The Architecture of Silence in Spiritual Culture: Gabor Maté, Bayo Akomolafe, Pat McCabe, Tara Brach, V & Matthew Remski

Recorded live at a SAND Community Gathering (March 2026). Something is cracking open in the spiritual and wellness world; and it has been for a while. Have wisdom traditions containing genuine gifts been composted into a product that only serves the very forces those traditions were born to resist? It is no news that some powerful spiritual leaders with devoted followers have, for a long time, abused that power for dominance and, in many cases, for sexual exploitation. The Epstein files are not an interruption to the pattern; they are the pattern, made suddenly impossible to scroll past. We want to reflect on the conditions—not just the men, not just the crimes, but the architecture of silence that held it all in place. What kind of spiritual culture produces that silence? What kind of spiritual culture makes it possible to look at harm and call it a lesson in perception? What has gone awry with our approach to spirituality when the latter can be used as a cover for abuse? How come much of the therapeutic and spiritual communities remain silent in the face of crimes witnessed by the entire world? To explore these and related issues, this discussion brought together mytho-poetic spiritual teacher Bayo Akomolafe Ph.D., writer & podcaster Matthew Remsiki, author & playwright V, spiritual teacher & psychologist Tara Brach and author & physician Gabor Maté in a wide-ranging discussion that will also invite audience participation. The intention is to leave participants encouraged to find the spiritual inner strength needed to pursue truth without losing discrimination in the process, without giving away their power; to discuss compassionately, without judgment but with clarity, what the Epstein revelations can tell us about who we are, about our culture, and about the nature of how we construct reality; to move beyond a so-called equanimity and “non-attachment” that is indistinguishable from numbness and passivity in the face of harm, in the face of evil. Topics:   00:00 Welcome and Intentions 01:30 Opening Prayer and Invocation 08:38 Ashe and Grace in the Fire 12:26 Guided Breath and Heart Presence 16:14 Moderator Sets the Context 18:44 Pat on Accountability and Betrayal 23:00 Bayo on Rage and Virtue 28:52 Tara on Cult Silence and Bystanders 35:46 V on Sacrifice and Reporting Systems 44:53 Matthew on Critique and Accountability Research 50:40 Key Question Abusive Teachers 52:50 Residential School Aftermath 54:51 Prep School Indoctrination 56:25 Deep Truth From Flaws 58:12 Tourettes And Moral Switch 01:01:01 Charisma And Inner Circles 01:04:34 Privilege Patriarchy Power 01:08:03 Architecture Of Silence 01:13:12 Anger Grief And Courage 01:18:08 Indigenous Survival And Trickster 01:22:56 Speaking Out And Fugitivity 01:27:09 Spirituality’s Inward Turn 01:32:52 Accountability And Healing 01:35:53 Closing Links: Gabor Maté – https://drgabormate.com/ Bayo Akomolafe – https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/ Pat McCabe – https://www.patmccabe.net/  Tara Brach – https://www.tarabrach.com V (formerly Eve Ensler) – https://www.eveensler.org Matthew Remski – https://matthewremski.com/ Watch the full video of this conversation – https://scienceandnonduality.com/event/the-architecture-of-silence-in-spiritual-culture/ Support the work of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member