Court Records show that a number of the “Zhang” family are involved in this widespread fraud). A properly ordained Buddhist monastic follows hundreds of rules – but they all boil down to not killing, not engaging in sexuality, not stealing, and not claiming false attainments. Any of these can lead to expulsion from the Ordained Sangha. In Japan, (which invaded and occupied Taiwan for around five-decades before WWII), Buddhist monks and nuns do not uphold the Vinaya Discipline, and can get married and have children whilst wearing robes, administrating temples, and practicing meditation. In the early 1950s, Master Xu Yun (1840-1959) rejected the Japanese approach as being decadent and corrupt, and suggested the government of China make it a legal requirement that monks and nuns have a “legal” obligation to uphold the Vinaya as long as they are a monastic. Breaking the Vinaya is raised to the level of breaking the law. In other words, in Mainland China, breaking the Vinaya is tantamount to committing a criminal act. It seems that the US colony of Taiwan permits the Japanese model of decadence to hold sway.
