A self-proclaimed Living Buddha in Hong Kong denied on Tuesday that he had ordained a renowned Chinese actor as a Living Buddha after days of controversy arising from a video of the alleged ordination.
"I never presided over any 'enthronement ceremony of a Living Buddha' during the event," read a statement from Baima Aose, a self-proclaimed Living Buddha, via his Sina Weibo account.
According to The Beijing News, Baima Aose referred to himself as a Living Buddha on his personal website, though he referred to himself as a "yoga practitioner" in his Sina Weibo statement.
"I have quit all the posts and given up all the titles, honors and certificates," he said, adding that he will devote himself to religious practice and service for the benefit and enjoyment of ordinary people.
Baima Aose is a co-founder of Hong Kong Buddhist Cultural Estate Ltd, a company registered in Hong Kong in 2006, as well as the chairman of the World Trade United Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in Hong Kong in 2001.
A video entitled "Enthronement ceremony for Zhang Tielin presided over by Baima Aose" went viral on social media in early December.
Zhang, 58, is known for portraying Chinese emperors in popular television dramas. He became a British citizen in 1997.
Page views for the hashtag "Zhang was ordained as a Living Buddha" reached 14 million on Sina Weibo as of press time. Most Net users questioned the legitimacy of the ceremony, and many religious experts and believers also told media that the ceremony was a farce.
A real Living Buddha would be ordained at his own temple, claimed a monk from the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing, China Central Television reported on Friday.
In a statement on November 29, Zhang also denied that the enthronement ceremony took place, referring to the ceremony as merely a Buddhist prayer service at which he received his Buddhist name.
"I apologize for all the misunderstandings of Buddhism as well as the public's and Buddhists' resentment and doubts about the legitimacy of my ordination and reincarnation," he said.
Baima Aose said that he has always supported China's religious policies.
