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03/08/2018 3:09 下午
High-ranking Buddhist monk accused of sexual abuse in China
Beijing (CNN)One of China's highest-ranking Buddhist monks has denied explosive allegations of sexual misconduct, which accusers claim left at least one victim suicidal.
In a 95-page document submitted to Chinese authorities in July, two male monks at Beijing's Longquan Temple accused Shi Xuecheng of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple female nuns.
It comes at a time when women in China are pushing back hard against widespread sexual abuse, in a manner similar to the #MeToo movement in Western countries.
Xuecheng, who is the abbot of Longquan Temple, is a high-profile figure who heads the Buddhist Association of China and serves as a national political adviser to the Communist government.
The 51-year-old, who has taken a vow of celibacy like most Buddhist monks, posted a brief statement Wednesday night, denying all allegations to his more than a million followers on his verified account on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter.
The statement, issued in the name of his temple, alleged the "organized and vicious" whistleblowers had "forged materials, distorted facts and spread false accusations" to mislead the public. It said the temple would ask the government to conduct an official investigation to "put the record straight."
The State Administration for Religious Affairs said in a statement Thursday that the agency "attaches high importance" to the claims against Xuecheng and "has started investigation and verification work."
Buddhist Master Xuecheng arrives at the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing in March 3.
Report censored on social media
The accusers' report contains numerous examples of explicit messages that Xuecheng allegedly sent to at least six nuns. In the messages, Xuecheng is alleged to have demanded total obedience from the nuns, including sexual favors, as part of their study of Buddhist doctrines.
It was leaked online Wednesday and widely circulated on Chinese social media before being censored.
China struggles to find its #MeToo movement 02:47
The document has accounts from a number of the alleged victims, some of whom say they were so devastated by their experiences they became mentally unstable or even suicidal.
According to the document, one victim eventually filed a police report in Beijing in June, alleging the abbot had sexually assaulted her and several other nuns.
Shi Xianqi, one of the two monks behind the original document, which also includes allegations of corruption, told CNN on Thursday that he and co-author Shi Xianjia stand by their words and are cooperating with the authorities.
"We have submitted more evidence," he said. "We will now wait for the result of the government probe."
CNN's repeated calls to Longquan Temple and Xuecheng on Thursday went unanswered. Local media reported Thursday that road access to the mountain where the temple is located was abruptly closed after the allegations emerged, with a notice citing "mudslide danger following recent torrential rains."
'Evil in the Buddha's robe'
In a statement to CNN, Xianqi described how he began investigating Xuecheng earlier this year when a "fearful and nervous" nun told him about the explicit messages she had been receiving from the abbot.
After obtaining the messages through legal means, Xianqi said the whistleblowers consulted with police and technical experts, who ruled out the possibility of the abbot's account having been hacked.
Robot monk dispenses Buddhist wisdom at Beijing temple
"So many faithful Buddhist women wanted to join the temple and I always voted yes," he said in the statement. "Little did I know I was sending them to the tiger's mouth."
"The abbot's learned image has crumbled in my mind," he added. "All that's left is huge fear. He is evil in the Buddha's robe."
China boasts more than 240 million Buddhists despite the ruling Communist Party being officially atheist.
Xuecheng is one of the most high-profile religious leaders in the country, an author of numerous books and a globetrotter in promoting Chinese Buddhism.
The abbot is known to put a modern twist on the ancient religion, maintaining an active online presence and teaching Buddhist ideas through cartoons. In 2016, he attracted brief worldwide attention when his temple launched a humanoid "robot monk" designed to greet young visitors.
His temple is also seen an intellectual bastion with highly educated young monks. Both of the whistleblowers hold doctorate degrees in engineering from one of China's most prestigious universities.
China's #MeToo moment
Xuecheng is not the first prominent Chinese Buddhist monk facing serious allegations in recent years. In 2015, Abbot Shi Yongxin of Shaolin Temple, the country's legendary kung fu monastery, was accused of being an embezzler and womanizer with illegitimate children.
The latest claims against Xuecheng, which surprisingly were published in the English edition of state-run tabloid Global Times, are also part of a number of sexual harassment allegations making waves in China in recent months.
