Shaolin 'Kung Fu temple' is rocked by sex scandal as celebrity 'CEO monk' is accused of fathering 'illegitimate child', 'improper' relationships with women and embezzlement
Shi Yongxin, 59, also known as 'CEO monk' for commercialising Buddhism and establishing dozens of companies abroad, headed the Chinese temple known as the birthplace of kung fu.
But bombshell accusations have seen the disgraced monk placed under criminal investigation for a string of 'extremely deplorable' behaviours.
That included embezzlment of the temple's project funds and assets.
He has also previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company and maintaining a fleet of luxury cars.
The controversial monk has since been stripped of his ordination certificate and dropped by his monastery, China 's top Buddhist assocation confirmed on Monday.
In a statement, the state-supervised Buddhist Association of China said: 'Shi Yongxin's actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks.'
The association 'firmly supports the decision to deal with Shi Yongxin in accordance with the law,' they added.
His monastery said Shi had 'seriously violated Buddhist precepts', including by allegedly engaging in 'improper relationships' with multiple women.
China's government maintains power over the appointment of religious leaders, and 'improper' conduct is often grounds for removal from office.
Shi frequently posts on his account on Chinese social media app Weibo, where he boasts 882,000 followers and writes about Buddhist teachings.
The last post to the abbot's personal account declared: 'When one's own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present'.
Shi, who was previously a member of Chinese parliament, has in the past sparked controversy for developing monk merchandise, including t-shirts and a kung-fu manual costing £1,040.
He also faced scrutiny for allegedly having sexual relations with women, fathering children and embezzling temple funds in 2015, before being cleared after an investigation.
The abbot was again accused of receiving expensive gifts from private companies and local governments, including a robe of gold and a Volkswagen SUV.
His temple also came under fire in 2015 over plans for a $300million (£223m) temple complex, including a hotel, a kung fu school and a golf course.
Shi, known as Liu Yingcheng before he became a monk in 1981, has overseen the temple since 1987 and became its abbot in 1999, during which time he expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas.
He helped the temple establish dozens of companies but has received backlash for commercialising Buddhism.
The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu.
Located in a mountain range in China's Henan province, it attracts thousands of disciples from across the world every year.
The world 'Shaolin' has gained cultural prominence and has featured in television dramas including the 1982 film The Shaolin Temple.
Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People's Congress, the country's top lawmaking body.
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