Kung Fu Hackers Attack the Shaolin Temple

The website of the Shaolin Temple, probably the most famous Buddhist monastery in the world, has been hacked several times recently. On November 11, the website was defaced and, instead of its usual content, a fake letter allegedly signed by the temple's abbot was displayed.

The Shaolin Temple, also known as the Shaolin Monastery, was founded in 477 AD and is for many westerners synonymous with the art of kung fu. The Buddhist monks living there used to survive mostly from donations, but today the temple is a major tourist attraction and visiting it requires an entrance fee. It even has its own online store.

There is increasing concern from some groups that the temple, under the leadership of its current abbot, Shi Yongxin, is being treated as a commercial product. These feelings are what led to the recent acts of hacktivism on its website, mostly targeting Shi Yongxin and accusing him of leading a material life.

"I traded the monastery's tranquility and holy Buddhism for the fame of Shaolin and myself. […] I do not dare to pray for the Buddha's forgiveness, I only ask that I will not go farther and farther down the no-return path of commercialization and become a sinner of Shaolin Temple and Buddhism," a fake letter posted by a hacker on shaolin.org.cn, in the name of the abbot, read.

Another attacker left a message addressed to Shi Yongxin and written in traditional Chinese that read, "Go and die." In an interview for People's Daily, the abbot referred to these attacks as jokes and pointed out that he was one of the few people who called for the abolition of entrance fees at Buddhist monasteries across the country.

"We all know Shaolin has kungfu. Now there is kungfu on the Internet," Yongxin commented, noting that he admired the "online kung fu that overwhelmed Shaolin's legendary defenses." The abbot also said that the temple would not pursue legal action against the attackers, because its focus should be on the Buddhist disciplines and not filing lawsuits.