Abbot scandals

[Lokhopkuen]

Who cares about his sex life? So what if he had prostitutes and whatnot?

Haven't centuries of sexual repression in religious monasteries taught us nothing? It isn't hypocrisy. It's just human nature.

He needs alter boy

[taai gihk yahn]

He needs alter boy

wrong dogma...

[David Jamieson]

That's a lot of money to offer for information leading to someone who is simply not telling the truth.

why not just deny it? Refute it and force the onus onto the accuser to make good with the proof?

Weird idea of rule of law in China. Not quite getting it.

[wenshu]

Soon my special training will end and then I'm coming for you

[GeneChing]

Weird idea of rule of law in China. Not quite getting it.

Remember my post on the How could this happen? thread. I still say we gotta form a Shaolin posse.

[Shaolin Wookie]

I still don't get it Gene. Are you agreeing that China, "in its drive to get rich," is losing its moral bearing? They aren't getting "rich" in a legitimate way. they're playing the currency manipulation game, much like the US and the EURO bloc. They're getting poorer in real terms b/c their governments are preying on the economy, even if nominal increases in GDP (an irrelevant statistic) get reported.

Wherever the market is granted more liberty (as in the US, which still doesn't have a free market), morality has had the greatest increases on a society-wide scale. Like Adam Smith argued, morality increases whenever we are granted hte freedom to fulfill our self-interests, because then we are not at each others' throats, or only concerned with ourselves (b/c it is easy to fulfill our own interests in a free society, we don't view all others as enemies).

Think about it. Would 20 passerby do the same thing on most American streets? Probably not.

In Soviet Russia? Very likely. In North Korea? Very likely.

China is making a bid for fascism, but it's still not a "market" in any sense of the term.

[RenDaHai]

Moral and ethical conditioning needs generations to appear.

Its something you learn from your family and social environment. So if your social environment growing up was red guards destroying nature and all elements of culture, then you are probably going to turn out deficient in some way (probably by no means certainly).

China is accelerating super fast on the economic ladder, but that is not going to effect the upbringing of the current generation of adults, they are already 'up-brought'.

The people who drive cars in China today grew up in a china with almost no cars so its not surprising the driving is atrocious bordering on evil.

SO what I mean is the effect of Money on the actual ethic and moral fabric of society will take several generations to appear.

There can be an iphone in every Chinamans pocket and a McDonalds on every corner but it will still take generations to change the attitude of the average person.

[GeneChing]

I still don't get it Gene. Are you agreeing that China, "in its drive to get rich," is losing its moral bearing?

I write plenty of my own material that's opinionated. Please don't ascribe my agreement or disagreement with the news articles that I post. I read web newsfeeds every working morning, scanning for interesting and relevant news pertaining to martial arts. I post it here on the forum for several reasons. For one, it's newsworthy enough for someone to report it and I like to encourage coverage, so it's a way of assisting the viral spread. Another reason is I envision the forum to be a place to discuss current events. My biggest reason is that I'm building an news archive - the forum is a searchable database now of martial news events over the past several years. There's quite a lot of history stored here now, so much that esoteric web searches will bring up our forum archive - and that's something I'm really looking for because with a commercially-supported forum, it's all about the eyeballs.

As for China's present economic strategy, seriously now Shaolin Wookie, if I had an decent answer to that, would I be working here? I'm still observing the situation.

[GeneChing]

This isn't that scandalous really. It's more about the Chinese netizen reaction.

Moment of Neti-zen: April 18
Global Times | April 17, 2013 20:23
By Global Times

Editor's Note:

Are you up on what the hundreds of millions of Chinese netizens are talking about? Take a moment and get the rundown of what's hot, what's trending, and what's drawing the most buzz on the Chinese blogosphere.


Abbot at large

Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Temple in Central China's Henan Province, is now an honorary dean at the Shaolin culture research institute at Zhengzhou University in Henan, the Nandu Daily reported Wednesday.

Han Guohe, the dean of the institute, told the newspaper that Shi has no administrative role and he is there to promote the culture of Central China.

The devout Buddhist has been criticized for his high profile. In addition to being a vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, he is a deputy of the 12th National People's Congress. He has also opened several overseas culture centers and is involved in projects that commercially promote Shaolin culture.

News of Shi's appointment got mixed reactions online.

Some Web users said he should stick to spirituality.

