Apparently, he hung himself. Hengshan was a Shaolin monk that immigrated to NYC. He was associated with STOH.
There’s not much news in English, but it’s all over the web in Chinese. Here’s a World Journal article.
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Can you elaborate on this?
Most of us don’t read Chinese. How did this happen? was it a training accident? or deliberate?
I believe “suicide” would denote deliberate here.
any note left behind as to why the guy checked himself out?
is this the first incident of a shaolin offing himself?
did he do it in protest of something? was it his own desires that he succumbed to?
I am interested in knowing why a shaolin would kill himself. I understand self immolation has been a form of protest such as what Buddhist monks did in vietnam to protest theFrench and American involvement there, but I am curious about this guys motivation.
he does look like a pretty yound guy in his picture. Is that recent?
anyway, like rd said, can we get the info in the glish please?
“Shi Guolin” Pushed the Suicide!!!
the news that i got from both the media & friends who “used” to donate and support Shi Guolin is that due to blackmailing, abuse of all forms including not paying HengShan any salary or even food money, the young Martial Monk ended his life by hanging himself in Flushing NY.
& this is not the first time that Guolin pushed someone to death, according to 2 Chinese newspapers.
What is shocking is that we still have all these Chinese & American followers who still believe that Guolin is a real monk.
The most sad thing is, on one of the Chinese newspaper, the "World Journal’s front page, while publishing the Suicide news, it actually defends Guolin, by saying that he is “busy” getting some “Bardo-practice”, or spiritual service done for the dead monk’s soul.
Why? Because Guolin pays the news paper thousands of dollars each month for advertising, where does Guolin get the money? not from teaching martial arts, but from Buddhists students who believe that they are doing a great deed!!!
Who is REALLY responsible? for Hengshan’s death?
Everyone, please, please wake up, including Gene, who i have never met but have a whole world of respect to…
Please wake up to this whole “Shaolin” thing, Shaolin was destroying 2 times after the Ching Dynasty by warlords who were actually Buddhists, to clean up the rape, stealing, & killings that the corrupted temple had been involved in. If you want to see published Chinese documents on this, i have them here or i can email to you guys.
Shaolin, is the laughing stock of many real buddhist people in mainland China and in Taiwan, on media, Buddhism discussion forums, newspapers, for its poverty of real spiritual knowledge and yrs of corruption. Too bad most of us here can’ read Chinese. Even though Yongxin had been trying hard to do some reform, the place’s energy/karma is just too messed up to be cleaned up.
Let’ keep the issues separate, Guolin is a half-decent MA teacher and was half-normal before the money, women and power got to him in the big apple,(not to say that now Henan is 10 times more corrupted than ny.)
If he openly takes off his “Monk” or “Shi” title, and just teach Martial arts as a business, like Hengxin and Lipeng are doing, i would sent my kid to him as well as many other Chinese Buddhists parents would. We would respect his honesty, but now, no way in hell!!!
So all Shaolin USA students, please, please take a stand, to leave fake monks, even though that their Kung Fu might be good, this is really about Karma, about paying respects to the dead…
And all Buddhist, before you donate to any temple, think twice, Guolin got big because the general stupidity, superstition of the Chinese Buddhists community. In a sense, Guolin’s Karma is everyone else’s Karma that’s around him. Dont’ you agree, Gene?
So if you are mostly looking for enlightenment and real health, LEAVE shaolin related-teachers, period…
Let’s really try to keep the Kung Fu training separate from the name of Shaolin. It took me many, many yrs to be able to wake up.
I was an early yr student of both Yanming and Guolin on Allen St, when they both defected from Chan Poi’s Shaolin Tour,when they were brothers before Yanming bought a Gun & trying to shoot Guolin.
But if he did shoot, maybe it would have saved a lot of other’s lives, like Hengshan’s…
A Mi Tuo Fo
Yan Ming, might be a monk with broken wows, but at least he is not a “back-stabber”, a “killer”. According to ALL other sifus that i have met who know both Guolin and Yangming-Sifu Fukui Yang who used to teach at Yanming’s place, Sifu Chen Yan(Bagua Sifu who teaches at Frank Yee’s, who was once Guolin’s Godsister), Sifu Xian Gao, who got in trouble with supporting prostitution but at least is not hiding behind a monk’s robe, Sifu Tailiang Li, Sifu Chen Ying, Sifu Ning Zhao( a master of Chen style taiji who used to teach at Guolin’s, who I heard from his student that Hengshan had cried many times about the abuse issue to…which i have to verify myself when he comes back from Henan.), Sifu Ping Zhen who who knows Yanming & Guolin for yrs, Sifu Rengang Wang, etc.. almost EVERY, EVERY Chinese sifu in NY and in Flushing.
