In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals.
在日本，公眾與本地佛教寺廟之間的聯繫不斷淡化。近幾年，很多家庭開始通過網絡找佛教僧人來主持葬禮或其他儀式。
But when Amazon Japan allowed a provider to offer "Obo-san bin," or "Mr. Monk Delivery," on its website, it shone a spotlight on the emerging trend and prompted a major Buddhist organization to criticize the Internet marketer of commercializing religion.
日本亞馬遜在其網站允許供應商提供「僧人配送」，這一行為雖然得到了很多關注，但同時網際網路經銷商也因將宗教商品化而受到佛教團體的批評。
A basic plan for monk, transportation and a donation offered by the Tokyo-based provider, Minrevi Co., one of dozens of emerging budget companies, costs 35,000 yen ($300). Three other options are available for more money. The monks would typically go to a home, funeral hall or a grave to perform the requested ceremony.
請一位僧人的基本價格是3.5萬日元（約合300美元），包括交通費和捐贈費，這是東京一家新興的廉價公司——敏雷維公司所給出的報價。若你需要額外的三項服務，則需另付費用，比如請僧人到家中、靈堂或墳墓去主持儀式。
"Such a thing is allowed in no other country in the world. In this regard, we must say we are disappointed by an attitude toward religion by Amazon," Akisato Saito, director of the Japan Buddhist Association, said in a statement.
「世界上其他國家是不會允許這種事情發生的。在這一點上，我必須說，亞馬遜對待宗教的態度讓我們很是失望。」日本佛教協會理事長齋藤明聖（Akisato Saito）在一份聲明中說道。
Many Japanese, however, welcome the service as a consumer-friendly approach to Buddhist rituals, whose cost is often perceived as murky and overpriced. Buddhist-style memorial services offered by temples comparable to the "monk delivery" could cost as 100,000 yen ($830). Funerals are even more expensive and can cost well over 1 million yen ($8,500).
然而，很多日本人卻很歡迎這項服務。他們覺得這樣服務更便於他們尋找僧人來辦儀式。而且傳統的佛教儀式往往價格不透明並且高昂。與「僧人配送」相比，傳統寺廟提供的追悼會費用大約10萬日元（約合830美元）。葬禮費用則更高，甚至會超過100萬日元（約合8500美元）。
Monk delivery services have emerged as many of Japan's 75,000 temples are losing offerings and business with hereditary members in their communities which traditionally have been the main source of financial support. That is threatening the survival of many temples in rural areas. In fact, some experts predict that the majority of Japanese temples without income from tourism and other businesses are expected to close over the next several decades.
日本7.5萬間寺廟正在逐漸失去市場，世襲僧人也在逐漸失去他們在社區內的業務，這些業務是他們的主要經濟來源。這時，僧人配送服務隨之而生。這對很多郊區的寺廟造成了威脅。事實上，一些專家預測，在接下來的幾十年，大部分無法從旅遊業或其他產業中獲得經濟來源的日本寺廟會關閉。
Minrevi spokesman Jumpei Masano says the service seems to attract those who want to have Buddhist funerals but are uneasy about pricing system, and want to keep their distance from temples.
敏雷維公司發言人正野順平（Jumpei Masano）稱，這項服務可能會吸引那些想辦佛教葬禮卻又擔心價格太貴的人，或者是那些想要與寺廟保持一定距離的人。
"Many people don't have ties with temples and they have no idea where and how to arrange Buddhist rituals, while monks are increasingly concerned about their declining temple membership," Masano said. "We can cater to the needs on both sides and hopefully we can bring them together."
「很多人與寺廟並沒有聯繫，並且他們也不知道要在哪、如何舉辦佛教葬禮，而僧人們則是因其不斷減少的信徒而憂心不止，」 正野順平說道，「我們可以同時滿足兩邊的需求，並且希望能將他們聯繫在一起。」
Some monks acknowledge that the growing business highlight the Buddhist temples' complacency and their failure to reach out and adapt to the people's needs.
一些僧人承認，這項業務的市場需求不斷增長反映出佛教寺廟的自滿，他們無法適應民眾的需求。
"We do understand there are criticisms of us as well and we take them seriously. And we must ask ourselves if and how we can change," said Hanyu Kakubo, public relations secretary for the Japan Buddhist Association.
日本佛教協會公關秘書鹿窪赤生（Hanyu Kakubo）說：「我們理解也十分重視外界對我們的批判，同時，我們也必須捫心自問，是否可以做出改變，又將如何改變。」
When Yutaka Uematsu's 17-year-old son Kakeru died just over a month ago after battling cancer, he searched on the Internet for a funeral service provider.
