Shi Ming Yi

Shi Ming Yi
Venerable

Venerable Shi Ming Yi (Chinese: 释明义法师; born 1962) is one of the most well known representative of Buddhism in Singapore. He is currently the Abbot of Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery and Secretary General of the Singapore Buddhist Federation. In September 1994, Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery, under the leadership of Venerable Shi, established the 175-bed Ren Ci Hospital for the poor and needy chronically ill patients. He is currently under trial on charges of conspiracy, misuse of funds and forgery.

Awards

In 1996, the Singapore government awarded the Public Service Medal to Venerable Shi in recognition of his contributions to the country. In September 1998, the hospital established its affiliate, Ren Ci Day Care Centre for the Elderly. Venerable Shi received his Masters in Healthcare Management from the University of Wales.

Buddhist Work

Venerable Shi took over the abbotship of the Kun Chung Temple in Hong Kong, the Kwan Inn Temple in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, and the vice-chairmanship of the affiliated Heung Hoi Ching Kok Lin Association.

In 1999, Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery took over the management of 270 beds in 11 single-storey wards which were formerly part of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. It organises fund raising activities such as concerts with such luminaries as Andy Lau, Lisa Wang, Adam Cheng, Roman Tam, and Frances Yip who performed for free.

Ren Ci Hospital investigations

On 26 November 2007, Ren Ci Hospital was under investigation by The Charity Council of Singapore for 3 possible violations of the Code of Governance for Charities and Institutions of a Public Character. Venerable Shi was alleged to have made interest free loans in violation of Ren Ci's own guidelines on Financial Management and Controls and Disclosure and Transparency. And had also served as both Board Chairman and CEO of the hospital which is an infringement of existing guidelines since it creates a potential conflict of interest and a lack of check and balances.

In the course of the investigations by auditing firm, Ernst & Young Associates, a few financial transactions could not be satisfactorily explained. To get a clearer picture, the Ministry of Health referred the case to the Commercial Affairs Department in February 2008 and the final outcome of the investigation is expected to be completed sometime in March 2008.

Arrest

The long-time head of Ren Ci Hospital, the Venerable Ming Yi, was arrested after a five-month probe. On July 14, 2008, he stepped down from all his positions at the charity. The arrest comes five months after he went on long leave when the police were asked to probe the charity's finances. His trial commenced on July 15, 2008.

The Health Ministry found 'possible irregularities' in Ren Ci's books after an audit.

It is understood that Venerable Ming Yi, who is also an abbot at a Geylang monastery as well as several temples in Malaysia and Hong Kong, was arrested for criminal breach of trust.

At the heart of the issue were questionable loans made by the hospital, amounting to several million dollars. Some of these loans were allegedly given to companies with links to the Venerable Ming Yi.

There were also loans given to a helper with the charity as well as investments made over the years in his name.

Educational Qualification

It was reported in the Singapore newspaper The Straits Times that Venerable Shi Ming Yi claims to hold a Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy that was awarded by a Mannin University (Ireland). However, investigations conducted by The Straits Times reporters indicated the existence of this university to be questionable.

Additional remarks by the monk's spokesman added further doubts as to the authenticity of his doctoral qualification. First, it was claimed his research degree was undertaken through distance learning. Given the nature of a research degree, this would be incoherent since there are no formal courses of studies involved, hence he could not have actually studied for a research degree. However, it is possible that the nature of this doctoral qualification has been misreported. In this case, it would be appropriate for him to have undertaken a doctoral qualification by distance learning, especially since there was no mention of his supervisors/advisors' name in a probe relating to his educational claims. Second, it was claimed the research degree was undertaken with the intention to "learn more". This is inconsonant with his rationale for undertaking a Master degree in health care management. While there is a clear line of academic progression, his Master degree is aimed at allowing him to gain professional knowledge relating to health care management whereas his research degree is aimed at allowing him to acquire the skills to become a professional researcher. Given his intentions, his doctoral qualification would not have any professional contributions. Further more, the monk is understood to have embraced a Buddhist life and holds a respected position in the sizeable Singaporean Buddhist community, hence it is highly improbable he would be contemplating a career change as a researcher.

External links

• Biography from Buddha.sg
• "A monk first, a CEO second", The Straits Times & The Dhamma Times, 31 August 2001