Abbot who sent obscene messages fired

The Buddhist Association of Beijing has removed Master Xuecheng from his position as abbot of the Beijing-based Longquan Temple.

The decision was made at its council executive meeting in Beijing on Aug 24, one day after the State Administration for Religious Affairs confirmed that Master Xuecheng, former head of the Buddhist Association of China, sent obscene messages to female monks.

Master Xuecheng, 52, a graduate of the Buddhist Academy of China in Beijing, is also a national political adviser. He became abbot of Longquan Temple in 2005.

The temple in northwestern Beijing has expanded its name globally in recent years as a technology-oriented temple that attracts highly educated monks, including those from the country's top universities.

However, a 95-page report was submitted to the State Administration for Religious Affairs in July accusing Xuecheng of various violations, including sexual harassment of several nuns, illegally expanding the size of the temple and embezzling donations from believers.

In addition to verifying the obscene messages, authorities also found that construction work on the temple was undertaken without a license, and a large amount of temple funds were used in violation of financial management regulations. The reported sexual harassment is still being investigated by Beijing police.

The Buddhist Association of Beijing has called for stronger Buddhist ethics and resistance to the commercialization of Buddhism, according to a statement from Buddhist Association of China at its council meeting on Aug 15.

Buddhist communities have been told to construct temple management systems, strengthen the legal management of their financial affairs and infrastructure construction, and continuously improve the level of self-study.

The association's council executive meeting also concluded that it will stick to the Party's religious freedom policy, and the Buddhist communities will play a positive role in society.