The director of the famous Shaolin Temple, considered the cradle of Kung Fu in China, will be dismissed by his “extremely” inappropriate actions after being investigated by embezzlement, said the country’s main Buddhist authority on Monday (28).
The World Fame Monastery announced on Sunday that it suspects that Abbot Shi Yongxin, nicknamed “CEO monk” because he founded many companies abroad, had “diverted funds for temple projects and goods.”
He would also have “severely breached Buddhist precepts” and maintained “inappropriate relationships with several women, with whom he allegedly had illegitimate children,” a statement said.
Several bodies are conducting a joint investigation, according to the temple.
The China Buddhist Association, supervised by the Communist Party, said on Monday that it would cancel the monk’s certificate of ordering.
“Shi Yongxin’s actions are extremely harmful in nature and severely damage the reputation of the Buddhist community and the image of the monks,” he said in a statement.
He also expressed his “firm support” to initiatives that aim to punish him “according to the law.”
“The mind is pure”
Several former monks have already accused Shi Yongxin of leading a luxurious life, claiming that he had a fleet of luxury cars and accusing him of deflecting money from a temple-run company.
In China, authorities directly control the appointment of religious leaders and their behavior considered “inappropriate” can lead to their dismissal.
“When the mind is pure, the pure earth is there, at the present moment,” wrote Shi Yongxin last week on his last post on the Weibo Social Media Platform.
The case generates a buzz on Chinese social networks and weibo a keyword linked to the scandal had over 560 million views.
In 2015, the temple denied the charges of the Chinese state media, qualifying them as “malicious slander.”
59 -year -old Shi Yongxin assumed the position of Abbot in 1999 and in the following decades contributed to the international expansion of Shaolin Studies, which combine the learning of Zen Buddhism and the practice of martial arts.
It also helped the temple found numerous companies abroad, although it received criticism for its approach considered too commercial.
In 2002, he was elected vice president of the China Buddhist Association and also served as a member of the Popular National Assembly, the highest legislative body in the country
The Shaolin Temple, founded in the year 495 and located in the mountains of Henan, is considered the cradle of Zen Buddhism and Kung Fu Chinese.
