Hong Kong
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China’s famous Shorin Temple announced on Sunday that its abbot was investigating allegations of embezzlement and “inappropriate relationships” with a woman, reviving a controversial, 10-year-old allegation against a prominent monk.
Shi Yongxin, known as the “CEO Monk” for his efforts to transform the Buddhist monastery into a commercial empire, is suspected of criminal offences, including embezzlement and misappropriation of project funds and temple assets, temple officials said in a statement.
The 59-year-old monk was accused of seriously violating the Buddhist scriptures by maintaining “inappropriate relationships” with multiple women over a long period of time and fathering at least one child, according to a statement.
Chinese Buddhist monks have traditionally been expected to take the vow of singleness.
“(SHI) is currently under joint investigation by multiple departments. Detailed information will soon be made public,” the statement added.
CNN was unable to contact SHI.
Founded over 1,500 years ago in a forested area in central China, Shaolin Temple is a religious and cultural icon and is famous for its ancient traditions of Zen Buddhism and Shaolin Kung Fu.
After becoming the abbot of Xiaolin Temple in 1999 and a member of China’s Rubber Stamp Parliament for 20 years, Xi frequently appears in the media spotlight.
Known as the first Chinese abbot to earn his Masters in Business Administration, he has often seen him meet world leaders and industry Titans from the late King Elizabeth II of England, late King Elizabeth II of South Africa, President Nelson Mandela, Henry Kissinger, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In February, Shi led a delegation of monks from the Shaolin temple to the Vatican, meeting Pope Francis.
However, he has overthrew Buddhist monks for many years, including accepting a million yuan ($140,000) cars from local governments as a reward to promote tourism in 2006.
In response to the public’s protests of the time, Shi told the state media: “Friars are citizens too. We have fulfilled our duties and contributed to society, so it is right to receive rewards.”
His focus on promoting the Shaolin brand and turning it into a multi-million dollar business has attracted intense criticism, especially from some followers who viewed excessive commercialization as corrupting the spiritual integrity of religious institutions.
He staged Shaolin Kung Fu’s performances around the world, sanctioned the temple’s names in cartoons, films and video games, and established a business empire that included publication, traditional Chinese medicine, tourism development and real estate.
On his part, Shi has defended efforts to commercialize and promote the Shaolin brand globally.
After writing a $3 million check in an Australian town in 2015 to build the Shaolin branch, Shi Yongxin told the state-run Xinhua Japanese press:
“Cultural promotion is a very dignified job,” he said.
Later that year, self-identified Xiaolin insiders posted a series of explosive allegations on Chinese social media, portraying Shi as embezzlement and femininity along with non-gi-sama children.
The accusers include documents dating back to the late 1980s and are said to indicate that Shi has been kicked out of Shaolin following the theft and other accusations from the Master. Among the documents posted online were birth certificates of one of Abbott’s supposed non-Gi child and photos of the suspected mother and child.
The allegations prompted a denial of anger from Xiaolin Temple and an investigation from the country’s religious affairs authorities. Asked at the time by the BBC Chinese about the allegations, Si said: “If there were any issues, it would have surfaced a long time ago.”
Authorities dropped the lawsuit in 2017, citing inadequate evidence. Three years later, Shi was re-elected as deputy director of the Chinese Buddhist Association (the national regulatory body on religion), which he has been carrying since 2002, according to the national media.
On Monday, the Chinese Buddhist Association said in a statement that Shi had been stripped of his ordination certificate. This is official evidence of the qualification of a monk or nun to enter the life of a monk or abbey.
“Sillongkin’s actions are of a very terrible nature, seriously hurting the reputation of the Buddhist community and the image of the monks,” the association said.
“The Chinese Buddhist Association firmly supports and supports the decision to deal with the Sillong Xingin case in accordance with the law.”
