Chinese youth adopt“Buddha-like” mindset in face of modern pressures

四川长赤中学 舒建平

精彩导读

“佛系”的思维模式在中国颇为流行。对此，人们见仁见智，你怎么看？

Chinese youth are embracing a “Buddha-like”mindset（思维方式）,with slogans such as “anything will do”,“let it be” and “take life as it is”drawing media’s attention and stirring （ 激 发 ） a widespread debate on the usefulness of such thinking.

For the young,being Buddha-like means accepting a peaceful state of mind;standing at a distance from worldly gain and success;doing what you like or what you think is right;and not caring about how others think about or judge you.This mindset can offer relief and a release of negative emotions built up in the face of hardship.

Master Xuecheng,president of the Buddhist Association of China,however,believes that this mindset may not stem from（起源于）an understanding of the teachings of the dharma（佛法）but instead be born of a sense of boredom or even a kind of self-mockery in the face of an inability to influence things.

“The Buddha-like mindset has its unpleasant situation that is difficult to get out of.Escape is not the solution.One can say ‘let it be’ whenever one wants,but one must face reality and be a responsible person,”Xuecheng said.

Chen Zhiqiang,the executive editor of Crazy English,holds that a small number of young employees today do nothing more than they are asked to do.They would rather earn an average salary than have a more challenging job.

“Being at ease is a good thing,but being irresponsible is not.Taking responsibilities makes a full man，” he added.

In contrast,Zhang Yiwu,a professor of Chinese literature at Peking University,believes that the growth of this mindset is due to an increasingly affluent（富裕的） society freeing the young of worry about creating a better life.

Zhang says that some people simply want to avoid the stresses of a ferociously（残忍地） competitive modern society.

“When maintaining a decent （体面的）life is easy but going upward is hard,youngsters will develop a Buddha-like mindset,”Zhang says.

For some，the Buddha-like youth are considered as indifferent and lacking motivation,but a number of scholars have said that it does not go against an enterprising spirit（进取精神）.

Zhang believes that if this spirit is combined with hard work，it could be very powerful and worth pursuing.

“The Buddha-like mindset can help a person keep a good state of mind and embrace alternatives instead of sticking to a narrow life path.Meanwhile,alternative life paths requires hard work and self-improvement,”Zhang says.

Film maker Zheng Xiaolong believes it is important that a balance should be kept.

“It is understandable that some youngsters turn to a Buddha-like mindset in face of difficulties,but they cannot keep themselves separated from everything,”Zheng says.“We are brought up being taught to be successful.However,I think being kind-hearted and upright is also a good choice so long as you make a contribution to the world.”

阅读扫障

Ⅰ.热词积累

1.worldly adj.追逐名利的；世俗的

2.hold v.认为；同意；赞成

3.pursue v.追求

4.draw one's attention吸引某人的注意

5.stir a widespread debate on 引发了关于……的广泛的争论

6.at a distance在远处

7.care about关心

8.offer relief and a release of negative emotions 提供宽慰和释放负面情绪

9.build up 逐步建立；增进；积累

10.a sense of boredom 厌倦感

11.get out of逃避；摆脱；离开

12.face reality面对现实

13.would rather...than...宁愿……也不愿…… （后面均接动词原形）

14.at ease 安逸；舒适；自由自在

15.in contrast相比之下；相反

16.due to由于

17.free...of...没有；摆脱……的

18.avoid the stresses逃避压力

19.go against违背；不利于

20.keep a good state of mind保持良好的心态

21.stick to a narrow life path坚持狭窄的人生道路

22.make a contribution to贡献给……

Ⅱ.难句分析

“It is understandable that some youngsters turn to a Buddha-like mindset in face of difficulties,but they cannot keep themselves separated from everything,”Zheng says.“We are brought up being taught to be successful.”“可以理解的是，有些年轻人面临困难时会采用佛系的思维方式，但他们无法脱离一切。”郑说，“我们被教导要成功。”

It is understandable that...构成的是“it be+adj.+that...”句型，it充当形式主语，用来代替实际主语that从句。keep themselves separated from everything是“keep+宾语 +宾补”结构，宾补可以由介词短语、形容词，及非谓语动词来充当。本句中宾语themselves与宾补separate from...是动宾关系，故用过去分词。

“We are brought up being taught to be successful”中，being taught to be successful为分词短语作伴随状语。

译文助读

中国的年轻一代正接受“佛系”的思维模式，他们的标语诸如“无所谓”“让它去”“生活就这样”吸引了媒体的注意，并引发了关于这种想法是否有用的广泛的讨论。

对于年轻人来说，佛系意味着保持平静的心态;远离世俗的名利和成功;做你喜欢的或者你认为是对的事;而不关心别人如何思考或判断你。面对困难，这种思维模式可以缓解和释放负面情绪。

然而，中国佛教协会会长学诚法师认为，这种思维模式可能并不是源于对佛法教义的理解，而是源自于一种厌恶感，甚至是一种面对无法影响的事物时的自嘲。

“佛系的思维模式是有其困境的，逃避不是解决办法，只要有人愿意，就可以说‘随它去’，但必须面对现实，成为一个负责任的人。”学诚法师说。

《疯狂英语》的执行主编陈志强认为，时下的少数年轻员工，面对给他们安排的事，他们一点都不会多做。他们宁愿领着一份差不多的薪水，也不去做一份更有挑战性的工作。

“舒适是个好东西，但不负责任就不行了。学会担当使人充实。”他补充说。

相反，北京大学中文系教授张颐武认为“佛系”的走红是由于日益富足的社会让年轻人不用忧心创造更好的生活。

张教授说这些年轻人只是简单地想逃避现代社会的残酷竞争造成的压力而已。

张说:“当维持一个体面的生活很容易而想突破进步比较难时，年轻人就会产生这种佛系思想。”

对于有些人来说，佛系青年被认为是漠不关心，缺乏动力的，但也有不少学者表示，这与进取精神并不矛盾。

张认为如果把这种精神与努力相结合，那么它可能会变得非常有力，值得人们去追求。

“佛性的思维可以帮助一个人保持良好的心态，对差异性有包容之心，而不是坚持一条狭窄的人生道路。与此同时可供选择的生活方式需要艰苦的工作和自我完善。”张教授说。

影视制作人郑晓龙认为，维持平衡很重要。

“可以理解的是，有些年轻人面临困难时会采用佛系的思维方式，但他们无法脱离一切，”郑说，“我们被教导要成功，但我认为，只要你为世界做了贡献，做一个善良正直的人也是一个不错的选择。”