寺庙香火传承危机：日本僧侣也相亲

A number of matchmaking events involving Buddhist monks, who are permitted to marry and have families in Japan, have taken place in the capital.

日本首都东京，佛教僧侣们正在参加一系列相亲活动。在日本僧侣是可以结婚组成家庭的。

The daughters of temple owners without clear male successors have also been drawn to these events in order to meet potential monk husbands.

一些没有明确男性继承人的寺庙主人也让尚未婚配的女儿来参加相亲会，看看能不能遇到合适的僧侣丈夫。

Ageing populations and shrinking birthrates combined with the often solitary life of a monk have resulted in growing concerns surrounding the hereditary succession of temples.

随着人口老龄化和出生率下降等问题加剧，再加上僧人们一直过着孤独的生活，日本僧侣们开始担心寺庙的继承问题。

As a result, one such matchmaking event was recently organised by a consultation office at the headquarters of the Buddhist order Nichiren Shu.

这些因素促使日莲宗（小编注：日本佛教宗派）的总部咨询办公室在最近组织了这样一场相亲盛事。

"We would like to give people the opportunity to find a good marriage match," a spokesman for Nichiren Shu told The Telegraph.

日莲宗的发言人告诉《每日电讯》的记者说希望能为僧侣们觅得良缘提供机会。

"This is for the second or third male children of temple owners, monks from lay families and temple daughters who need to meet monks to take care of the temple for future generations. Followers who want to marry with monks can also attend." Their most recent event took place on the 30th floor of a skyscraper in the Odaiba area of Tokyo and involved rows of shaven-haired monks in suits sitting at tables and being formally introduced to suitable young women.

“这种相亲会的对象主要是寺庙主人的第二或第三位男性继承人，外来僧侣，以及为了下一代能继承寺庙而需要跟僧人结婚的寺庙主人的女儿们。愿意与僧侣结婚的信徒们也可以参加。” 最近的一次相亲会安排在东京御台场（小编注：御台场是东京湾内的巨大人工岛）的一座摩天大楼的30层举行。一排排剃着光头、穿着西装的僧人们坐在桌旁，由主办方正式介绍给合适的年轻女性。

Among the 51 participants was a 27-year-old monk from Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, who told the Asahi Shimbun: "It's very hard to find a young women who wants to marry a monk unless we take very proactive approaches in meeting such women." It was not just the monks who were concerned about the future of the family temples: another guest was a 24-year-old woman from Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, who told the paper: "My father is a temple mater and I have three elder sisters. I want to find someone who will take over my father's temple." Meanwhile, another 37-year-old woman who attended without any temple connections in her family described the practical and financial appeal of potentially partnering a monk.

在此次参加活动的51位僧侣中，有一位来自冈山县仓敷市的27岁的僧人，他告诉《朝日资讯》的记者说：“想要遇到一位愿意跟僧人结婚的女性真的不容易，除非我们非常主动地去跟她们接触。” 担心家族寺庙未来命运的不只是这些僧人们。一位来自爱知县一宫市的24岁女性告诉我们：“我父亲是一座寺庙的主人，我有三个姐姐。我想找个愿意接管父亲寺庙的丈夫。” 另外还有一位37岁的女性来参加相亲会，她的家族与寺庙并没有什么关联。她向我们描述了与僧侣结婚的现实的经济吸引力：

"If you marry a monk who owns a temple, as opposed to marrying a businessman, you do not need to worry about your husband being laid off as a result of his company's restructuring," she said.

“要是跟管理一家寺庙的僧侣结婚，会比嫁给商人好，因为你不需要担心哪天你丈夫会因为公司重组而下岗。”

Buddhism, the nation's second major faith after Shinto, has suffered a steep decline in popularity in recent years, with many temples facing financial difficulties as a result.

在日本，佛教是仅次于传统民族宗教神道教的第二大宗教。近些年由于佛教受欢迎程度急剧下降，众多寺庙都面临着财政困难。

A growing number of innovative projects have been developed by Buddhist temples in Japan in order to revive interest and income – from opening jazz lounges and beauty salons to catwalk shows and hip hop concerts.

为吸引人们的兴趣并增加收入，日本佛教寺庙目前开发了很多创新性的项目，主要包括爵士乐休息室、美容沙龙、时装秀和嘻哈音乐会。