HONG KONG — The head of China’s famous Shaolin Temple has been defrocked as he is investigated by authorities for alleged financial offenses and sexual misconduct.
Shi Yongxin, the temple’s abbot since 1999, has had his ordination certificate revoked, China’s state-backed Buddhist Association said in a statement Monday, citing allegations that he embezzled and misappropriated project funds and temple assets.
The 59-year-old religious leader also broke his vow of celibacy, having “improper relationships” with women over a long period of time and fathering at least one child out of wedlock, the temple said in a separate statement Sunday.
Shi’s actions are “particularly egregious, severely damaging the reputation of the Buddhist community and tarnishing the image of monastics,” the association said, adding that it “firmly supports” the investigation by multiple agencies.
Calls to the Shaolin Temple went unanswered on Monday.
Dubbed the “CEO monk,” Shi globally commercialized the Shaolin Temple based in China’s central province of Henan, a 1,500-year-old monastery recognized as the cradle of kung fu. As of Monday, four companies are still registered under Shi’s name, according to Qichacha, a Chinese corporate database operator.
Led by Shi, the temple has raised its international profile over the years through tourism, performances and training. It has also established multiple overseas cultural centers, including in the United States, Australia and Europe.
Though Shi has faced similar accusations in the past, they were rejected by religious authorities at the time.
In 2011, Shi downplayed online rumors that he had mistresses and children. “There’s no need to vindicate. When things like this happen, just let it go,” he told state-run newspaper People’s Daily.
In 2015, several of Shi’s students accused him of extortion and bribery, drawing heightened attention from China’s top religious affairs body. A two-year investigation later cleared Shi of wrongdoing.
The latest investigation was widely satirized on Chinese social media, where commenters noted the irony of the allegations against Shi given that his religion requires him to live frugally.
“All the wishes I made for wealth and success at the Buddhist temples have come true for the monks,” one user wrote on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
