The abbot of China's legendary Shaolin Temple - reputed for martial arts and the practice of Zen Buddhism - has been accused of embezzlement, womanizing and fathering several illegitimate children.

The shocking allegations have gone viral after it was published on Chinese social media last week. The author of the post, Shi Zhengyi, claims to be a former monk at the temple. However the Shaolin Temple has denied that he was ever a member of the monastery.

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Shi Zhengyi, whose name in Chinese literally means "interpreting justice," accused Shi Yongxin, head of the ancient temple, of rape and sexual misconduct.

He provided documents from the 1980's showing that Yongxin was banned from the Shaolin Temple for theft. The documents said Yongxin was banned after his master filled the accusations.

Shi claims that the 50-year-old abbot of the 1,500-year-old temple had sexual relations with several female followers, including two temple nuns. He went on to claim that Yongxin fathered two daughters from the affairs.

Yongxin was also accused of fathering children with other mistresses. The accuser posted a birth certificate of one of the abbot's illegitimate children along with photos of the alleged mistress and the child.

"With all these hard evidences presented, could Shi Yongxin come forward to take a parentage identification test?" Shi Zhengyi was quoted by local media.

The ancient monastery has emphatically denied all the allegations against the abbot. The temple says the smear campaign not only tarnishes the image of the Yongxin, but the entire temple. As such the temple said in a statement that it had filled a police report against Shi Zhengyi.

"Everything is just fine with the abbot and we have reported the incident to the authorities and will make no further comments," Zou Xiang, a Buddhist follower at the Shaolin Temple told the media.

An official has confirmed filing of the police report. Authorities have reportedly commenced an investigation into the allegations levied against the leader of the Shaolin Temple.

Shi Zhengyi is reportedly co-operating with police officials in the investigation. Zhengyi has given officials his real name and contact details along with other incriminating information he has against Yongxin.

Shi Yongxin, who became the abbot of the ancient temple in 1999, is not new to controversy. In the past he has been entangled in sex and corruption scandals.

Yongxin is popularly called the 'CEO monk' by the media because he is the first Chinese monk to hold an MBA. He has been embroiled in controversy over his commercialization and expansion of the Shaolin Temple across the world.

Under Yongxin's tenure, over 40 Shaolin cultural centers have been built outside China. A $3 million new temple in Australia is the next new project to be built.

Yongxin has always defended his campaign to develop and expand the Shaolin Temple culture and brand across the world.

"If China can import Disney resorts, why can't other countries import the Shaolin Monastery?" Yongxin told Xinhua in March. "Cultural promotion is a very dignified undertaking."

The Shaolin Temple on Thursday categorically denied allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct against the abbot.

In July 2013, the Temple refuted an article published in El Periodico. The Spanish newspaper reported that Yongxin had a mistress living in Beijing and their son lived in Germany.

The publication also alleged that Yongxin had $3 billion stashed in his overseas bank account.

The new wave of allegations come at a time when President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign has seen several high-ranking officials jailed for corruption.

The campaign, which the president said would target all strata's of society - both tigers and flies" -, has kept officials on their toes.

The title of Shi Zhengyi's article - Who is to inspect this big tiger, the abbot of Shaolin Monastery - alludes to Yongxin as a corrupt government official whose actions should be investigated.

Reports indicate that anti-graft officials may just investigate the abbot because he is technically a government official. Yongxin is a member of China's rubber-stamp parliament.

Despite the accusations against him, the abbot appears unaffected and at peace. He told the media on Monday that his conscience is clear and thus he has nothing to fear.

"I haven't done anything guilty, so I'm not afraid of devils knocking on the door," he said Monday, emphasizing his clear conscience with an old adage.

Despite his denial, the allegations would leave a negative impression on people. Scholars believe that such scandals have the potential to turn loyal followers away from the faith.

"No matter the accusation is true or not, the scandal will affect the reputation of the Shaolin Temple and shake the belief of some of Shi Yongxin's followers," Xia Xueluan, a Perking University sociology professor said.

TagsShaolin Temple, Shi Zhengyi, Zhengyi Shi, Shaolin Temple China, Shaolin Temple Scandal, Shi Yongxin, Shi Yongxin Criticism, Shi Yongxin Shaolin Temple, Abbe Shi Yongxin