Shaolin Temple Should Take a Vow of Chastity, Not Poverty
A scandal has ignited debate over who gets to control the iconic cultural brand.
The scandal that has embroiled Abbot Shi Yongxin shows religion is big business.
Source: VCG/Getty Images
As China’s fiscal conditions worsen, a scandal at the Shaolin Temple has ignited a debate over who owns the monastic institution’s cultural heritage and how to commercialize the world-famous brand.
Authorities are investigating Shi Yongxin, the longtime abbot of the monastery at the foot of a mountain peak in central China’s Henan province, on suspicions of embezzlement, maintaining “improper relations” with women, and fathering at least one child. Companies linked to Shi, nicknamed the “CEO monk,” were deregistered and his Buddhist credentials revoked by the Buddhist Association of China, the national governing body for Buddhist affairs.