ake Buddhist monks are the new squeegee men
of New York
冒牌和尚在美國行乞
They’re holy terrors.
他們簡直是一場披著宗教外衣的災難
Bands of beggars dressed like Buddhist
monks have invaded the High Line and other city parks, demanding upwards of $40
from tourists — and officials are fed up.
數個打扮成和尚模樣的行乞團伙出現在紐約市包括高架公園在內的多個公園中，向往來的游客討要現金，最高達到40美元，官方已經對這種行為感到厭惡。
One High Line visitor handed over $5 last
week, but it wasn’t good enough. “He tried to get $20,” she told The Post.
上周有位游客在參觀高架公園時給了乞丐5美元，但是這很明顯還沒有滿足乞丐的要求。這位游客告訴紐約郵報的記者：“他管我要20塊呢。”
Another monk’s zen demeanor dissolved after
he got just a buck in exchange for the cheap plastic bracelet he proffered.
而另外一位僧侶，在以一美元的價格賣出一個塑料手環以后，臉上禪意盎然的表情頓時消失得無影無蹤。
“Five dollar, five dollar,” he demanded. He
would not explain what the money was used for.
“五美刀啊，五美刀，”他繼續喊道。也并不向旁人解釋要拿這些錢來干什么。
The behavior of the phony -Himalayan holy
men has been anything but heavenly in Bryant Park. One was spotted last week
swiping a plastic water bottle from a clueless sidewalk vendor.
這些假冒喜馬拉雅圣人在布萊恩特公園（Bryant Park）的行為毫無廉恥可言。上周曾經有人看到一個假冒的和尚從街邊小販那里偷塑料礦泉水瓶子。
Other faux friars were spotted on smoking
breaks, trying to hide the unchaste behavior near a subway entrance. Two napped
on library ledges.
還有其他的假冒僧人被逮到在休息的時候抽煙，為了讓自己這樣的行為不被發現，還特意躲到地鐵口那里。此外還有有兩個在圖書館的長椅上睡覺。
The masquerading monks are largely Chinese
nationals who return to Flushing flophouses with their day’s earnings,
sometimes changing out of their robes on the subway, before gathering at a
local restaurant for a meal that usually includes alcohol, according to one
observer.
假和尚大部分都是中國人，賺了一天錢以后會回到法拉盛的廉價小旅館里，有時候會直接在地鐵里把他們的僧袍換下來，然后在當地的餐館里聚餐，據看到的人說，他們吃飯的時候一般都會喝酒。
Real Buddhist monks typically shun toxins
including cigarettes and alcohol.
真正的佛教徒都會遠離如煙、酒一類對身體有害的物品。
“I’d be shocked if any of them are really
Buddhist monks,” said Dan Biederman, the head of the Bryant Park Corporation.
“要是他們是真的和尚，那我就太震驚了。”丹·比德爾曼，布萊恩特公園公司的負責人這樣說。
In fact, some use the park’s restrooms to
change into their orange, brown or gray robes -before heading out; khakis and
Nike sneakers could be seen beneath the supposed religious garb.
事實上，有很多人都是在公園的廁所里換上他們或橙或棕或灰色的僧袍，然后出來行騙的；雖然他們身上穿著僧裝，但是下面卻蹬著卡其色的耐克運動鞋。
Mock monks have cropped up around the worldand have become a recent fixture in Times Square. They invaded parks as theweather got warmer, appearing on the High Line around April.
“We recognize that this is an issue and we are in discussions with
the NYC Parks Department to address the matter,” said Martin Nembhard, vice
president of park operations for Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit that
operates the park for the city. “In the meantime, we encourage anyone who is
approached in this manner to immediately report it to a Parks Department
-officer on site.”
假和尚行乞在全世界范圍內都有出現，最近則成了紐約時代廣場一景。隨著天氣漸暖，他們開始在公園中出沒，在大概四月份的時候高架公園也告淪陷。馬丁·尼姆巴德說：“我們現在意識到這個問題，并且正在與紐約公園管理相關部門討論措施。與此同時，我們希望各位如果發現類似行為，請點擊‘線上警察’立即聯系相關部門。”
The Parks Department would only say that
“individuals who violate Parks rules, which prohibit aggressive panhandling,
trespassing, and vandalism, may be subject to a summons from the Parks
Enforcement Patrol.”
公園管理部門表明態度：“任何違反公園相關規定的行為，包括迫近行乞，闖入私人領地，破壞藝術品在內，實施者須得到公園執法保衛部門接受調查。”
The NYPD has made no recent arrests.
而紐約警方尚沒有對這一行為采取拘捕措施。
While authentic monks traditionally carry a
“beggar’s bowl” to receive gifts of food and money, they would not aggressively
ask for cash, said the Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, president of the Buddhist
Council of New York, who said the fakers are disrespecting the faith.
雖然真正的僧人也會托缽化緣，乞食或求布施錢財，但是他們不會進逼上來直接索要現金。紐約佛教徒協會主席Kenjitsu Nakagaki說，這些冒牌僧侶根本沒有任何的信仰。
“People trust the robe simply because those are monks who practice
the teachings, share happiness to the people,” Nakagaki said. “If they shake
hands and wear the robe, it really disrespects the Buddhists themselves.”
“人們相信穿僧袍的人主要是因為這些僧人能夠教化別人，將快樂分享給別人，”Nakagaki說，“如果他們穿著僧袍，但是跟別人握手（而不是行合十禮），實在是對佛教徒極大的不尊重。”
自紐約郵報
