關注社會:日本僧侶忙相親 寺廟傳承解危機

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

日本首都東京，佛教僧侶們正在參加一系列相親活動。在日本僧侶是可以結婚組成家庭的。

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

一些沒有明確男性繼承人的寺廟主人也讓尚未婚配的女兒來參加相親會，看看能不能遇到合適的僧侶丈夫。

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.

隨着人口老齡化和出生率下降等問題加劇，再加上僧人們一直過着孤獨的生活，日本僧侶們開始擔心寺廟的繼承問題。

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

這些因素促使日蓮宗（日本佛教宗派）的總部諮詢辦公室在最近組織了這樣一場相親盛事。

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

日蓮宗的發言人告訴《每日電訊》的記者說希望能爲僧侶們覓得良緣提供機會。

"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.

“這種相親會的對象主要是寺廟主人的第二或第三位男性繼承人，外來僧侶，以及爲了下一代能繼承寺廟而需要跟僧人結婚的寺廟主人的女兒們。

"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.

“願意與僧侶結婚的信徒們也可以參加。” 最近的一次相親會安排在東京御臺場（御臺場是東京灣內的巨大人工島）的一座摩天大樓的30層舉行。一排排剃着光頭、穿着西裝的僧人們坐在桌旁，由主辦方正式介紹給合適的年輕女性。

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."

在此次參加活動的51位僧侶中，有一位來自岡山縣倉敷市的27歲的僧人，他告訴《朝日新聞》的記者說：“想要遇到一位願意跟僧人結婚的女性真的不容易，除非我們非常主動地去跟她們接觸。”

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."

擔心家族寺廟未來命運的不只是這些僧人們。一位來自愛知縣一宮市的24歲女性告訴我們：“我父親是一座寺廟的主人，我有三個姐姐。我想找個願意接管父親寺廟的丈夫。”

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.

另外還有一位37歲的女性來參加相親會，她的家族與寺廟並沒有什麼關聯。她向我們描述了與僧侶結婚的現實的經濟吸引力：

"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.

“要是跟管理一家寺廟的僧侶結婚，會比嫁給商人好，因爲你不需要擔心哪天你丈夫會因爲公司重組而下崗。”

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，佛教是僅次於傳統民族宗教神道教的第二大宗教。近些年由於佛教受歡迎程度急劇下降，衆多寺廟都面臨着財政困難。

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.

爲吸引人們的興趣並增加收入，日本佛教寺廟目前開發了很多創新性的項目，主要包括爵士樂休息室、美容沙龍、時裝秀和嘻哈音樂會。