The head of the world-famous Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, was hit with a criminal investigation for misconduct.
According to BBC, the Buddhist temple in China on Sunday, July 27, revealed that Yongxin was under investigation by multiple agencies for "improper relationships with multiple women," financial crimes, and “fathering illegitimate children.”
Yongxin, who is also known as "CEO monk" for turning the temple into a global brand, became a monk in 1981 and had been serving as the 30th abbot of the temple since 1999.
Following the criminal investigation, the Buddhist association of the country on Monday announced that they have stripped his official monk status due to the serious probe.
The Buddhist Association of China stated, “Shi Yongxin's actions are extremely bad, seriously damaging the reputation of the Buddhist community and the image of monks.”
Under his leadership the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple became worldwide famous, drawing thousands of students and fans every year in Henan province.
During his long tenure, the temple also opened schools outside China and initiated a group of monks that performed kung fu all around the world.
It is worth noting that it was not the first time when the monk was being investigated. Yongxin previously faced a probe in 2015 for embezzling temple funds, receiving luxury gifts from the government, and an alleged sexual relationship with women.
