China has accused the former head monk of its most famous Buddhist temple of embezzling funds and sexual misconduct, beginning a new investigation more than a decade after similar allegations surfaced.
Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple until he lost his ordination, is under probe for allegedly misappropriating temple assets, the 1,500-year-old monastery said in a notice on its official WeChat account on Sunday. The institution also accused Yongxin of violating Buddhist precepts by having long-term relationships with several women and fathering illegitimate children.
The announcement raises questions about timing that have dominated Chinese social media. Many users wondered why authorities acted now, nearly a decade after disciples first publicly accused Yongxin of similar behavior in 2015.
Yongxin, the dharma name he is known as, emerged largely unscathed from allegations at the time including of rape, embezzlement and fathering children. Henan provincial authorities cleared him of a claim of having an illegitimate daughter that year and accusations of financial wrongdoing in 2017, citing insufficient evidence.
“This time I wasn’t surprised he did such things, but surprised by what changed that he can’t escape scot-free like before,” one user wrote on Weibo, capturing widespread sentiment.
Bloomberg News is unable to reach Yongxin. The Shaolin Temple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The China Buddhist Association moved swiftly to distance itself from Yongxin, announcing Monday it had canceled his ordination certificate. The association said it received a report from Henan provincial Buddhist authorities recommending the action.
“Shi Yongxin’s actions are extremely egregious and have seriously damaged the reputation of the Buddhist community and the image of monks,” the association said in a statement. The organization expressed “firm support” for legal action against him.
Yongxin, born Liu Yingcheng, was widely credited for establishing the temple, the subject of the 1982 blockbuster The Shaolin Temple, as the preeminent monastery in China and making it a commercial success. He had argued that the preservation and spread of authentic Shaolin culture requires that monks be engaged in the secular world.
With assistance from Qianwei Zhang.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.