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Religion in Japan
　　
　　日本的宗教信仰
　　
　　Temples of doom
　　
　　寺庙末日
　　
　　Japan’s Buddhist temples are going out of business
　　
　　日本佛庙面临倒闭
　　
　　Oct 31st 2015 | TOKYO | From the print edition
　　
　　2015年10月31日|东京|印刷版
　　
　　Where are the pilgrims and punters?
　　
　　佛教信徒和赌徒都去哪里了
　　
　　FAR from preaching abstinence from earthly pleasures, the Buddhist priests behind the counter of Vowz, a Tokyo bar, encourage the opposite. There are different paths to Buddha, says Yoshinobu Fujioka, the head priest, as he pours a gin and tonic for a customer. “Spiritual awakening can come in any conversation. We provide that opportunity.”
　　
　　与远离世俗快乐的禁欲不同，东京Vowz酒吧柜台后面的三个和尚宣扬做于此对立的事 “成佛的道路不止一条”当寺庙住持藤冈美畅信手给客人倒上配好的金汤力酒时，他说到，"其实我们的灵魂可以用任何的交谈来唤醒，我们只是为大家提供了一个机会而已。"
　　
　　Such are the doctrinal contortions that Buddhists in Japan sometimes practise in their struggle to remain relevant. Some of the nation’s 77,000 Buddhist temples run cafés, organise fashion shows or host funerals for pets. Still, hundreds close every year. By 2040, 40% may have gone, laments Hidenori Ukai, the author of a new book on the crisis in Japanese Buddhism.
　　
　　在日本，佛教有时为了挽救自己的文化，不得不扭曲自己的学说。日本大约有77000座寺庙，有些已经开始经营咖啡厅，时装秀，或者是为死去的宠物主持葬礼。然而，每年仍然有上百座寺庙倒闭。 一位写过关于日本佛教危机的新书的作者，鹈饲秀典，悲叹道，到2040年，40%的寺庙将会消失。
　　
　　In 1950 the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto was burned down by a schizophrenic monk who adored the place. Today’s temples, by contrast, are fading away in a puff of indifference. Japanese people are growing less religious, and less numerous, every year.
　　
　　1950年，位于京都的金阁寺被一个精神分裂并爱慕这个地方的僧侣烧毁。相反的，今天的寺庙，正在一种漠不关心的环境中逐渐消失。有宗教信仰的日本人越来越少，并呈现出每年大量递减的趋势。
　　
　　You might think that funerals would keep modern temples busy. Nearly 1.3m people died last year in Japan (a post-war record); Buddhism has for centuries been the religion of choice at funerals and in spiritual care for the bereaved. But with costs often in the region of ¥3m ($24,700), funerals in Japan are among the priciest in the world. Cremation is followed by a ritual in which the bereaved use chopsticks to pluck the charred bones of their loved ones from a tray and place them in an urn. A priest mumbles incantations and bestows a posthumous name. It’s all rather elaborate.
　　
　　你可能会认为葬礼将会使现在的寺庙重新焕发活力。（一个战后的数据表明）日本在过去的一年有130万人死亡：佛教在长达数个世纪的时间里，都是葬礼仪式的首选，也是对于死者家属的一种很好的心理安慰。但是，常有的大约24700美元花销也让日本葬礼成为了世界花销最高的葬礼之一。于是， 火葬，一种由死者家属使用筷子将死者火化留下的骨头或死者的骨灰装在盘子或者骨灰盒里的一种仪式，慢慢地兴起了。在这种仪式中，一个僧侣嘴里含含糊糊地念着咒语，并且都以死者泉下之名进行。（这一切程序都相当复杂）
　　
　　So cheaper alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. Over a quarter of funerals in Tokyo are now non-religious, says Mark Mullins, an expert on Japanese religion. Many families are opting to scatter ashes in forests or oceans, or even send them by post to collective graves. The Koukokuji Buddhist Temple in Tokyo runs an automated indoor cemetery packed with over 2,000 small altars storing the ashes of the deceased. That helps their families avoid the expense and inconvenience of a remote country plot. A website lists prices, options and walking distances to local train stations.
　　
　　所以，这更廉价的选择变得越来越流行。“而当下，日本有大约四分之一的葬礼会选择非宗教的方式进行，”日本宗教学专家马克.马林斯说。 很多家庭会选择将骨灰洒向森林或大海，或者将骨灰送去公墓。 东京的佛寺以全自动室内墓地的方式运行，寺庙中有超过2000个用以储存死者骨灰的小型祭坛。那也避免了死者家属将骨灰运往家乡所造成的不必要的损失和不便。在一个网站上，也清楚地列出了运送骨灰的价格，选择与运往家乡的距车站距离。
　　
　　In the countryside, millions of Japanese still maintain family grave-sites attached to rural temples, paying as much as ¥20,000 for their annual upkeep. But the temples need support from 200 families to break even, say sociologists. Ageing, withering communities can no longer sustain them.
　　
　　在乡下，成千上万的日本人还保留着把坟墓交给乡下一些寺院管理的习惯，每年她们都要支付管理费大约20,000元，社会学家说。

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