ake Buddhist monks are the new squeegee men
of New York
冒牌和尚在美国行乞
They’re holy terrors.
他们简直是一场披着宗教外衣的灾难
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.
数个打扮成和尚模样的行乞团伙出现在纽约市包括高架公园在内的多个公园中，向往来的游客讨要现金，最高达到40美元，官方已经对这种行为感到厌恶。
One High Line visitor handed over $5 last
week, but it wasn’t good enough. “He tried to get $20,” she told The Post.
上周有位游客在参观高架公园时给了乞丐5美元，但是这很明显还没有满足乞丐的要求。这位游客告诉纽约邮报的记者：“他管我要20块呢。”
Another monk’s zen demeanor dissolved after
he got just a buck in exchange for the cheap plastic bracelet he proffered.
而另外一位僧侣，在以一美元的价格卖出一个塑料手环以后，脸上禅意盎然的表情顿时消失得无影无踪。
“Five dollar, five dollar,” he demanded. He
would not explain what the money was used for.
“五美刀啊，五美刀，”他继续喊道。也并不向旁人解释要拿这些钱来干什么。
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.
这些假冒喜马拉雅圣人在布莱恩特公园（Bryant Park）的行为毫无廉耻可言。上周曾经有人看到一个假冒的和尚从街边小贩那里偷塑料矿泉水瓶子。
Other faux friars were spotted on smoking
breaks, trying to hide the unchaste behavior near a subway entrance. Two napped
on library ledges.
还有其他的假冒僧人被逮到在休息的时候抽烟，为了让自己这样的行为不被发现，还特意躲到地铁口那里。此外还有有两个在图书馆的长椅上睡觉。
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国人，赚了一天钱以后会回到法拉盛的廉价小旅馆里，有时候会直接在地铁里把他们的僧袍换下来，然后在当地的餐馆里聚餐，据看到的人说，他们吃饭的时候一般都会喝酒。
Real Buddhist monks typically shun toxins
including cigarettes and alcohol.
真正的佛教徒都会远离如烟、酒一类对身体有害的物品。
“I’d be shocked if any of them are really
Buddhist monks,” said Dan Biederman, the head of the Bryant Park Corporation.
“要是他们是真的和尚，那我就太震惊了。”丹·比德尔曼，布莱恩特公园公司的负责人这样说。
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.
事实上，有很多人都是在公园的厕所里换上他们或橙或棕或灰色的僧袍，然后出来行骗的；虽然他们身上穿着僧装，但是下面却蹬着卡其色的耐克运动鞋。
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围内都有出现，最近则成了纽约时代广场一景。随着天气渐暖，他们开始在公园中出没，在大概四月份的时候高架公园也告沦陷。马丁·尼姆巴德说：“我们现在意识到这个问题，并且正在与纽约公园管理相关部门讨论措施。与此同时，我们希望各位如果发现类似行为，请点击‘线上警察’立即联系相关部门。”
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.”
公园管理部门表明态度：“任何违反公园相关规定的行为，包括迫近行乞，闯入私人领地，破坏艺术品在内，实施者须得到公园执法保卫部门接受调查。”
The NYPD has made no recent arrests.
而纽约警方尚没有对这一行为采取拘捕措施。
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.
虽然真正的僧人也会托钵化缘，乞食或求布施钱财，但是他们不会进逼上来直接索要现金。纽约佛教徒协会主席Kenjitsu Nakagaki说，这些冒牌僧侣根本没有任何的信仰。
“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.”
“人们相信穿僧袍的人主要是因为这些僧人能够教化别人，将快乐分享给别人，”Nakagaki说，“如果他们穿着僧袍，但是跟别人握手（而不是行合十礼），实在是对佛教徒极大的不尊重。”
自纽约邮报
