Former Shaolin Temple abbot arrested, people curious about current activities of the famous temple

The arrest of Thich Vinh Tin, former abbot of Shaolin Temple, has sparked interest among martial arts fans in the famous temple.

Venerable Thich An Lac will lead Shaolin Temple to replace former abbot Thich Vinh Tin - Photo: SOHU

On November 16, the People's Procuracy of Xinxiang City, Henan Province (China) approved an arrest warrant for monk Shi Yongxin, former abbot of Shaolin Temple, thereby arousing the interest of martial arts fans in this famous temple.

At the end of July, Shaolin Temple officially appointed monk Thich An Lac as the new abbot of the temple, after monk Thich Vinh Tin was deposed due to many scandals related to corruption and embezzlement...

According to Lien Hop Tao Bao, immediately after abbot Thich An Lac took office, he issued "five major regulations" to change the direction of the pagoda's activities.

These changes include: eliminating purely commercial martial arts performances; banning high-fee rituals such as "peace incense" and "family blessing incense"; removing shops on temple grounds; encouraging monks to grow their own food for self-sufficiency; and adjusting the way internal income is divided.

In addition, the new abbot proposed a traditional model of monastic life: monks and nuns must wake up early to chant sutras, work in the fields during the day, meditate or practice martial arts in the afternoon, and meditate together at night.

At the same time, mobile phones were confiscated and entertainment was strictly restricted.

Shaolin monks were once criticized for pursuing acting and straying from martial arts - Photo: CN

However, according to Finance Sina , martial arts performances at Shaolin Temple continue. The temple still holds 6 shows a day and the performance stage is always crowded.

This shows that Shaolin Temple is not completely abandoning the martial arts performance that is associated with the image of the temple, but is adjusting this activity to be less commercial and more traditional in its practice and performance.

Some unofficial sources also said that there was a wave of monks leaving the pagoda after Thich An Lac became abbot. More than 30 monks and nuns, mostly martial artists or cultural workers - who were in charge of acting activities - had to leave because they "no longer fit the regulations".

Some comments on Zhihu and Weibo said that the new abbot's strategy is to restore Shaolin Temple's reputation, gradually reduce commercial activities, and focus on the tradition of monasticism and martial arts.

There has been much public debate about the "revolution" at Shaolin Temple. Many believe that the commercial activities initiated by former abbot Thich Vinh Tin have helped stimulate tourism in the province.

Martial arts activities under former abbot Thich Vinh Tin (yellow shirt) - Photo: SOHU

According to data from the Shan Dengfeng tourism agency, in 2017, the Shaolin Scenic Area earned about 350 million yuan (US$49 million) from entrance tickets, along with more than 120 million yuan (US$16.8 million) from martial arts experience services such as monk martial arts performances and spiritual tours combined with martial arts.

70% of this revenue is paid by the temple to the Dang Phong city budget, contributing significantly to the national treasury.

On the other hand, many Buddhists, as well as martial arts fans, approve of the cleansing of abbot Thich An Lac.

For many years, Shaolin Temple's excessive commercial martial arts activities were criticized for "losing the roots of kung fu" and straying away from the martial arts values ​​that the ancient temple always promoted.

Typically, "Shandong martial arts" activities impersonating Shaolin Temple appear frequently, and the temple's reputation in the martial arts community is questioned when the practice is only for show purposes.

Revenue is still very large

Shaolin monks’ performances typically cost $3,000 and can go up to $10,000 depending on the nature of the performance. It is estimated that these activities earn Shaolin Temple an additional $3-10 million a year.

Regarding ticket sales, Shaolin Temple welcomes about 4-5 million visitors each year, with tickets for adults costing 80 NDT (12 USD).

At the same time, Shaolin Temple has registered more than 700 trademarks related to food, medicine, cultural products, tourism and martial arts education to sell copyrights to use images and brand names - creating additional long-term revenue.

There is currently no information that Shaolin Temple has abolished the above activities, meaning their source of revenue is still very stable.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cuu-tru-tri-thieu-lam-tu-bi-bat-nguoi-dan-to-mo-hoat-dong-hien-tai-cua-ngoi-chua-danh-tieng-2025111715430596.htm