The most sarcastic thing is, even Master Guangyi Ren, who used to be partners with Guolin, does not give positive comments about his “EX” Henan brother…
The best thing is that most of these Sifus have contact infos or websites, just call or email them yourself would be the best way…
This sounds important but I have no idea, no historical info to know who and what significances most of these monks did.
We all know what these monks are! But not my place to state it since I’m ot a student of one, but I’ll pray for his soul.
Also, I’d like to see some of that documentation spoken about
Omi tor fut
Suil lum gung fu is very good its a shame this will bring bad reflexion on temple and other suil lum.
very sad
Let’s not jump to conclusions
The Chinese news is fairly tabloid so far. They’re having a field day with this. As with any such situation, it may take a while until everything is sorted out. There is talk of an autopsy. There is talk that Hengshan had already split with Yanzhang from Guolin. There is talk that Hengshan was on his way back to China. Who knows at this point? As you might imagine, there’s a lot of crazy rumors swirling around this right now. We’ll keep monitoring it and share what we can. If anyone wants to set themselves to the task of translating the Chinese paper articles, be my guest.
"Clean"shaolin - I deleted your other post since it was exactly the same as the one you posted on this thread, and given that at this point, you’ve only posted these two posts - well one now - all I can say is, ‘welcome to the forum’ 
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Shaolin martial monk Shi Hengshan was found hanging in Flushing, New York one day after Thanksgiving on November 24th. He was quickly rushed for medical aid but could not be treated. His teacher, Shi Yanzhang issued a statement on the 25th: Shi Hengshan was forced out of the New York Shaolin Temple because of his illness. Due to the combination of illness and destitution he was forced into committing suicide. New York Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Guolin issued a statement on the 26th: the New York Shaolin Temple did not force Shi Hengshan out and was very saddened to learn of his suicide.
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Cai Qingqing, the godmother of Shi Hengshan issued a statement on the 26th: she was due to meet Shi Hengshan on the afternoon of the 24th in Manhattan’s Chinatown, but was kept waiting. Not until Shi Yanzhang tried to call Shi Hengshan, and the call picked up by a police officer, did they find out that Shi Hengshan had commited suicide by hanging in a Flushing apartment.
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Shi Hengshan’s younger godsister Huang Langmei stated on the 26th that Shi Hengshan was forced out of the New York Shaolin Temple because of his ill health. He had been suffering from a lower back injury. She had taken him many times to both Western and Tradtitional Chinese medicine practitioners, the cost of which was met by both herself and Shi Guolin. But Hengshan became very depressed because of his ill health.
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The New York China Press reports on the 26th that Shi Hengshan was invited by the New York Shaolin Temple in 2003 to become an instructor. Shi Yanzhang stated that Shi Hengshan mentioned in everyday conversation that he was promised a monthly salary of 1500 USD, but over the past 3 years he has not drawn any salary and abbot Shi Guolin confiscated his passport. Due to this his (Shi Hengshan) emotional state became depressed. Furthermore on 24th Spetember he was forced to leave the New York Shaolin Temple by the abbot Shi Guolin on the pretext that he was not able to meet his teaching duties due to ill health. Since Shi Hengshan did not have money for accommodation and was in ill health, this caused his emotional state to become very unstable.
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New York Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Guolin replies on the 26th: due to the H1 application requiring a fixed income statement, an annual salary of 27000USD was entered on the application. But once Shi Hengshan arrived in the USA it was explained to him the difficulties of the Shaolin Temple. It was Shi Hengshan himself who offered to not take his salary as a gesture of appreciation for the efforts of the New York Shaolin Temple in helping him to get into the USA. Although this was the case, Shi Guolin would send an annual remmittance of 2000 to 3000USD to Shi Hengshan’s family in China, and also gave him an allowance.
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Shi Guolin further explained that because Shi Hengshan had been initiated as a monk, he could be regarded as a full Buddhist student - everyday food and living could be met within the Temple itself. Therefore he was not like the students who needed a salary [in order to pay for lessons]. Shi Guolin strenuously denied that he had confiscated Shi Hengshan’s passport; it was needed in 2004 to extend Shi Hengshan’s visa, and afterwards he looked after it on his behalf. Had Shi Hengshan wanted it back then it would have been returned immediately.
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Shi Guolin also stated that because of his ill health, Shi Hengshan had told him that wanted to return to China to start a family. Therefore he [Shi Guolin] had planned to return to China with him on 13th October. But on 24th September Shi Hengshan went to say goodbye to Shi Yanzhang, and all contact was lost since then. Many times contact was atempted but without success.