一個月前，由隆上松裕（Yutaka Uematsu）17歲的兒子Kakeru因癌症去世，他在網上訂了葬禮服務。
Uematsu didn't consider asking his father's family temple as he had heard the prices charged for a family member's funeral were "outrageous."
上松裕沒有考慮他父親的宗祠，因為他聽說其價格貴的離譜。
So he and his wife went to the Minrevi website and picked for their son a package at a price less than half or even cheaper than an average, conventional service.
因此，他和妻子便在網上搜索到了敏雷維，並為兒子訂購了一整套傳統葬禮儀式，價格比傳統寺廟便宜了一半多。
"Honestly, the cost was my biggest concern," Uematsu said. "I liked its price system that was simple and clear."
上松裕說：「說實話，價格是我最擔心的事情。我喜歡他們的價格系統，簡單易懂。」
At first, he was worried about the quality of the service he might get, but that wasn't a problem. A 24-hour customer service line was also helpful for the couple emotionally devastated by the loss of their son. While it didn't offer counseling services, representatives could be reached regarding funeral details at any time, helping them feel more at ease during a painful time. Uematsu also arranged the traditional 49th-day posthumous ritual for his son using the same service.
一開始，他也很擔心服務的質量，但後來發現這並不是問題。敏雷維公司的24小時客戶服務熱線對這對剛失去兒子而悲痛欲絕的夫婦來說起了很大的幫助作用。雖然該公司並不提供心理疏導服務，但客戶可隨時聯繫經銷商了解葬禮細節，這讓他們在失去親人痛苦之餘也得到些許安慰。上松裕還用了敏雷維公司的服務為兒子舉辦了死後第49天的紀念儀式。
Amazon declined to comment, saying it's only renting the space to Minrevi to promote the service, which offers only for monk delivery and a separate 20,000-yen ($170) charge for a posthumous Buddhist title, not funeral packages.
亞馬遜對此拒絕對此事作出評價，稱他們只是給敏雷維公司提供一個平臺來推行這項服務。只是對僧人配送進行報價和收取額外的亡後取法名服務費2萬日元（約合170美元），而不是針對一整套葬禮儀式。
Minrevi, whose orders for the monk delivery service has tripled over the past five years, said Internet-based inquiries and phone calls surged after it placed the service on Amazon. More surprisingly, some 100 monks came forward to register for the delivery service. The company already has contracts with 400 monks nationwide, said Masano, the spokesman.
5年來，敏雷維公司所接的僧人配送服務訂單翻了三倍，尤其是在亞馬遜上推出這項服務後，網上諮詢和電話預定的數量激增。更令人驚訝的是，一開始就有大約100名僧人來註冊報名這項服務。敏雷維公司發言人正野順平稱，現在公司已經在全國範圍內與400名僧人籤訂了合同。
Kaichi Watanabe, the 40-year-old monk dispatched to a memorial ceremony for the Uematsu family recently, said he had been looking ways to perform rituals to earn a living and meet more people to share Buddha's teachings.
40歲的僧人垣內渡邊（Kaichi Watanabe）最近被派遣到上松裕家中主持葬禮。他說他一直不斷尋找主持儀式的機會，以此來維持生計，並與更多人一同分享佛教的教導。
His elder brother had succeeded the temple founded by their grandfather, also a monk, in Fukushima prefecture, so Watanabe had to go elsewhere. About a year ago, he found Minrevi and signed a contract.
他的哥哥也是一名僧人，繼承了祖父在福島縣的寺廟，所以他必須另覓他處。大概一年前，他找到了敏雷維並和他們籤訂了合約。
"Today, nobody comes to temples asking for us to perform funerals for their parents," Watanabe said in an interview before the service, at which he chanted in front of an altar decorated with chrysanthemum flowers and Kakeru's photo in a black frame. "I'm hoping that a service like this, a brainchild of the Internet age, could make Buddhist temples a more approachable place for everyone."
渡邊站在布滿菊花的靈臺和黑色相框裡兒子的照片前進行吟唱。在儀式開始前，渡邊接受採訪說，「如今，沒有人會到寺廟來找我們主持他們父母的葬禮，我希望通過像這樣的服務，這個網絡時代的產物，能夠讓寺廟變得更加大眾化。」
"There is no point being a monk," he said, "if we can't offer a helping hand when someone needs us."
他說：「如果在別人需要的時候我們不能給予他們幫助，那麼做一個僧人也就沒有任何意義了。」
英文來源：雅虎新聞
譯者：Jogible
審校&編輯：yaning