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Shaolin Temple, a well-known Buddhist holy place at home and abroad, has left a glorious chapter in the long history of Buddhism and martial arts in the mainland. As a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation, it all demonstrates the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and is an important source of invigorating the national spirit.
A controversy about "wearing 160,000 robes, holding 18 companies, and buying land for 450 million yuan, is the original intention of Shaolin Temple still the same?", once again focusing our attention on this cultural symbol deeply rooted in the land of China.
As a sacred place of Buddhism, how should Shaolin Temple, while adhering to the essence of traditional culture, adapt to the torrent of the development of the times? In the tide of secularization, how should it defend its spiritual homeland? Let us embark on this journey of tracing the source and re-examine the development process of this cultural symbol after a hundred years of vicissitudes.
The beginning of the story originates from the legendary life of an ordinary monk. He is the abbot of Shi Yongxin.
Shi Yongxin was born in an ordinary family in 1965. Despite his poor family, his love for martial arts is in full swing. At the age of 17, he was fortunate to worship his mentor and embarked on the road of martial arts.
Young and vigorous, he stepped into the gate of Shaolin Temple by chance, thus starting a new chapter in his life.
That year, he stared at the magnificent figure of the ancient temple treasure, and his heart was stirred. As if he was fascinated, he was deeply fascinated by everything here: the strength and majesty of Shaolin Kung Fu, the simplicity and elegance of the temple, and the profundity and mystery of Buddhism.
Since then, he has quietly changed his identity and embarked on a decades-long spiritual career.
In 1984, at the age of 29, Shi Yongxin was officially ordained as a monk and shouldered heavy responsibilities and began to take charge of the Shaolin Temple, a thousand-year-old temple. From a small monk outside the door to an abbot in charge of the whole hospital, his heart was full of confusion and uneasiness.
Over time, he came to appreciate the responsibility that comes with this status: in addition to his practice, he also needs to ensure the proper functioning of the monastery and protect the monuments.
Therefore, Shi Yongxin is determined to inject new vitality into the ancient temple of Shaolin Temple. He decided to reform the old model and push the Shaolin Temple to move forward with the pace of the times.
He first founded the "Shaolin Temple Cultural Relics Protection Organization", which is dedicated to sorting out and protecting the precious cultural relics and artworks in the temple. In 1987, he expanded this group into the "Shaolin Temple Martial Arts Troupe", so that Shaolin martial arts culture can be widely spread at home and abroad.
Time flies, and in an instant came to 1998, a moment of great historical significance, Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yongxin established a company dedicated to the management of cultural resources, and actively expanded the breadth and depth of Shaolin culture.
It is he who vigorously invites many talents with professional quality to help together, constantly innovate thinking, and cheer for the promotion of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation.
However, although the modernization reform carried out by Shaolin Temple under the leadership of Shi Yongxin has begun to show results, it is immediately filled with all kinds of accusations and discussions, pouring in from all directions.
In 2015, a well-known article, "Spray Pickaxe Jun Bang Huan", spread quickly on the Internet like a storm, directly pointing the finger at Shaolin Temple, accusing it of "treachery and selling Buddhism", which has been reduced to a "mercenary business machine".
The article severely criticized Shi Yongxin's "lustful" behavior, listed a series of faults in cultivating his body and mind, and implied that he was far from the moral code of the monks.
Subsequently, some people who thought they "knew the inside story" also joined the army of doubters, they dug up some old things, and listed a series of "ironclad evidence" to explain Yongxin's luxurious life: he not only owned many properties, drove luxury cars among the flowers, and was even exposed to the peachy news that there was a "little three".
People cannot help but wonder whether he is really devout to the Buddha and wholeheartedly devoted himself to the Tao? Whether his daily speech and demeanor have deviated from the precepts of Buddhism? Public opinion is in an uproar, and people are full of doubts about whether his noble character in the past was just a hypocritical performance.
Even more intolerable is the growing commercialization of the Shaolin Temple. In recent years, Shaolin Temple's products have become ubiquitous, whether it is mobile games sold online or brands created in collaboration with celebrities, and the commercial atmosphere has become more and more intense.
According to public information, up to now, Shaolin Temple has 18 companies, covering various fields, and its operating income in 2021 has reached an astonishing 450 million yuan.
Behind this, there are many mysteries: the Shaolin Temple spent a huge amount of 450 million yuan to buy land for commercial development, the ownership of abbot Shi Yongxin's personal assets and the source of wealth are confusing, and the use of the temple property lacks transparency and openness.
