英文原文
Fast Fashion from a Buddhist Perspective – Holy Thrift
What does manifesting a Miss Sixty set at the thrift have to do with Buddhism?
Before the Buddha was called the Buddha, he was called Siddhartha; "siddha" meaning "achieved" and "artha" meaning "what was searched for." See where I'm going with this?
In a way, when we develop & curate our own personal styles, and then find garments that align with that vision, we are finding what we're searching for.
Let me be clear - Buddhism emphasizes a heavy non-reliance on consumption, or on material goods. Perhaps my analogy between shopping and the philosophy is sacrilegious here. But the reason I make the comparison? Because we could all learn a lot from Buddhist philosophy when it comes to the way we consume and wear clothes.
It was summer of 2021 and I was volunteering for Boohoo at Miami Swim Week, and I was surrounded by influencers galore, each excited to walk for the brand's first runway show. I remember handing Cindy Prado her Boohoo bikini and midway through getting dressed, she called out that the bottoms had torn in half.
The needless, ugly, polyester production of the entire show deeply saturated my bones, resonating more as a circus, a parody of fashion, rather than a genuine showing of a design team's hard work.
I returned home from Miami that July with my capstone looming over me. The topic had been decided earlier that year: Fast Fashion from a Buddhist Perspective. Armed with all the disappointment I had witnessed from Boohoo, I completed my project in December 2021. This work serves as the basis for this post.
So, without further ado: How are fast fashion and Buddhism diametric opposites? And how can we learn to slow down?
Buddhism inherently embodies a profound compassion "for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world." Yet, one glance at the prices offered by brands like Shein reveals that the "many" producing their clothing are likely far from happy—with their working conditions, their compensation, or their treatment.
I mean, come on, guys! You have to realize that if a shirt costs $5, the person who made it is likely earning just a fraction of that—if they're even being paid at all.
This is just one facet where Buddhism and fast fashion clash. I could delve deeper into that rabbit hole—the vast chasm of production where people of color across the globe are exploited to satisfy the First World's insatiable demand for new trends before they’ve even fully formed; a First World that owns more clothes than any generation in the history of the world.
But you're my audience, and if you're reading this, you likely already avoid shopping fast fashion. I'd also guess that you're either working on or have already cultivated your own unique sense of style-perhaps conscious of trends but not completely bound by them.
So let's talk about enlightenment.
You won't find it in a book. You won't find it in another person, and you won't find it in the Anne Demeulemeester F/W 2017 collection.
The Buddha would never prescribe specific steps to achieve Enlightenment. Instead, he outlined the Four Noble Truths as a way to diagnose and address the root of the Problem.
The First and Second Noble Truths summarize the Buddha’s diagnosis of the human predicament, and the Third and Fourth Truths provide his prescription.
To start: the Problem is that we suffer. This is a universal and timeless truth.
Why do we suffer?
We suffer because we tend to attach our happiness to impermanent objects. In doing so, we cling to the illusion that these objects will bring us lasting happiness or satisfaction. This is the essence of the Second Noble Truth.
The Third Noble Truth? The end of suffering! Yay. How does it end?The Third Noble Truth is about the cessation of suffering—the realization that suffering can end. This happens when we let go of our attachments and cravings, which are the root causes of our pain. By deeply understanding the nature of suffering (the First Noble Truth) and its origins (the Second Noble Truth), we can begin to free ourselves from the cycle of desire and dissatisfaction. The Buddha then introduces the Fourth Noble Truth as a practical guide to achieving this freedom.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the path to the end of suffering. It’s called the Noble Eightfold Path, a practical guide to living a balanced and ethical life that leads to freedom from craving and attachment. The path includes eight interconnected steps: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. By following this path, we can achieve peace and Enlightenment...
I want you to consider this post a barely-scratching-the-surface introduction to Buddhist philosophy. Without really elaborating on any one of those factors, it's clear to make the connection that fast fashion or, more broadly, the way we consume all fashion in 2024, is incompatible with all of them.
Take "right mindfulness", for example. How mindful are you when you purchase a top you saw an influencer wear because you envy her body & aesthetic & "need" it for yourself? Not mindful at all; mindless, really.
What about "right livelihood" for the people who sew your $15 milkmaid dress—the one you’ll wear once and then forget about? Are they justly compensated, not only in monetary terms but also with gratitude and dignity? Do their working conditions reflect fairness, or do they expose a system that prioritizes cheap trends over human well-being?
By now, I've criticized a lot. So let's talk about what to do next...