Shi Guolin said that Shi Hengshan was a benevolent, even tempered and introspective child. They [NY Shaolin] wanted to help with his funeral arrangements, but both attempts to contact Shi Yanzhang were met with refusal. They [NY Shaolin] have at present contacted the hospital and appropriate government departments, with the hope that they can send Shi Hengshan off on his final journey. He [Shi Guolin] said that in the future he would pay even more attention to the physical and mental health of Shaolin disciples.
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Shi Yanzhang stated on the 26th that he had already informed the parents of Shi Hengshan in Henan, and had applied for their entry visa to the USA. After hearing Shi Guolin’s explanation he declined to comment. He adamantly stated that Shi Guolin needed to look at his own conscience.
nobody get’s forced into commiting suicide, it is a choice that is made at an individual level and blaming his suicide on someone else is fruitless.
thanks for the translation of the article.
I have two buddies that train at Goulin’s and they both told me the same thing. I was told Goulin didn’t pay the monk and was holding on to his passport.
Buby
Suicides are Not always self-determined.
Thank you, Gene, for helping us to have a real place of free speech.
I hope that by seeing all that’ false with today’s
Shaolin, we can actually be helpful on bringing back the real Shaolin spirit which did exist before the Ching Dynasty, before Shaolin turned into a government dog, like it is now to just bringing in cash for the Henan Province’s corrupted officials while whole viliages of AIDs patients next door to it are not getting a penny from them.
Any American here who wants to do a search, just search under “Henan’s AIDS village” and you will see what’ going on, sure it’s not Shaolin’s fault, but…
Anyway, the new rumors from Yanzhang and Yanming’s people are that Guolin hired kidnappers and killers(which only cost less then 10 grams in the Chinese community here) to kill HengShan so that
a.Hengshan does not report to Yongxin on how dark the NY Shaolin is
b. The attorneys of Hengshan would not report to INS and Dept of Labor for lying to the immigration of paying Hengshan a salary, then Guolin would really got in trouble with the law
… I hope this is only a rumor and I think it is because Guolin did say to the Chinese media that he did lie to the Immigration and Labor dept of not paying Hengshan.
Let’s say Hengshan did commit suicide and the death is from many causes, and of course Guolin would still be one of the major ones, nobody can run away from Karma, let’s face it.
Take Guolin to the Law, please
Please, then, why are they still training there and support ing the “dark” Shaolin.
I am speaking with a few Chinese Buddists attorneys that just for the right causes, we should start a criminal case agaist Guolin, on abuse and also Fraud and lying to the immigration which Guolin openly admitted in his interview on the death case, contact me offline if those Guolin’s students are willing to testify as witnesses and of couse some Buddhist Charity groups would come up with a fee to pay for the witness’s time.
Again, this is not personal, I think Guolin’s Hard Qigong is pretty good that I would even send my son to him if he drops his monk robe.
If the law does not take care of this, Shi Yongxin should, if he doesn’t, then maybe…what happened to Hengshan, will happen to Guolin too…
Also, any Guolin students here, please contact me in PM, for a good cause,
but wait a day or so, Gene is right too, let’s see what the cops find on this.
The Singtao article is even more scathing
I searched the Singtao site but didn’t see the article. I only did a quick search, though. If anyone finds it, CFT, would you do us the honors of translation again?
I’ve interacted with Shi Guolin and his students on many occasions and never had any issues with him. I have had issues with other monks, so this has little to do with my bias towards my own martial lineage. And I’ve known Shi Guolin for years. Of course, the face that anyone presents to the media (me) can be very different than the reality, but my impression of Shi Guolin has always been very positive.
At this point, I’m just watching to see what comes next. Shaolin is always a difficult path. Many are called. Few are chosen.
Shi Guolin is “sick”, from Singtao news..
The article pretty much validates everything I heard, except the Guolin hiring killers part.
I’ll translate it later or maybe someone else can help out.
Very, very sick and disturbing, done under the name of the Buddha.
Gene is right, the “Real” Shaolin path is tough, so let’s watch out and clean out the frauds.
Here is the link:
http://www.singtaousa.com/index1.html
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19921999
whoah…
let’s leave Yan Ming out of this grist mill, trust me we are even as I type this moving into a new space, building around the clock, we certainly don’t have time to send any killers anywhere, they are all putting up walls, painting, and installing flooring and have been for weeks, not to mention all the other stuff we are working on…so I don’t think anything has been heard from our people except nails, hammers, and occassional expletives…
This is the first I have even heard about this incident…Amitabha for this loss.
