Sat, Aug 04, 2018 page6

• Chinese monk accused of sexual misconduct

  ‘FALSE ACCUSATIONS’: Shi Xuecheng said in a statement that the document detailing the alleged sexual harassment and embezzlement was drafted from ‘distorted facts’

  • AP, BEIJING
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  One of China’s highest-ranking Buddhist monks is facing a government investigation over accusations of sexual misconduct, in what is seen by some as an indication that the #MeToo movement is gaining traction in the world’s most populous nation.

  Longquan Monastery abbot Shi Xuecheng (釋學誠) was accused of harassing and demanding sexual favors from numerous female nuns in a 95-page statement compiled by two fellow monks at the storied center of Buddhist learning in Beijing.

  The statement, including testimony from the alleged victims, leaked this week on social media, prompting an outcry and unusual coverage by state media before it was censored.

  The Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs on Thursday said it would investigate the claims.

  Shi and the monastery denied the accusations, which also included claims of embezzlement.

  A volunteer who answered the telephone at the monastery yesterday referred reporters to the earlier statements.

  The man said he did not know if Shi was still serving as abbot.

  Shi, 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.

  Well-known 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.

  Shi, 51, is a well-known religious figure in China, having published numerous books and daily blogposts for his large social media following.

  China has about 250 million Buddhists and countless more followers of folk religions containing Buddhist elements.

  The charismatic monk has been credited with reviving the fortunes of the 1,000-year-old 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 has over the past few years generated headlines 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 whistle-blowing monks painted a picture of a cloistered life where access to telephones and the Internet was limited — but where the abbot’s power was not.

  The whistle-blowers, two men who described themselves as holders of engineering doctorates who had entered monastic life more than a decade ago, compiled screenshots of text messages and accounts of women who said Shi sent suggestive text messages and forced them to have sex.

  The document also included financial statements suggesting that he embezzled nearly US$1.5 million.

  Shi on Wednesday posted a statement under the monastery’s name that decried the document as “forged materials, distorted facts and false accusations.”

  Typical of Buddhist monks, Shi took a vow of celibacy when entering monastic life.

  The park that surrounds the monastery has been closed due to “safety reasons,” domestic media reported.
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