Shaolin abbot disrobed for 'extremely bad behaviour'
Shi Yongxin is said to have 'seriously violated Buddhist precepts', including allegedly engaging in 'improper relationships' with women. File photo: Reuters
The head of the Chinese temple known as the birthplace of kung fu will be disrobed for "extremely" bad behaviour, Beijing's top Buddhist authority said on Monday, after allegations of embezzlement saw him placed under investigation.
The Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that Abbot Shi Yongxin, known as the "CEO monk" for establishing dozens of companies abroad, was suspected of "embezzling project funds and temple assets".
It said Shi had "seriously violated Buddhist precepts", including by allegedly engaging in "improper relationships" with multiple women.
"Multiple departments" are conducting a joint investigation, it said in a statement on WeChat.
The Buddhist Association of China, overseen by the Communist Party, said on Monday it would cancel Shi's certificate of ordination.
"Shi Yongxin's actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks," the association said in an online statement.
Shi had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women.
China's government exercises authority over the appointment of religious leaders, and "improper" conduct is often grounds for removal from office.
A hashtag related to the temple scandal had been viewed more than 560 million times on social media platform Weibo as of Monday morning.
The last post to the abbot's personal account on Weibo declared: "when one's own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present".
Shi faced similar allegations in 2015 which the temple called "vicious libel".
Shi, 59, took office as abbot in 1999 and in the following decades expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas.
He helped the temple establish dozens of companies – but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism.
The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu.
Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People's Congress. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
7 hours ago
- HKFP
Attacker wounds Japanese national in China with rock, Tokyo embassy says
An 'unknown assailant' attacked and wounded a Japanese national accompanied by a child in the Chinese city of Suzhou, Tokyo's embassy said Friday, calling on Beijing to prevent such incidents. The incident comes a year after a Japanese mother and child were wounded in a knife attack in the same city. A Chinese woman had died trying to stop the assailant. In Thursday's attack, 'a Japanese national walking with a child was struck by what appeared to be a rock by an unknown assailant inside a Suzhou, Jiangsu Province subway station', Tokyo's embassy in Beijing told AFP in a statement. A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry told AFP that 'the suspect has been apprehended'. The victim was 'promptly taken to hospital for treatment, and there is no threat to life', the ministry said. China and Japan are key trading partners, but increased friction over territorial rivalries and military spending has frayed ties in recent years. Japan's brutal occupation of parts of China before and during World War II remains a sore point, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of failing to atone for its past. In June last year, a Japanese mother and child were attacked in Suzhou on the anniversary of the 1931 'Mukden incident', known in China as a day of national humiliation. The 1931 explosion of a railway in China was used by Japanese soldiers as a pretext to occupy the city of Mukden, now called Shenyang, and invade the wider region of Manchuria. And in September, a Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen. Media reports about the latest attack in Suzhou were censored on the Chinese messaging app WeChat. 'The Japanese government has urged the Chinese government to… severely punish the suspect, prevent similar incidents, and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals', Tokyo's embassy said Friday. Beijing's foreign ministry said 'China will continue to take effective steps, to protect the safety of foreigners in China'.
RTHK
8 hours ago
- RTHK
US job growth weaker than expected
US job growth weaker than expected Employment in healthcare and social assistance continues to rise, but private sector firms are adopting a wait-and-see approach before hiring. File photo: Reuters US job growth missed expectations in July, official data showed on Friday, while revisions to hiring figures in recent months brought them to the weakest levels since the Covid-19 pandemic. The employment numbers point to risks in the key labour market as companies grapple with US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs – putting pressure on the central bank as it mulls the best time to cut interest rates. The world's biggest economy added 73,000 jobs last month, while hiring numbers were revised significantly lower for May and June, the Labor Department said. The jobless rate nudged up from 4.1 percent to 4.2 percent. Experts have warned that private sector firms appear to be in a wait-and-see mode due to heightened uncertainty over Trump's rapidly changing trade policy. With tariff levels climbing since the start of the year, both on imports from various countries and on sector-specific products such as steel, aluminium and autos, many firms have faced higher business costs. On Friday, the Department of Labor said hiring numbers for May were revised down from 144,000 to 19,000. The figure for June was shifted from 147,000 to 14,000. This was notably lower than job creation levels in recent years. During the pandemic, the economy lost jobs. Average hourly earnings rose by 0.3 percent to US$36.44 in July, the Labor Department said. It added that employment continued rising in healthcare and in social assistance, while the federal government continued shedding jobs. The US economy has added an average of just 35,000 jobs per month since May, data showed. A sharp weakening in the labour market could push the Federal Reserve towards slashing interest rates sooner to shore up the economy. (AFP)
The Standard
8 hours ago
- The Standard
Trump: Fed board should assume control if Powell won't lower interest rates
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Jerome Powell, his nominee at the time to lead the U.S. Federal Reserve, moves to the podium at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 2, 2017. (Reuters/File)