Clean, I’m surprised you left out Yan Chang.
What "Clean"shaolin is saying adds up to allegations of…
Renegade Shaolin! :eek:
[Jim Kelly]Man, you come right out of a comic book.[/Jim Kelly]
Although “Man, you come right out of a Hong Kong movie.” would be more accurate if you’re talking renegade Shaolin. 
[QUOTE="Clean"shaolin;722911]Please, then, why are they still training there and support ing the “dark” Shaolin.
I am speaking with a few Chinese Buddists attorneys that just for the right causes, we should start a criminal case agaist Guolin, on abuse and also Fraud and lying to the immigration which Guolin openly admitted in his interview on the death case, contact me offline if those Guolin’s students are willing to testify as witnesses and of couse some Buddhist Charity groups would come up with a fee to pay for the witness’s time.
Again, this is not personal, I think Guolin’s Hard Qigong is pretty good that I would even send my son to him if he drops his monk robe.
If the law does not take care of this, Shi Yongxin should, if he doesn’t, then maybe…what happened to Hengshan, will happen to Guolin too…
Also, any Guolin students here, please contact me in PM, for a good cause,
but wait a day or so, Gene is right too, let’s see what the cops find on this.[/QUOTE]
A criminal case is fruitless since proving Goulin actually commited a crime will be tough…now a CIVIL suit…that’s the way to go!
This is really sad.
Peace to Shi Hengshan.
Translation of the Singtao article.
Younger martial brother needlessly dies by hanging, martial senior seeks justice; abbot Shi Guolin: why would I oppress my student?
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After the suicide by hanging of New York Flushing Shaolin Temple martial arts instructor Shi Hengshan, his elder martial brother Shi Yanzhang and master Henglin of Corona Shaolin Temple et al. hope that society can help Hengshan seek justice. They also state that this Friday they will hold a [Buddhist] ceremony to release his spirit [not sure what the right term is].
We have news of yet another malign incident at the Shaolin Temple. Local people believe that the Shaolin Temple should be a sacred Buddhist place, a martial training place for building the body, a place for attaining spiritual enlightenment. We dont want to hear again of jumping off buildings, suicides and other secular affairs. This is all inexplicable.
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Queens Corona Shaolin Temple master Henglin introduces: Corona Shaolin Temple established 1992. Guolin who comes from the Peoples Republic of China first sought assistance from the Corona Shaolin Temple. He was offered shelter by Shi Yanchang, together they cultivated Chan (Zen) and practiced the martial arts. A few years later, Guolin and others left to create their own household; they built a Shaolin Temple in Flushing in 1999. Master Henglin believes that the terminal route that Hengshan took has greatly shaken the Buddhist world; Guolin should take responsibility. She was of the opinion that Guolin had confiscated Hengshans and other instructors passports, but had not arranged any kind of visas for them, thereby rendering all of them with illegal alien status [the article uses the term blackened status]. So Hengshan found himself ill, with no income, and the fact that he had been in the USA for many years with unlawful immigration status lead his emotional state to become even more melancholic, hence leading to his path on the terminal road. Henglin states that even though Guolin was the sponsor for Hengshans work visa, Guolin only let Hengshan eat leftovers, leading to Hengshans deteriorating health. Over a more recent period, Guolin abused/oppressed Hengshan, finally forcing him out of Flushing Shaolin Temple. She stated: Shaolin disciples in the USA have no relatives or friends, we hope that the community can help them, help Hengshan get some justice.
[/QUOTE]A previous donor to the Flushing Shaolin Temple who helped Hengshan seek medical aid also said: after Hengshan became ill, his blood sugar levels dropped, requiring timely medical treatment to avoid mental health problems; Guolin was not remotely interested. She tried to help Hengshan, still with illegal immigration status, get on the Union (?) medical plan, but was frustrated in her efforts by the fearful Guolin. This lead to Hengshan losing the public funds available for medical treatment and led to a worsening of his health. She said: Guolin did not allow the martial instructors to work [elsewhere?], which meant that they lived in very hard-pressed conditions; leaving the Shaolin Temple would give them no means of surviving. Local people felt sorry for the instructors, normally secretly giving them red packets [lucky red envelopes of money] so that they could send some money back home for the New Year. As for Hengshans funeral, she even suspects that Guolin will use the occasion to collect funds. Therefore she hopes that the communitys goodwill should go directly to Hengshans parents who will be in the USA to arrange his funeral.
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Guolin denies all of the above accusations. He said that the internal arguments within the Buddhist sect should not be conflated with Hengshans issues, thereby becoming a laughing stock for the outside world. At present the pressing matter is how to arrange Hengshans funeral.