2011-05-10 08:26

Beijing - Shi Yongxin, a well-known abbot at the famous Buddhist Shaolin Temple, has denied a recent online rumor claiming that police had caught him in the act of soliciting a prostitute.

In a statement published on Sunday on Shaolin's website, the temple said the malicious rumor severely tarnished Abbot Shi's reputation and deeply hurt many Buddhists' feelings.

"The abbot feels great disappointment at this rumor, and he reserves the right to sue those who are responsible for spreading it," the statement said.

heng Shumin, a monk in charge of communication for the temple, told China Daily that the rumor started on micro blogs, where many people have been circulating a post saying Shi had visited a prostitute.

A search for Shi's name on Sina Weibo, the most popular micro-blogging website in China, yielded posts saying "somewhere in Henan province, where the temple stands, the local police, while examining a place offering illegal prostitution on a particular day, were surprised to find Shi there soliciting a prostitute."

Zheng vehemently denied the account.

"The daily schedule of Abbot Shi is made public on our website, and there is no real evidence to confirm that there is any truth to that rumor," he said. "Abbot Shi is very upset about this, since it hurts not only his reputation but also the temple's.

"We demand that they delete these posts and stop spreading rumors or we will go to the law to have this resolved."

Calls to Shi himself went unanswered on Monday afternoon.

Asked about the rumors, many doubted that they contain any truth.

"It's hard for me to believe that," said Zhang Fa, an employee of the Capital Library in Beijing. "After all, Shi is a temple abbot and also a kind of a celebrity. He wouldn't risk ruining the reputation of himself and the temple."

Others believed Shi to be capable of such immorality. Many bloggers commented on the rumor, calling Shi "the shame of Shaolin", "a hypocrite", and "a fake Buddhist".

Shaolin Temple is a principal temple for Zen Buddhism in China and is renowned for its practice of kungfu and qigong. It is also a UNESCO world cultural heritage site.

Its recent steps toward commercialism have drawn criticism. The temple has established a restaurant and a medicine company and makes movies about itself. The Abbot Shi Yongxin, believed to be the leading figure in Shaolin's commercialization and the holder of a master's degree in business administration, has also been criticized for leading the temple away from true Buddhism.

Shi, who is a deputy to the National People's Congress, the country's legislature, explained to media previously this year that the expansion and commercialization of Shaolin is not aimed at making money but at promoting the Shaolin culture.