Shaolin Temple’s abbot, Shiyongxin, who is under investigation for alleged criminal activities, was criticized again by the Chinese Buddhist Association on August 19th for “not being a traitor and not slandering the country’s leaders,” sparking mockery and speculation among netizens.
The Chinese Buddhist Association posted on its official website yesterday, stating that Shiyongxin “has tarnished the reputation of the entire Buddhist community.” The article called for Buddhist clergy to “strengthen their awareness of the rule of law,” and emphasized that ordained individuals must abide by the Buddhist precepts of “not being a traitor, not slandering the country’s leaders, not evading taxes, and not violating national regulations,” among other things.
This is the second time within 15 days that the Chinese Buddhist Association has publicly commented on the investigation of Shiyongxin.
However, the latest article has led to overwhelming mockery on Weibo among Chinese netizens:
“I believe there are many more ‘Shiyongxins’ out there.”
“It’s actually the people behind him who crossed the red line.”
“Did he not benefit them while he was in power?”
“There is a Buddhist anecdote that says the demon king told Shakyamuni Buddha, ‘In the future era of decline, my disciples will enter your temple, using your name to commit all sorts of mischief.'”
“It’s been almost a month, and there’s still no official report?”
“Where were they before? Only coming out when trouble arises.”
“Talking about tarnishing, they are all in the same circle, I don’t believe they were unaware at all.”
“They all have their own gains, and they eat even better!”
“Who investigated him ten years ago?”
“He did indeed tarnish the image, but who caused him to do so?”
“As long as it’s an ‘association,’ it’s basically a community of shared interests.”
“No need to further tarnish.”
“It’s not just the Buddhist community, it’s the era of decline.”
On an overseas platform X, some netizens questioned the wording of the Chinese Buddhist precepts, asking, “Country’s leader? Are they openly declaring themselves emperors?” Others questioned the true reasons behind Shiyongxin’s investigation, with one commenter suggesting, “Not slandering the country’s leader, isn’t that the reason (Shiyongxin) was arrested?” sparking speculation about the authorities’ motives.
Following Shiyongxin’s fall from grace at the end of July, there has been heated debate over who his backers truly are.
China expert Henghe recently analyzed for The Epoch Times, the earliest supporter of Shiyongxin was Li Changchun, a member of the Jiang faction. Shiyongxin has experienced the leadership of three generations of CCP leaders – Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping – all of whom have supported him, especially his commercial empire, with potentially having the backing of each member of the Politburo Standing Committee and possibly all three CCP leaders.
During Xi Jinping’s tenure, Shiyongxin not only did not fall in the anti-corruption campaign but even climbed higher, becoming a member and standing committee member of the Henan CPPCC, as well as the deputy chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association Council.
On October 1, 2024, the Shaolin Temple account posted news that Shiyongxin and a group of monks raised the CCP’s Five-Star flag, causing a backlash in the comment section.
Henghe pointed out that the true backing of Shiyongxin lies in the CCP’s religious policies. Xi Jinping values the CCP culture packaged in traditional Chinese culture, and the commercialized Shaolin Temple fits squarely under this agenda, with one constant of the CCP’s rule being the suppression of religious beliefs.
“Buddhism historically has been unorganized, which is difficult for the CCP to control. Hence, after it came into power, the CCP established a national-level Buddhist Association for the first time, unifying the management of all Buddhist temples. Encouraging commercialization in temples, encouraging monks to lead secular lives, and essentially stripping Buddhism of its beliefs to turn it into a shell. This is a crucial step in the CCP’s efforts to reform Buddhism,” he said.
Henghe believes that Shiyongxin’s commercial empire at the Shaolin Temple, strictly speaking, tilted more towards a private enterprise, making government departments and officials covetous. The CCP parachuted in the “Red Monk” Shiyinle, born out of the religious system, as the new abbot of the Shaolin Temple, akin to a state-owned enterprise taking over a private one because the private enterprise, even if obedient, is still distrusted by the Party.
It’s worth noting that recently, a domestic lawyer in China applied for the public disclosure of Shaolin Temple’s income, to which the Dengfeng City Bureau of Religious Affairs replied: Shiyongxin is currently under investigation for alleged criminal activities, and the temple’s income is classified as a state secret and will not be disclosed.