People denounced this behavior as seriously violating the original intention of "guarding the law" and "inheriting culture", and questioned whether the Shaolin Temple had been completely commercialized and secularized.
Public opinion is like a pebble thrown into the lake, stirring up thousands of waves, and there are debates about whether Shaolin Temple still adheres to the original intention of "Buddhist protection and martial arts inheritance".
In the face of the flood of doubts, Zen Master Shi Yongxin and the decision-makers of the Shaolin temple had to make necessary responses under pressure.
In the face of intensive media interviews, Zen Master Shi Yongxin said with a solemn face, with his sincere and enthusiastic attitude, that the modernization reform of Shaolin Temple is far-reaching, without the slightest greed and delusion, and only hopes to work together with the times to promote the true meaning of Buddhism to spread in the world for a long time.
"As a monk, I have to strictly follow the precepts, and it is my duty to accept severe criticism from the people. He firmly emphasized that he has always adhered to the precepts of Buddhism, practiced diligently, and kept improving.
However, in response to the public's doubts about the various measures taken by the reform and opening up of the Shaolin Temple, Zen Master Shi Yongxin also gave sincere and detailed answers. He admits that in order to ensure the normal operation of the Shaolin Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, the financial investment required is huge, and relying on the generous donations of believers alone is obviously not enough.
"If this continues, then the decay of the monastery will be inevitable. He sighed deeply, his face heavily heavy.
Despite the controversy surrounding the commercialization path, the temple's decision-makers did so out of desperation. Industry experts pointed out in depth that the commercial operation of Shaolin Temple over the years is actually to adapt to the general trend of the development of the times, but if it gets out of control and deviates from the original intention of Buddhism, it may lead to the existence of this ancient cultural symbol in name only.
How to find a balance between the modernization process and cultural inheritance, to achieve "both the outside and the inside, and the inside and outside", and to maintain the combination of Chinese and Western, ancient and modern? Undoubtedly, this is a major challenge facing Shaolin Temple and Zen Master Shi Yongxin.
It is undeniable that it is precisely because of the path of modernization and reform actively promoted by Zen Master Shi Yongxin that this ancient cultural symbol has been revitalized, and its reputation has become increasingly prominent and its influence has grown day by day.
In recent years, with the vigorous development of Shaolin cultural industry, the cultural influence of Shaolin Temple has been expanding. According to preliminary statistics, up to now, Shaolin Temple has set up more than 300 branches around the world, covering training bases, schools, associations and other forms.
Whether it is the Shaolin Kung Fu Acrobatic Troupe, which was once all the rage, or the Shaolin Martial Arts Troupe that cultivates martial arts talents, whether it is the athletes who sweat in the arena, or the actors who interpret wonderful stories on the screen, you can see the sparkling elements of Shaolin culture.
Shaolin Temple has always been full of vitality and spares no effort in exploring and promoting traditional Chinese culture. They host and actively participate in various cultural events, while maintaining close academic ties and interactions with major cultural institutions and well-known higher education institutions at home and abroad.
Since many years ago, Shaolin Temple has spent several years carefully curating and launching a rich variety of cultural products, such as book series, selected anthologies, exquisite picture albums and vivid images, etc., all of which contain profound Chinese cultural heritage and successfully convey them to a wide range of readers around the world.
In a short period of time, Shaolin culture has had a profound and extensive impact at home and abroad, and has won many praises.
Both domestically and internationally, the popularity and influence of Shaolin Temple have climbed to a new peak. It is not only an important symbol of Buddhist culture in contemporary society, but also recognized as the most outstanding and representative model of traditional Chinese martial arts culture.
The influence of Shaolin Temple as a cultural center has long gone beyond the definition of an ordinary temple. What started as a sacred place for spiritual practice is now radiating endless power to the world with its brilliant cultural brilliance.
The person behind all this is the abbot of Shi Yongxin, who is still in the spotlight today.
Whether it is through the fog of history or facing the hustle and bustle of modern society, Shaolin Temple has always been one of the most outstanding representatives of traditional Chinese culture. It not only witnessed the rise and prosperity of Buddhism in China, but also laid a solid foundation for martial arts culture to occupy a central position on the world stage.
This ancient cultural symbol is now facing new and unprecedented challenges.
Whether it is the wisdom and courage of Shaolin Kung Fu, or the profound meaning of Buddhism, it will be passed down from generation to generation here, with a long history.