FAQ On Leadership Change

All of the retreats that were promoted through or sponsored by PIMC have been canceled. The board was not able to immediately control all of Robert’s access to email and websites used to promote his retreats. So there were announcements going out the community even after we asked Robert to refrain from this kind of contact. We regret the confusion and concern that this created.

During the current period, the PIMC board and designated volunteers from the community are stepping in to manage the center. Mel Sheets, our office manager, has taken on additional responsibilities and is handling day-to-day operations in close consultation with the board. You can contact Mel at office@portlandinsight.org. Dharma teaching in the near term will likely come with help from guest teachers. We will also continue to support peer-led groups offering space for practice and community gatherings (see next question).

The needs of the PIMC Sangha remain the board’s top priority, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that PIMC remains a community resource for practice in the Ruth Denison Insight Meditation tradition. Currently, online peer-led meditation groups are meeting regularly, and two Dharma teachers – Doug Pullin and Jim Dalton – are offering weekly practice groups. In the coming weeks and months, we will be assessing the willingness of members of our community to continue to support PIMC’s mission and programs. We value your feedback and recommendations about what you would like to see happen with the organization moving forward. In many ways, we are treating what has occurred similar to the death of a close family member – this means refraining from making long-term decisions until we have all had time to grieve and process recent events. As we continue to move forward, we invite you to join us for meditation practice and community. For those of you who would like to explore a broader set of offerings, we recommend looking through the Northwest Dharma Association’s group directory.

At that time, both Robert and his former student and therapy client said that they viewed the relationship as one being between colleagues, not as one between a student and teacher. However, the board still considered the action to be an ethical violation of precepts because Robert was in a committed monogamous relationship at the time of the relationship. Moreover, Robert lost his social work license after a state licensing board investigation found that he didn’t wait the three-year period that is required under Oregon rules for a licensed psychotherapy relationship to end before a sexual relationship is considered ethical. That earlier relationship was discussed by the board and community at the time through open, direct communication in several community meetings. An Ethics and Reconciliation Committee was formed. A PIMC ethics code for teachers was created and adopted. Since that time, whenever concerns about Robert’s history emerged in the community, PIMC teachers and board members addressed it openly and honestly with the individuals concerned. In 2009, Robert wrote a letter to senior Dharma teachers across the country in the Insight Meditation community disclosing his ethical breach, apologizing, and asking for forgiveness. This letter was also shared frequently when such questions arose within the community. Additionally, Robert routinely informed new board members and teachers about this history. Disclosure was typically made during new board member vetting, especially in the first 10 years after the initial event.

When other Dharma centers have faced similar challenges, independent investigations have been very helpful, and the board is considering such a process at PIMC. The investigator would be tasked with making recommendations about action to be taken to ensure this type of incident does not happen again. One of the purposes of an investigation would be to allow other victims/survivors to come forward if they wish to. It also helps determine the scope and pattern of the misconduct. Community input regarding the usefulness of this next step is welcome.

The PIMC board is receiving consultation from Jan Chozen Bays, one of the co-abbots at Great Vow Monastery. Over the last 40 years she has assisted a number of sanghas with situations of misconduct by Buddhist teachers. She teaches Healthy Boundaries for Buddhist Leaders, an online course designed to help prevent misuse of power. She has published articles in the medical literature, and articles about Zen in Tricycle and Buddhadharma magazines. The consultation Chozen and her colleagues are offering PIMC includes facilitation of the Nov. 3 community council meeting and may include future events and training for PIMC leadership and community members.

The obituary that was written by KB’s family confirmed that the cause of death was suicide. We do not have any special knowledge about the context of this tragic turn of events.

On Sept. 23, 2024, Robert contacted the board with information that he had a sexual relationship with a long time student, KB Mercer. He also disclosed at that time that KB had died by suicide on Sept. 21, 2024. Robert was asked to resign immediately because the PIMC ethics code for teachers prohibits such relationships between teachers and students.

No. Robert no longer receives any compensation from PIMC. All donations to PIMC exclusively support operations at our center. There is currently one part-time salaried staff person who oversees day-to-day operations at the center, and no other salaries are being paid by PIMC at this time.

Yes. Our board chairs reached out to KB’s husband two days after the board learned of her death and offered support to him.

No. The PIMC board has severed all ties with Robert, and he will not be returning as a member or a teacher. We have also requested that Robert refrain from all contact with community members.

Robert was not and did not need to be a licensed counselor or social worker to perform his job as guiding teacher at PIMC. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit religious organization, PIMC qualifies as a "church" under Oregon law, and Robert was considered clergy as a lineage holder in the Ruth Denison Insight Meditation tradition. There is special provision for clergy under the Oregon statutes regulating counseling and psychotherapy. That provision notes that clergy members can provide counseling services without a license as long as they are acting within their "ministerial capacity" and do not use titles like "psychologist" or "therapist" to advertise their services. PIMC did not advertise or promote Robert as someone providing therapy or psychotherapy. Because PIMC is a Buddhist-affiliated organization, it was expected that Robert would utilize Buddhist psychology in his teaching and in his individual sessions with members of the community. That said, the boundaries between Buddhist religious counseling and secular mindfulness-based counseling and psychotherapy have grown more and more blurry over the past couple of decades. So the distinction between spiritual counseling or guidance and secular counseling can be difficult to make.