The former abbot of Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, from Henan Province, China, was reported to be under investigation on the 27th and today (29th), Shaolin Temple announced that Shi Yinle will be the new abbot, claiming that he was selected through a “democratic review” by the temple. However, there are reports indicating that the Chinese Communist government has taken control of Shaolin Temple.
According to various Chinese media reports, Shaolin Temple today, under the name of “Shaolin Temple Management Office”, announced the appointment of the new abbot through its official WeChat account. The announcement stated that the temple, in accordance with the regulations of the Chinese Communist “Appointment of Abbots in Han Buddhism Temples,” after going through a “democratic review of the two orders of the masses at Shaolin Temple,” has appointed “Master Yinle” as the new abbot.
Public records show that Shi Yinle was born in July 1966 in Tongbai, Henan Province. He became a monk at Tongbai Mountain in 1982, graduated from the China Buddhist Academy in 1990, worked at the Henan Buddhist Association, and later served as the Deputy Secretary-General and Deputy Chairman of the Henan Buddhist Association. In October 2003, he was appointed to work at Bai Ma Temple in Luoyang by the Henan Buddhist Association and was promoted to the abbot of Bai Ma Temple in November 2005.
Looking at his resume, Shi Yinle has had many years of working connections with Shi Yongxin. Shi Yongxin was elected as the Chairman of the Henan Buddhist Association in July 1998 and held that position continuously. Later on, he also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese Communist Buddhist Association.
According to a notice issued by the “Shaolin Temple Management Office” on July 27th, Shi Yongxin is suspected of criminal activities, including embezzlement of project funds and temple assets, severe violations of Buddhist precepts by engaging in inappropriate relationships with multiple women and having illegitimate children. He is currently under investigation by multiple departments.
Sources such as Jinglai Lawyer’s official account indicated that Shaolin Temple has been taken over by the government. Caixin reported that around May this year, local authorities stationed personnel at Shaolin Temple under the name of the Shaolin Temple Management Office, with members mainly from the religious bureaus and united front departments of Zhengzhou and Dengfeng cities.
On July 28th, the Chinese Communist Buddhist Association cited information from the Henan Buddhist Association to revoke the ordination certificate of Shi Yongxin (born Liu Yingcheng).
Shi Yongxin gained prominence for promoting the commercialization of Shaolin Temple and has long received official support.
China expert Honghe told Da Ji Yuan that the Buddhist Association established by the Chinese Communist Party manages all Buddhist temples uniformly and encourages commercialization of temples. The ideal scenario for the CCP is to have all monks in temples turn into “wine and meat monks,” thus stripping religion of its faith and turning it into a hollow entity. This is an important step in the transformation of Buddhism because the ultimate goal of the CCP is to eradicate religion.
Honghe believes that Shi Yongxin, who has been reported multiple times, is now being investigated, possibly because the CCP’s transformation of Buddhism has been completed, with almost all temples fully commercialized. Shi Yongxin’s role as a leader is no longer needed, and thus the CCP is seeking to settle scores with him.
A report by Sohu Entertainment on July 28th stated that Jet Li mentioned in a 2010 CCTV program “Golden Years” his experiences at Shaolin Temple while filming the movie “Shaolin.” Jet Li expressed that “there are very few actual monks in Shaolin Temple, and there is practically no martial arts there.”