The abbot of the Shaolin Temple in China, Shi Yongxin, was recently taken away for investigation, leading the Chinese Buddhist Association to promptly issue a “political statement” and revoke his credentials. However, this move by the Buddhist Association has sparked public backlash, with a former journalist publicly stating opposition to dumping bad monks on the secular world. Shi Yongxin was reported ten years ago for corruption and keeping mistresses, but it is only now that he has run into trouble, sparking doubts and discussions online.
On the evening of July 27, the Shaolin Temple management issued a notice accusing Shi Yongxin of “suspected criminal activities, misappropriation of project funds and temple assets; serious violations of Buddhist precepts, maintaining improper relationships with multiple women and fathering illegitimate children.” The following day, on July 28, the Chinese Buddhist Association announced that Shi Yongxin had seriously violated Buddhist precepts and, based on reports from Henan, would apply to cancel Shi Yongxin’s (alias: Liu Yingcheng) ordination certificate.
The Chinese Buddhist Association also claimed to “firmly support” the handling of Shi Yongxin.
Prior to his arrest, Shi Yongxin served as the vice president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, president of the Henan Buddhist Association, and had also been a member of the National People’s Congress, being viewed as a “political monk” with high status within the Chinese Communist Party system.
Shi Yongxin’s downfall has stirred up heated discussions on Chinese social media platforms, with some self-media outlets making bold statements.
After the Chinese Buddhist Association announced the expulsion of Shi Yongxin, former mainland journalist Xiang Dongliang published an article on his public account “Basic Common Sense” titled “Strongly Opposing the Religious Sector Dumping the Bad Monk Shi Yongxin on our Secular World.”
The article expressed dissatisfaction with the religious sector’s decision to expel Shi Yongxin from monkhood and questioned why the secular world should bear the burden of a monk suspected of illegal activities. The author criticized the religious sector for not properly educating and supervising individuals like Shi Yongxin, questioning their actions and responsibilities towards such misconduct.
The article highlighted the fact that Shi Yongxin had been reported by a disciple of the same name at the Shaolin Temple ten years ago for corruption, keeping mistresses, and having illegitimate children. Despite the evidence presented, the authorities cited “insufficient evidence” as the reason for not pursuing the case. Some speculate that Shi Yongxin’s sudden arrest may be due to a change in his political connections or because he controls significant commercial assets of the Shaolin Temple, prompting authorities to target him.
According to reports from Hong Kong media, Shi Yongxin’s downfall could lead to the authorities taking full control of the vast assets of the Shaolin Temple. Presently, official announcements related to Shi Yongxin are being issued under the name of the Shaolin Temple management.
Additionally, on July 28, the WeChat public account “Bright Vision” published an article titled “What’s Truly Strange is Why Shi Yongxin is Only Being Investigated Now?”, questioning the timing of the investigation considering the long history of reported issues involving Shi Yongxin.
Some netizens believe that Shi Yongxin’s current exposure is a typical tactic by the Chinese Communist Party to divert public attention from recent events that have angered the population, such as the lead poisoning incident in Tianshui, Gansu, abnormal water quality in Hangzhou, and particularly the recent tragic deaths of six interns from Northeastern University in a factory in Inner Mongolia.