| School | Chan Buddhism |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Born | 1965 China |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Ch'an master |
Shi Yongxin (Chinese: 释永信; Pinyin: Shì Yǒngxìn) is the current principal abbot of the Shaolin Temple. He is the thirteenth successor after Buddhist abbot Xue Ting Fu Yu. He is the chairman of Henan Province Buddhists Association, vice-chairman of China's Buddhist Association, representative of Ninth National People's Congress and also the first Chinese monk ever to get a MBA degree. [1] Yongxin is not a martial abbot, but a clerical one, and his duties are scholarly; martial abbot Shi De Li is responsible for training monks at the Shaolin Temple.
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Inauguration
A Dharma gathering was held between August 19 and 20, 1999, in the Shaolin Monastery, Songshan, China, for Buddhist Master Shi Yongxin to take office as abbot.
Clothing
Yongxin wears the robes of the abbot, a yellow robe with a red sash, called a patriarch's robe. It is strictly forbidden to wear if one is not a high ranking monastic, which is applicable in all Chinese Buddhist sects (though it is not illegal, wearing such a robe without proper training is considered offensive towards the Buddhist community).
Shaolin Inc
In the documentary by NGC called Secrets of the kung fu temple, it is said that Shi Yongxin is also the head of Shaolin Incorporated, a multi-million dollar corporation that apparently specialises in tourism, merchandising, world tours, and Shaolin franchises in the US and Europe. [2]
Criticism
Shi has been widely criticized in the online martial arts and Buddhist communities for commercializing the temple and running it like a business, earning him the nickname "CEO Monk"[3]. Most of the criticisms involve gifts he has accepted such as a special robe[4] worth 160,000 Yuan ($23,439 USD)[5] in 2009 and a Volkswagen Touareg 4x4[6] worth over 1,000,000 Yuan [7] in 2006. Other criticisms involve the way the temple itself is operated. After paying admission, visitors to the temple are asked to pay exorbitant fees to burn incense (as high as 6000 yuan or $770 USD) [8].
In November of 2009 the official Shaolin Temple website was hacked twice. The first time, the message "Shaolin evildoer Shi Yongxin, go to hell" was posted in traditional calligraphy[9]. The second time, hackers posted a letter said to be written by Shi Yongxin in which he apologized for living a materialistic lifestyle and commercializing the temple.[10] [11][12]
Shi has countered these criticisms by claiming that commercialization is just a modern tool to promote and spread traditional shaolin culture and martial arts, and thus is good for everybody in the end. In his view, "Commercialization or industrialization, whatever term you use it, is a path leading up to the truth of Zen. My vision is that Shaolin will eventually become a source of consolidating Chinese people's confidence and wisdom." [13]
See also
References
- ^ Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu School China - Masters
- ^ Shaolin Inc
- ^ ‘CEO monk’ set to franchise Kung Fu Shaolin shrine
- ^ Luxury cassock triggers harsh criticism on Shaolin Temple
- ^ Shaolin Abbot's "purchase" of 160,000-yuan robe receives netizens' criticism - People's Daily
- ^ Shaolin Kung-fu Monks vs 'Old School' Dabei Monks
- ^ Dispute over sports car for China's most famous monk - China Daily
- ^ The Dark Side of Shaolin Temple
- ^ Shaolin Temple Under Hacker Attack - Wall Street Journal
- ^ Image of the letter on the hacked website
- ^ Hacker ridicules Shaolin abbot - Shanghai Daily
- ^ Shaolin Abbot Defends Lifestyle
- ^ China Exclusive: Out of jungles - People's Daily
External links
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