"Shi should be reciting scriptures instead of intervening in social affairs, " Dengguanshuogushi said.

Some netizens said Shi will make the public lose trust in Buddhism.

"A monk who tries to win fame betrays the principles of Buddhism regarding inner peace," Sno-opy said.

Some said people should not be so quick to criticize Shi.

"We should empathize with him. Society is commercialized and full of temptations. His choice is quite normal," commented Xiexiaojoy.

Others admire the abbot.

"I can't judge whether it's suitable for Shi to work in culture-related areas, but his talent in marketing shows that he is competent to be the dean of a business school," Chongcisi***aohui said.

"As a monk, Shi is very successful. But it's impossible for him to approach enlightenment," Hongchendubai said.

[GeneChing]

...but given the recent discourses here, I just gotta toss this into the mix and ttt this thread.

Believer in reincarnation also believes in 'lots of aliens'



The leader of the Shaolin Temple, Abbot Shi Yongxin, told a meeting of Buddhists that he believes in the existence of "lots of aliens", according to the Southern Metro Daily.

According to the abbot: "Buddhists believe in the existence of multiple universes, and thus we believe there are many aliens."

Shi's comments were made in the same week as electricity-sensitive, rather clumsy aliens invaded a Shandong man's freezer.

[Image credit: Southern Metro Daily // Via: Amy Li]

[mengfei]

Abbot Shi Yongxin and Li Hongzhi I think how they regard each other? If they even know?

[Kymus]

...but given the recent discourses here, I just gotta toss this into the mix and ttt this thread.

HSK is gonna love this..

[LFJ]

Ha, I don't think he actually means "aliens" in that sense. I'd like to know what word he used though.

[GeneChing]

Maybe the aliens put them there.

Hidden cameras found in abbot's bedroom
By Zhao Wen | 2013-7-15 | NEWSPAPER EDITION
The story appears on Page A2
Jul 15, 2013

SURVEILLANCE cameras have been found in the abbot's room at Shaolin Temple, with one pointed at the abbot's bed.

An employee told yesterday's Economic Observer they were discovered during renovation work.

It's not known who installed the cameras but the employee believed there could be a link with disputes over the temple's growing popularity as a tourist attraction.

The temple in Dengfeng City in central China's Henan Province is renowned as the birthplace of kung fu.

Whenever there are disputes between the temple and other parties, rumors fly, the report said.

In 2011, it was said that Abbot Shi Yongxin had a mistress who was a student at Peking University and that he had US$3 billion deposited overseas. The mistress and an illegitimate son were said to be living in Germany.

A temple spokesman said later the rumor was not worth responding to.

It had spread after a city government bid to demolish a temple courtyard to build a hotel was foiled shortly before demolition started.

The lion's share of profits evolving from Shaolin Temple go to the local government, the report said.

Monks protested

Ticket sales alone amount to about 150 million yuan (US$24.4 million) a year, with the government taking 70 percent.

Sometimes the government delayed giving the temple its share, and Shaolin monks protested about that at the government offices. However, the temple was accused of being "too commercialized." Officials were reported to have said: "What's the use of so much money for you monks that should do no more than reciting your sutras?"

There was also a rumor that the temple was going to list on the stock market, something Shi has denied many times.

Shi is also said to have displeased the city government by taking center stage in group photographs with important visitors. Upset officials are said to have complained that Shi "didn't have the sense of ceremonial rules."

When gifts were presented to visiting officials, Shi waited for them to come forward. But some officials believe Shi should come forward to present the gifts in a respectful way, the report said.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the temple in March 2006, a provincial government official tried to put his seat at the same level with Shi, who was receiving Putin, but was stopped by one of Putin's bodyguards.

There are many people keen to cash in on the fame of the temple, the report said. Some companies registered trademarks including the word "Shaolin," for example, and various competitions such as a "Kung Fu Star" contest and a beauty contest were held near the temple. Kung fu training schools named after the temple were also being established.

The report said there had been many disputes since the Dengfeng government got together with China National Travel Service (HK) three years ago to develop the temple into a tourist destination.

To attract more investment, the local government gave up its controlling stake in the scenic area of the temple to the travel service at a low price. In return, the travel service was to invest in construction projects while expanding tourism.

However, over the past three years it had made huge profits from the temple's tourism industry but hadn't invested in any projects, the report said.

[Orion Paximus]

Man, how about putting someone in charge who, I don't know, follows the friggen Dharma?