The Shaolin Zone

[Drunk Monk]

Same weekend as JRAD at the Fox. The one before Halloween so there will costuming. Plus my former editor for Den will be there. 

My old editor bailed so I don’t feel so bad. Plus I’m not sure my heart could take a JRAD show so close to Phil’s passing.

The opening demo went well. Noisy, chaotic, arhythmic, but some decent demos. Hard to shoot because the lighting is weird and my vision is blurry.

There was some black tv network artists coalition going on next door. I checked it out for a bit and got selfies with two models - poison Ivy & a winged succubus. Also got a selfie with Miss Universe. Just posing with hawties like you do in the Shaolin zone.

Yanchan treated us to a banquet at Sinh Sinh. I had only eaten a leftover Seabreeze cinnamon roll and some airplane cookies. The banquet was good - leftover lobster, pepper calimari, walnut shrimp, Peking duck, ribs, shrooms & bok choy, garlic greens, seafood & tofu clay pot, beef vermicelli, seafood soup, I’m surely forgetting a few more. I’m stuffed.i should check my blood sugar but it’s prolly spiking like crazy.

[Drunk Monk]

Tournament done. Long day. Got some good work done.
I’m sore. 
Treating myself to a warm Tsingtao at the dinner (supplied at the hotel - they brought in trays of Chinese food).

[Drunk Monk]

My disciple brother & my fav Houston monk brought some Tx whiskey and the party started. It was wonderful - sharing stories with my master & 3 other Shaolin masters, plus some of the crew and my fellow students under Decheng. We put down that bottle and another of JD. Someone treated me to a Mulan boba, which was just tea, not sweetened, plus some ok boba. I drank half of it as my whiskey back and am a bit goofballed between the caffeine & alcohol. But I think I can pass out soon. It was a great evening of drinking with great friends. Drunk monk incarnate- lived up to my moniker in full. 

Wo ai Shaolin.

[Drunk Monk]

A brief break from the Shaolin zone then back in when my Shifu arrives in Cali on Halloween. He’ll be here for 11 days and be hosted by 3 different schools. I think. Not sure. Never sure with Shaolin. It’s bout living in the moment. 

But I’ll take a break for a few days of default world to recover and restore.

[Drunk Monk]

And we’re back! 

yay?

[Greg]

Double yay?

[Drunk Monk]

I get an email after midnight on Halloween that I can pick up Decheng from his host’s house the following day (yesterday) because they work all day and left him alone at their house. I can’t do that because I must work (I’m still catching up from Houston). Gigi generously offers to take him out to lunch (he’s in Union City, adjacent to Fremont) but the hosts say they e already ordered delivery. 

The hosts have arranged nothing. Another master advertised a seminar on WeChat - Jonny found it and forwarded it to me. It’s tomorrow night. I reached out but got no response.

Gigi & I are planning a qigong seminar for Tuesday night at Tiger Claw. She meets with her qigong group (remnants of Tu’s group) and again has generously offered to pay for all of her classmates. I’m search for more attendees but it’s tricky because we don’t quite know what is being offered. I have one more. I need about three on top of that.

Then we’re planning a private dinner on Wednesday - again it’s on Gigi. 

I’ve also been tasked to deliver an article to Den about how Jet saved Shaolin Temple. It’s a topic I’ve tackled before, so this is a rewrite. Den has me on for 3 pieces this November which I am pleased to take on as I haven’t been doing too much for them lately, but it’s still more work.

[Drunk Monk]

Gigi has been WeChatting me to death. I think she’s still on Taiwan time. I’m still on Halloween time. We’ve gotten some decent response about Tuesday’s workshop. Gigi has it in her mind to print up a special issue with all the articles I wrote on Decheng - that’s maybe a dozen in pr, but I can’t remember them all. There’s more online. 

I don’t have that Jet Li Shaolin article in my library here. Good thing I’m going by the office on Tuesday. I’m surprised I don’t have it. 

Peropheral to all this, my social media program crashed on Friday. Tech support finally got back to me this afternoon. After going through all their fixes, it turns out it’s an issue with my Mac safari browser. It works on Brave and Chrome. Bit of a bummer because Safari runs well for my needs, but I’ve had recommendations for Brave so perhaps I’ll switch over. But that glitch cost me a half day that I didn’t have. 

November is a writing month - so many article due. I may have taken on too much.

[Drunk Monk]

Oh damn. I heard rumors that this might be coming…

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/...estigation

[Greg]

That is no good.

[Drunk Monk]

Abbot of Luoyang’s White House Temple appointed as new abbot of Shaolin
Appointment follows criminal investigation into former abbot Shi Yongxin
By Global TimesPublished: Jul 29, 2025 08:55 PM
 

Shi Yinle Photo: VCG
Shi Yinle, abbot of the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province, has reportedly assumed the position of abbot of the Shaolin Temple, according to a statement from the Shaolin Temple following the launch of an investigation into its former abbot.
According to a release from the Shaolin Temple on Tuesday, in accordance with the regulations on the appointment of abbots in Chinese Buddhist Temples, and upon the democratic deliberation and approval by the monastic community of Shaolin Temple, Venerable Yinle has been ceremoniously invited to assume the position of abbot of Shaolin Temple following due procedures. 
According to an introduction from the website of the White Horse Temple, Shi Yinle, whose secular surname is Yin Qingquan, was born in July 1966 in Tongbai, Henan Province. In 1982, he was tonsured as a monk on Tongbai Mountain. In September 1983, he received full ordination at Qixia Temple in Nanjing. He later studied at the monastic training program of Qixia Temple under the Buddhist Academy of China, and in 1986 he enrolled at the Buddhist Academy of China.
In October 2003, Shi Yinle was appointed by the Henan Buddhist Association to oversee the affairs of White Horse Temple. On November 1, 2005, Master Yinle was officially installed as the abbot of the White Horse Temple - bringing an end to the temple's eight-year vacancy in the abbot position, according to the release from the website. 
Shi Yinle previously served as a delegate to the seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and held the position of deputy secretary-general of the Buddhist Association of Henan Province.
The Buddhist Association of China announced Monday that it has agreed to revoke the ordination certificate of Shi Yongxin, abbot of the renowned Shaolin Temple, over suspected criminal offenses, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 
Shi Yongxin is under a joint investigation by several departments, the temple management office announced in a statement on Sunday.
Shi Yongxin is suspected of criminal offences, including embezzling and misappropriating project funds and temple assets. He has also been accused of serious violations of Buddhist precepts, maintaining long-term inappropriate relationships with multiple women and having at least one illegitimate child, Xinhua reported, citing the Shaolin Temple management office.
Shaolin Temple, in Central China's Henan Province, is internationally known for its deep-rooted kung fu tradition, per Xinhua.

 I've been to White Horse Temple three times but that was over 20 years ago. It's a major tourist temple - where Tripatika brought the Buddhist sutras from India to China (although they were translated at Shaolin).

[Greg]

Wow. Shi Yongxin already listed as former abbot.

[Drunk Monk]

The Chicoms don't mess around when it comes to blackballing someone.

---

Man, my phone, DMs & email is blowing up over this.

[King Bob]

Xi used corruption charges to get rid of his rivals early on. It's a tried and true method.

[Drunk Monk]

Yongxin may well have been dirty. Far be it from me to judge. I interviewed him many times and spent plenty of time with him, but he was hard to read. 

Yinle is outside the Shaolin lineage so there are questions.