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China’s Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that its head had been placed under investigation for alleged criminal offences including embezzlement, in the latest controversy to engulf the so-called CEO monk.
Abbot Shi Yongxin has been suspended from his post and placed under “joint investigation from multiple departments”, the temple said in a statement. It added that he was suspected of having improper relationships with multiple women and fathering at least one illegitimate child.
“Shi Yongxin is suspected of criminal offences, embezzling project funds and temple assets [and] seriously violating Buddhist precepts,” the statement said.
Given that Shi is suspected of criminal offences, the statement probably refers to official bodies such as the police or China’s religious or anti-corruption authorities.
Shi Yongxin could not immediately be reached for comment.
Shi is credited with transforming the Shaolin Temple, the cradle of Zen Buddhism and a key home for Chinese martial arts, into a global brand over the past two decades. But religious adherents have long criticised Shi for what they saw as excessive commercialisation of one of China’s most important Buddhist sites.
Saffron-robed Shi disappeared for several months in 2015 after he was accused of similar charges of improper relationships and embezzlement, but he was cleared two years later. Sunday’s statement by the temple came after days of online rumours that Shi was under investigation.
Shi has been a high-profile promoter of the 1,500-year-old temple, which is located on the holy Song mountain in central Henan province, since he was appointed abbot in 1999.
The temple’s monks are known worldwide for the elaborate fighting systems they invented. Under Shi’s leadership, they formed a troupe of monks that travelled the world to perform for paying audiences, sent disciples to hundreds of Shaolin-associated Kung Fu academies and meditation centres, and rented out the temple’s name for countless films.
Shi’s keenness on commercial endeavours earned him the nickname “CEO monk” from Chinese media.
Throughout his career Shi has met global leaders and celebrities including South Africa’s president Nelson Mandela, Apple chief executive Tim Cook, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Henry Kissinger. In February this year he was photographed meeting Pope Francis.
The 2015 investigation followed claims he lived an indulgent lifestyle, receiving a Volkswagen SUV as a gift and wearing a robe threaded with gold. He was also criticised over the temple’s role in a planned $380mn kung fu theme park in Australia.
Investigators in Henan province later determined he used millions of renminbi donated by one of his disciples to help develop the temple’s interests, and that a fleet of 15 automobiles were registered to the temple itself. But Shi had not used temple assets for personal gain, they said. Months earlier, investigators also dismissed allegations that Shi had fathered two children.
In 2011, Shi told the Financial Times that the Volkswagen SUV was a gift from the local government as a thank you for the tourism revenue generated by the temple, which now welcomes millions of visitors a year. Other items the public had criticised him for, such as iPads, were also gifts, he said.
“We wish everyone could lead a simple life like us monks and not chase after famous brands and luxury lifestyles in the way the awful nouveau riche in our country do,” he said at the time.
