An official announcement from the Shaolin Temple Management Board on July 27 confirmed that the abbot, Shi Yongxin, is under investigation for suspected criminal offenses. Specifically, he is accused of embezzling temple assets and maintaining extramarital relationships with multiple women, even having children out of wedlock. This information immediately shocked the Chinese Buddhist community and created a wave of fierce debate on social media.
During his 36 years as abbot, Shi Yongxin transformed Shaolin Temple, considered the ancestral temple of Chinese Zen Buddhism, into a deeply commercial entity. Under his leadership, the temple registered more than 700 trademarks and established 18 companies operating in fields ranging from martial arts, cultural performances to tourism and cinema. The financial scale of Shaolin Temple is estimated to reach billions of yuan each year.

A high-profile deal took place in April 2022, when a 38,000-square-meter commercial plot in Zhengzhou was sold for 452 million yuan. The winning company was only two weeks old at the time and was directly related to Shi Yongxin. The incident sparked controversy over the extent of Shaolin Temple’s commercialization and the abbot’s personal role in the business investment.
The temple operates internally like a corporation, with well-organized departments such as the Foreign Affairs Department, the Affairs Department, the communications department, and a system of satellite businesses. Of which, the company in which Thich Vinh Tin holds 80% of the shares controls most of the business activities related to the Shaolin image.
The abbot’s personal lifestyle has also been the focus of criticism. Despite claiming to earn only 700 yuan a month, Shi Yongxin often appears with luxury items: gold-plated robes worth hundreds of millions of dong, rare and expensive necklaces, and a billion-dollar Audi Q7. Many sources say he owns up to 15 luxury cars, including Mercedes, BMWs, and Land Rovers.

The ticket price to Shaolin Temple also increased sharply during his tenure, from a few yuan to more than 100 yuan per visit. Donations were collected through POS machines, and spiritual rituals were priced specifically according to type and “standard”. Many opinions said that the temple had gone too far from its original religious principles, when incense money and spiritual services were openly commercialized.
In the face of controversy, Thich Vinh Tin once stated: “Buddhism does not avoid the world, if it avoids the world it will soon perish.” He believes that all commercial activities are aimed at spreading the Dharma, and all controversies will be answered by time.
However, with the official information about being under criminal investigation, the image of a "businessman abbot" is now facing the biggest storm after more than three decades at the head of Shaolin Temple.
Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ngam-dan-sieu-xe-sang-bac-ty-cua-su-tru-tri-chua-thieu-lam-tu-post2149041623.html
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