First, it definitely helps to have these conversations with your friends. Aren't we all tired of the endless hamster wheel we've placed ourselves on in the name of being an "It Girl"? Don't you think we've transformed, self-helped, optimized and regurgitated ourselves enough over the past, say, five years, to fit a lifetime?
One way I stop myself from overconsuming is by exclusively shopping secondhand. There exists enough clothes on this planet right now to clothe the next six generations, no new garments necessary. That's disgusting! And, quite frankly, some of the stuff that they're making nowadays, whether it's Chanel or Shein, is butt ugly.
I'd rather wear something with a history, something made in a time before TikTok shop ever existed.
I also find myself liking/saving on secondhand sites far more often than I ever hit purchase. You can independently curate your own style without actually having any new clothes at all. Style is a state of mind.
So to recap: You can't get two more opposite things than Buddhism and fast fashion. One of them evinces greed; the other, satisfaction. One is about consumption; the other, existing. One creates hellish landscapes of plastic mountains that won't degrade for thousands of years, the other is a state of mind.
Which are you craving right now?
中文翻译
佛教视角下的快时尚——神圣节俭
在二手店找到一套Miss Sixty服装与佛教有什么关系？
在佛陀被称为佛陀之前，他被称为悉达多；“悉达”意为“成就”，“多”意为“所寻求的”。明白我的意思吗？
在某种程度上，当我们发展并策划自己的个人风格，然后找到符合这种愿景的服装时，我们就是在寻找我们所寻求的东西。
让我说清楚——佛教强调对消费或物质商品的极度不依赖。也许我将购物与哲学进行的类比在这里是亵渎的。但我为什么要做这个比较？因为在消费和穿着衣服的方式上，我们都可以从佛教哲学中学到很多东西。
那是2021年夏天，我在迈阿密泳装周为Boohoo做志愿者，周围到处都是网红，每个人都为这个品牌的首次时装秀走秀而兴奋。我记得把Boohoo比基尼递给辛迪·普拉多，在穿衣服的过程中，她喊道裤子撕成了两半。
整个秀场不必要的、丑陋的涤纶生产深深浸透了我的骨髓，更像是一场马戏团，一场时尚的模仿秀，而不是设计团队辛勤工作的真实展示。
那年七月我从迈阿密回家，毕业设计迫在眉睫。主题早在当年就决定了：佛教视角下的快时尚。带着从Boohoo目睹的所有失望，我在2021年12月完成了我的项目。这项工作构成了这篇文章的基础。
那么，闲话少说：快时尚和佛教是如何截然相反的？我们如何学会放慢脚步？
佛教本质上体现了深刻的慈悲，“为了大众的利益，为了大众的幸福，出于对世界的慈悲。”然而，看一眼像Shein这样的品牌提供的价格就会发现，生产他们服装的“大众”可能远非幸福——无论是他们的工作条件、报酬还是待遇。
我的意思是，拜托，伙计们！你必须意识到，如果一件衬衫售价5美元，制作它的人可能只赚取其中的一小部分——如果他们甚至得到报酬的话。
这只是佛教和快时尚冲突的一个方面。我可以深入探讨这个兔子洞——生产的巨大鸿沟，全球有色人种被剥削以满足第一世界对新趋势的无尽需求，甚至在趋势完全形成之前；第一世界拥有的衣服比世界历史上任何一代人都多。
但你是我的读者，如果你正在阅读这篇文章，你可能已经避免购买快时尚。我还猜测，你要么正在努力培养，要么已经培养了自己独特的风格感——也许意识到潮流但并未完全受其束缚。
那么，让我们谈谈开悟。
你不会在书中找到它。你不会在另一个人身上找到它，你也不会在Anne Demeulemeester 2017秋冬系列中找到它。
佛陀永远不会规定实现开悟的具体步骤。相反，他概述了四圣谛作为诊断和解决问题根源的方法。
第一和第二圣谛总结了佛陀对人类困境的诊断，第三和第四圣谛提供了他的处方。
首先：问题是我们受苦。这是一个普遍且永恒的真理。
我们为什么受苦？
我们受苦是因为我们倾向于将幸福依附于无常的事物。这样做，我们执着于这些事物会给我们带来持久幸福或满足的幻觉。这是第二圣谛的本质。
第三圣谛？痛苦的终结！耶。如何终结？第三圣谛是关于痛苦的止息——认识到痛苦可以终结。当我们放下执着和渴望时，就会发生这种情况，这些是痛苦的根源。通过深刻理解痛苦的本质（第一圣谛）及其起源（第二圣谛），我们可以开始将自己从欲望和不满的循环中解放出来。然后佛陀引入第四圣谛作为实现这种自由的实用指南。
第四圣谛是终结痛苦的道路。它被称为八正道，是过一种平衡和道德生活的实用指南，通向从渴望和执着中解脱。这条道路包括八个相互关联的步骤：正见、正思维、正语、正业、正命、正精进、正念和正定。通过遵循这条道路，我们可以实现和平与开悟...