Women in China face unique #MeToo challenges, but see some progress
In July, a spreadsheet of accusations against prominent men within non-governmental organizations as well as activist and media circles was widely shared by Chinese women online.
It has drawn comparisons with the #MeToo movement in the West, which has exposed a number of serious allegations against high-profile media and political figures, as women push back against systemic sexual harassment and abuse.
Far from being wary of calling out men whose work is important, many Chinese women airing their accusations have highlighted the hypocrisy of their abusers, and the disparity between their public and private faces.
"They're famous, they're powerful and they make great contributions (to society). That's exactly what makes them think they have the power to sexually harass women," Xiong Jing, director of the Beijing-based Women's Media Monitor Network, told CNN last month.
Topic starter
03/08/2018 3:42 下午
北京龙泉寺住持被控性骚扰女弟子
北京——中国一位著名佛教领袖被控对至少两名女弟子实施性骚扰，这是在中国出现的最引人注目的#MeToo（我也是）案例之一。
本周，一份长达95页的文件在社交媒体上广为传播，两名男性僧侣指责北京龙泉寺住持、有权势的宗教领袖学诚法师向女性发送露骨短信，并向她们提出不受欢迎的性要求。
“我们发现，在释学诚不法行为的背后，隐藏着巨大的社会危机，”僧人杜啟新和刘新佳写道。
现年50岁的学诚法师是中国佛教协会会长，这是由执政的共产党控制的一个管理机构，他否认了有关指控。
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这个案例是对中国新兴的#MeToo运动是否能够挑战掌权高官的严峻考验。
政府试图审查有关性骚扰和性虐待的帖子，从而压制这一迄今主要限于学术界、非营利团体和媒体行业的运动。在某些案例中，当局不鼓励女性提出控告。
针对学诚法师的指控很快从中国各网站删除，社交媒体平台上也禁止讨论此案。
国家宗教事务局周四在一份声明中说，它正在调查此案，并且“非常重视”这些指控。
在文件中，两位僧人杜啟新和刘新佳说，他们代表两名女性写了这份文件，她们提供了骚扰的细节。文件中收录了这两名女性所说的学诚法师自12月至2月发给她们的露骨短信。
除了这两名女性之外，两位僧人还说，通过采访和审阅信息，他们发现至少还有四名女性接到了来自学诚法师的露骨信息。
在文件中，两位僧人说，学诚法师建议女弟子通过性行为促进精神修炼。他们说，他要求女弟子们切断与朋友和亲戚的联系，以此操纵她们。
在文件中，这些女性表示，这种体验令她们深受伤害。“我的信仰体系几近崩溃，我甚至想到了舍戒还俗，”一位女性回忆道。
龙泉寺对该文件的准确性提出质疑，并在周三的一份声明中说，杜啟新和刘新佳“收集、伪造素材，歪曲事实并散布不实举报材料，构陷佛教大德，误导大众”。
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中国佛教协会没有立即回复评论请求。杜啟新和刘新佳周四没有接听电话。
学诚法师于1982年出家，2005年成为龙泉寺住持，是中国最著名的精神领袖之一，在网上拥有数百万粉丝，受到名人、企业家和政府官员的支持。
他领导着北京西北部一座充满活力的寺庙，吸引了许多年轻人，其中许多人来自高科技公司和大学，希望从城市生活的紧张节奏中解脱出来。该寺庙由一群受过高等教育的僧侣管理，其中许多人拥有科学、数学和计算机方面的背景。
学诚法师在共产党内也是一位有影响力的宗教事务发言人，他还是中国最高政治咨询机构的成员。
星期三，随着对他的指控在互联网上传播，他在中国最受欢迎的社交媒体网站微博上发布了一张举行升旗仪式的照片，颂扬爱国主义美德。
虽然最近几个月来，随着一系列性骚扰和性侵犯指控，一些教授和非盈利组织的领导人被迫辞职，但是很多案例都被忽视了。
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【Chanworld.org】2017.06.06-2021.04.30-2025.04.10-MG-RM
