The manager of the famous Shaolin temple, considered the cradle of Kung-Fu in China, is under an investigation of embezzlement and immoral behavior, the monastery announced on Sunday, July 27.
It is suspected that Shi Yongxin, nicknamed the “Chief of Monks”, has “diverted the funds for projects and the property of the temple,” the Shaolin temple announced in a press release in his official Wechat account.
He would also have “severely breaking the Buddhist precepts” and maintained for a long time “the inappropriate relationships with several women, with whom he would have had illegitimate children,” adds the text.
“Several departments” conduct a joint investigation, according to the temple.
Luxurious life and several families
The former monks had already accused Shi Yongxin of leading a luxurious life, saying that he had a fleet of luxury cars, which had diverted money from a society administered by the temple, and that he had had children with different women.
A keyword linked to the case has been seen more than 560 million times on the Weibo social platform on Monday morning.
“When the spirit is pure, the pure earth is there, at the present time,” wrote the monk Shi last week in his latest publication in the Weibo social network.
In 2015, the temple denied the accusations transmitted by the Chinese state media, calling them “malicious slander.”
Mr. Shi, 59, became a monk in 1999 before actively contributing to the international expansion of Shaolina studies, which combine the learning of Zen Buddhism and the practice of martial arts.
Notably helped the temple to find dozens of companies abroad, while cleaning many criticisms for their approach considered too commercial.
Elected Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002, he also sat as a representative in the popular National Assembly, the Supreme Legislative Corps of the country. Founded in the year 495, the Shaolin temple, perched on the Henan mountains, is considered the cradle of Zen Buddhism and the Chinese Kung-Fu.
Source: BFM TV
