Last Updated: May 15, 2021
At FindCenter, we are undertaking the project of creating a platform where people can find caring wisdom from diverse traditions and interact with other well-intentioned people on the road to growth. We are committed to practicing the wisdom we feature on our site: compassion, reconciliation, love, forgiveness.
Some challenges are inevitable in such an undertaking, especially when it comes to selecting the wisdom and teachers to feature on the site. Occasionally, you will find useful teachings from people who have been quite unskillful in some of their personal interactions. Some have caused others far too much suffering. Our view of this is that being human is hard, and acting wisely often gets put to serious tests as one gains power and influence. We see it everywhere; people have great difficulty holding power with grace and responsibility. And it seems that every one of us is unfinished, none of us without our wounds, flaws, and blind spots.
In order to do our part to acknowledge and responsibly handle this challenge, we have undertaken systematic searches on all our featured teachers (the ones “profiled” in full on our site). For all those teachers identified as having acted unskillfully, we have decided to include their teachings but flag their names. We leave it in your hands whether to explore their offerings. Some have caused others far too much suffering. If we determine that someone’s actions are simply beyond the pale, we may decide not to feature them on our platform at all.
You will also come across many unprofiled teachers and contributors on our site. There is simply no feasible way for us to conduct searches on all of them. We suggest that if you are considering following anyone’s teachings, here or elsewhere, please conduct your own research. Our recommendation is to search [name] + the words “controversy,” “scandal,” and “sociopath” (3 separate searches) and to read and evaluate your findings (and the credibility of their source) for yourself. These searches should give you a very good idea about someone’s character and choices.
If you see a teacher on our site whom you think we should flag, please send us your feedback and provide links to any articles or documents that support your claim if you can. We are assembling an independent review board and will pass along the information to help them investigate and recommend appropriate action.
An important distinction here: you will undoubtedly encounter content on our site that you disagree with or that goes against your worldview. You may feel that some teachers hold too narrow a view of gender, gender identity, or sexuality. Some may have unexamined racial, ethnic, or class bias. Some may hold views on healing, medicine, and science that are outside your comfort zone. We invite you to explore—and not explore—the content we offer based on your own needs, sensitivities, and experience.
Finally, we ask that you bear with us. We are a new venture and a small team, and we are doing our best to approach these complex issues with love, respect, and care. We welcome your input as we continue to build a collection and a community for sharing the wisdom that helps us all find center.
Thank you.
If you are a featured teacher on FindCenter and would like to either enhance your profile, suggest a new teacher or raise a concern, or help us improve our teacher policy, please email teachers@findcenter.com.