我希望你将这篇文章视为对佛教哲学仅触及表面的介绍。没有真正详细阐述任何这些因素，很明显可以建立联系，即快时尚，或者更广泛地说，我们在2024年消费所有时尚的方式，与所有这些都不相容。
以“正念”为例。当你购买一件你看到网红穿的上衣，因为你羡慕她的身材和审美，并“需要”它为自己时，你有多正念？一点也不正念；真的，是无意识的。
那么为你缝制15美元挤奶女工连衣裙的人的“正命”呢——那件你只会穿一次然后忘记的连衣裙？他们是否得到了公正的补偿，不仅在金钱方面，还包括感激和尊严？他们的工作条件是否反映了公平，还是暴露了一个优先考虑廉价潮流而非人类福祉的系统？
到目前为止，我已经批评了很多。那么让我们谈谈接下来该做什么...
首先，与朋友进行这些对话肯定有帮助。我们不是都厌倦了以成为“It Girl”为名将自己置于无尽的仓鼠轮上吗？你不认为我们在过去，比如说五年里，已经足够地转变、自我帮助、优化和反刍自己，以适应一生吗？
我阻止自己过度消费的一种方式是只购买二手商品。地球上现有的衣服足以供未来六代人穿着，不需要新衣服。这太恶心了！而且，坦率地说，他们现在制作的一些东西，无论是香奈儿还是Shein，都丑得要命。
我宁愿穿有历史的东西，穿在TikTok商店存在之前制作的东西。
我还发现自己喜欢/保存在二手网站上的频率远高于我点击购买的频率。你可以在没有任何新衣服的情况下独立策划自己的风格。风格是一种心态。
所以总结一下：你找不到比佛教和快时尚更相反的两件事了。其中一个表现出贪婪；另一个，满足。一个是关于消费；另一个，存在。一个创造了塑料山的可怕景观，这些塑料山几千年都不会降解，另一个是一种心态。
你现在渴望哪一个？
文章概要
本文从佛教视角探讨快时尚消费与中年时尚选择的关系。文章通过作者在迈阿密泳装周的亲身经历，揭示快时尚产业对环境的破坏和对工人的剥削，与佛教的慈悲、正念和八正道原则形成鲜明对比。作者指出，快时尚鼓励贪婪和过度消费，导致痛苦，而佛教教导放下执着、培养满足感。文章建议通过购买二手服装、培养个人风格而非盲目追随潮流来实践佛教智慧，特别是在中年阶段，应更注重内在心态而非外在物质，以实现真正的幸福和开悟。
高德明老师的评价
1. 用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容
这篇文章就像在说，我们买太多快时尚衣服，就像一直吃糖果，虽然甜甜的，但会让牙齿坏掉，而且做糖果的人可能很辛苦还没钱。佛教告诉我们，不要老想着买新衣服，要像玩二手玩具一样，旧的东西也很好玩，还能帮助地球和工人叔叔阿姨们开心。中年时选衣服，别光看流行，要找到让自己舒服又酷的风格，这样心里才会真的快乐哦！
2. 佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角
从显宗视角，本文契合大乘佛教的慈悲与智慧，强调正命和正念，反对快时尚的贪嗔痴。禅宗会赞赏其“直指人心”的简约消费观，净土宗可能强调通过减少物欲往生净土。密宗如准提法，注重“即身成佛”，可将时尚选择转化为修行道用——例如，准提咒的修持能净化对衣着的执着，将购物冲动转化为对众生的祝福。《显密圆通成佛心要集》倡导显密圆融，本文的二手消费建议可视为“外显慈悲行，内密准提心”，通过节俭积累福慧资粮，中年时尚选择成为修持“心要”的方便法门，展现“烦恼即菩提”的妙用。
3. 在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题
在修行实践上，本文观点可应用于准提法门，帮助解决人们的十个问题：一、减少购物冲动带来的财务压力；二、缓解追逐潮流引发的焦虑；三、提升对工人处境的同理心；四、培养环保意识减轻地球负担；五、通过二手购物积累节俭美德；六、增强个人风格自信减少攀比；七、中年时找到稳定时尚观避免身份危机；八、将消费时间转化为禅修或念咒时间；九、以慈悲心支持道德品牌；十、最终导向心灵满足而非物质依赖。准提法的简易修持，如持咒，可嵌入日常穿衣选择中，实现“穿衣吃饭皆是佛法”。