Beijing monk set to face probe
BEIJING: One of China’s highest-ranking Buddhist monks is facing a government investigation over accusations of sexual misconduct, in what is seen as an indication that the #MeToo movement is gaining traction in the world’s most populous nation.
Longquan Monastery abbot Shi Xuecheng is accused of harassing and demanding sexual favours from numerous nuns in a 95-page statement compiled by two fellow monks at the storied centre of Buddhist learning in Beijing. The statement including testimony from the alleged victims was leaked this week on social media, prompting an outcry and unusual coverage by state media before it was censored.
China’s State Administration of Religious Affairs said on Thursday it would investigate the claims. Abbot Xuecheng and the monastery denied the accusations, which also included claims of embezzlement.
A volunteer who answered the phone at the monastery yesterday said it was unclear if Xuecheng was still serving as abbot. Shi Xianqi, a monastery deacon who had reported the abbot, said in text messages that he and the other whistleblower, Shi Xianjia, had been expelled from the monastery and were cooperating with the government investigation.
Abbot Xuecheng, who heads the Buddhist Association of China and serves on a political advisory body to the central government, is the latest high-profile man to fall under scrutiny as China’s #MeToo movement accumulates momentum. Wellknown university professors, activists and media figures have been accused online and placed under investigation, with at least one dismissed from his post, as more women speak out despite the risk of censorship and official retribution.
Abbot Xuecheng, 51, is a well-known religious figure in China, having published numerous books and daily blog posts for his large social media following. China has roughly 250 million Buddhists and countless more followers of folk religions containing Buddhist elements.
Born Fu Ruilin in southern Fujian province, the charismatic monk is credited with reviving the fortunes of the 1,000-year-old Longquan monastery in northwest Beijing, known these days for attracting tech entrepreneurs and elite university graduates who flock there to spend days — or years — in spiritual retreat and Buddhist study. The temple generated headlines in recent years for allowing monks to study sutras on iPads and building a robot in the shape of a pint-sized monk able to answer questions about Buddhism.
The text messages and documentation compiled by Longquan’s whistleblowing monks painted a picture of a life where access to phones and the internet was limited — but the abbot’s power was not.
Two men who identified themselves as holders of a doctorate in engineering who had entered monastic life more than a decade ago, compiled screenshots of text messages and accounts of women who said Abbot Xuecheng sent suggestive text messages and forced them to have sex.