Shi Yongxin was born as Liu Yingcheng () in Anhui Province's Yingshang County. Shi Yongxin is his Buddhist name. At the request of his parents, he entered monastic life at the age of 16 at Shaolin Monastery, and received full precepts in 1984. At the age of 22, he became the heir-apparent to the abbotship of Shaolin after completing his education at various Buddhist colleges, and a Dharma gathering was held between August 19 and 20, 1999, in the Shaolin Monastery, Songshan, China, for Yongxin to formally take office as abbot. He is the Chairman of the Henan Province Buddhists Association, Vice Chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, a representative of the Ninth National People's Congress. Yongxin's duties are scholarly and ecclesiastic, which involves presiding over large ceremonies at Shaolin.