according to the Teacher’s Code of Ethics, misconduct of manager/guest/trustee according to the precepts) should be addressed to the Chairperson at [email protected]. When the nature and seriousness of the complaint has been established, the Chairperson will engage the EaR Council and together they will decide how to address the concern.
Everyone who lives, visits or practices at Sunyata Retreat Centre is expected to follow the 5 ethical precepts* while they are visiting/residing/on retreat.
All teachers at Sunyata Buddhist Centre (both lay and monastic teachers) are required to adhere to the Teacher’s Code of Ethics (https://www.sunyatacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Sunyata-Codeof-Ethics-for-Lay-Teachers.pdf)
The EaR Council are independent of the Board of Trustees, they are nonetheless responsible to it. When the EaR Council are approached with a grievance, they will determine how to bring the concern to a resolution by following the guidelines below:
• Ascertain the nature of the concern and if it is directly related to the community at Sunyata Buddhist Centre
• Establish who needs to be involved in handling the concern and ascertain if state authorities should be notified.
• Identify what procedures and steps are needed to resolve the concern.
• Where appropriate; we will encourage deeper personal reflection for all parties concerned, to facilitate deepening of our practice
Raising a concern
The process of a complaint:
1. A letter describing the concern should be sent to the EAR council. This must include:
1a) A statement that a grievance procedure is requested.
1b) The name of the person(s) or party whose behaviour the complaint involves.
1c) A detailed written description of the alleged behaviour.
1d) History of attempt(s), if any, to resolve the complaint through other means, including the primary reconciliation procedures listed above.
1e) A general statement about the resolution desired.
1f) Anonymous complaints cannot be accepted.
2. Accepting the Concern
Once it has been determined that the concerns expressed fall within the scope of the EAR Council’s responsibilities, the EaR council will decide and inform the parties involved of the process agreed on, as promptly as possible. If the Council does not accept a request for investigation, it will communicate its reasons for not doing so to the initiating party and may recommend further mediation or another course of action. In some cases, outside mediation may be recommended.
3. Forming a Grievance Committee
When a complaint is received, the EaR Council will meet to discuss with view to reaching and agreeing a resolution between all parties.
EAR Council Members
Breda Larkin – Independent Practitioner/Psychotherapist
Sean Mullin Practitioner/GP
Elaine D’Alton/Heike Griffin – Trustees
4. Investigating the Concern
The EaR Council will schedule a closed meeting where all parties are given a chance to present their understanding of the issue under investigation. The EaR council will seek clarification from all parties, gather additional information, or schedule additional meetings. If desired, the parties may each bring a supporting companion to such a meeting.
All parties will have an opportunity to respond to all information – oral, written, or other – gathered by the council.
The proceedings and all pertinent documents, including any notes taken by EaR council members, will be held confidentially, unless a court requires disclosure.
5. Recommended Actions
When the EaR council members are satisfied that they are adequately informed, they will review and discuss the grievance. The Council will email all parties with their recommendations as soon as they can. For matters involving grievances and conflict that could impact Sunyata Buddhist Centre and its community in significant ways (such as issues that could lead to the suspension or other sanction of a person or that could involve legal proceedings) the EaR Council will provide its written findings and recommendations to the Sunyata Buddhist Centre Board of Trustees to determine the best next steps.
*The precepts are as follows
Refrain from taking life
Refrain from taking what is not given
Refrain from wrong speech
Refrain from intoxicating the mind with alcohol and substances
Refrain from sexual misconduct
Sunyata Retreat Centre Limited is a registered charity in Ireland (No: 20205822)