China authorities approve arrest of Shaolin Temple’s ex-abbot over embezzlement
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Former Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yongxin had his certificate of ordination cancelled in July after fresh claims of actions of “an extremely bad nature”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – The local authorities in China said on Nov 16 that they had approved the arrest of the former head of the Shaolin Temple, known as the birthplace of gongfu, over suspicion of embezzlement.
Shi Yongxin, former abbot of the temple, was removed from his position in July for “extremely” bad behaviour.
Allegations of misappropriating project funds and temple assets saw him placed under investigation and defrocked.
The authorities in central Henan province, where the Shaolin Temple is, approved Shi’s arrest on “suspicion of embezzlement, misappropriating funds and accepting bribes as a non-state employee”, the Xinxiang Procuratorate said in a statement.
It was unclear if he had already been detained.
Shi, 60, took office as abbot in 1999 and, in the following decades, expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas.
He became known as the “CEO monk” for establishing dozens of companies abroad – but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism.
He had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women.
In July, Beijing’s top Buddhist authority said it was cancelling Shi’s certificate of ordination
“Shi Yongxin’s actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks,” the Buddhist Association of China said at the time.
The Shaolin Temple, established in AD495, is also known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism. AFP
