Ethics and Reconciliation Council

Buddhist ethics provides a foundation for the teaching, practice and community life of the Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville. As a lay community, we are guided by the five training precepts of abstaining from killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, unwholesome speech, and intoxication.  These five are also the basis for the IMCC Teachers’ Code of Ethics. Further, IMCC is committed to finding wise ways to work with conflict and to live in harmony with all beings.

When IMCC community difficulties cannot be resolved through ordinary informal processes, these difficulties are referred to the IMCC Ethics and Reconciliation (EAR) Council, which then follows the procedure delineated in the IMCC EAR Council Mission Statement. The EAR Council comprises at least one teacher, one board member, and one general community member. The current council includes co-chairs Sharon Beckman-Brindley and Julie Convisser and members Jeff Fracher, Phil Dupont, John Conover, Judith Grissmer, and Michael Swanberg.

If you have an ethical concern or grievance, please e-mail the EAR Council. An EAR member will contact you. If you have a preference for which EAR member you wish to communicate with, please state that in your email and we will try to honor your request. Please indicate whether you prefer to be contacted by e-mail or by phone or to meet in person.