Mindfulness has been shown to have a number of meaningful health benefits—it can help reduce anxiety and promote healing in those suffering from chronic illness.

研究表明，正念对健康有诸多切实益处 —— 它有助于缓解焦虑，促进慢性病患者的康复。

The practice is based on an insight first described in ancient Buddhist texts that human beings have the capacity to observe experience without being caught up in it. This means simply that it is possible to observe ourselves having a craving, or a happy thought, or even a scary emotion, without reacting in the moment in a way that amplifies the feeling or sends the mind spiraling off into thinking about old memories or anticipating events.

正念练习源于古老佛教典籍中提出的一个洞见：人类有能力静观自身体验，而不被其裹挟。简单来说，我们可以觉察到自己产生了欲望、愉悦的念头，甚至恐惧的情绪，却不必在当下做出反应，避免放大这些感受，或是让思绪陷入过往回忆、陷入对未来的臆想与焦虑。

This practice of mindfulness can help calm the mind and the body as we learn not to react to experience with likes and dislikes or judgments of good and bad. It does not make us cold or indifferent but more fully present.

通过正念练习，我们学会不再以好恶、是非评判来回应周遭经历，从而平复身心。这并不会让人变得冷漠麻木，反而能让人更全然地活在当下。

One of the challenges of practicing mindfulness in our contemporary world is that there has been a profound transformation in human attention. The artist Jenny Odell argues that in our "attention economy"human attention has been transformed into a commodity that big corporations buy and sell. This economy rests on a technological revolution of mobile phones and social media that makes it possible for corporations to target our attention with their content at every moment.

在当今社会践行正念，一大挑战在于人类的注意力模式已发生深刻变革。艺术家珍妮・奥德尔提出，在我们所处的“注意力经济”中，人类的注意力已沦为大企业买卖的商品。这种经济模式依托手机与社交媒体的技术革命而生，让企业能无时无刻用各类内容抓取我们的注意力。

The devices most people use are a perpetual diversion from the present moment. The result is that it can feel as though our ability to focus, and be fully present, has been stolen. But mindfulness can help us resist the attention economy and relish the things that make life special, like being together with those we love.

大多数人日常使用的电子设备，始终在将我们抽离当下。结果便是，我们专注当下、全然投入的能力仿佛被剥夺了。而正念能帮助我们对抗注意力经济，重新品味生命中珍贵的事物，比如与所爱之人相伴的时光。

Most mindfulness research focuses on the individual benefits of the practice, but some scholars assert that we can not only practice mindfulness for ourselves but also practice it for others. It can help us build stronger, healthier relationships.

目前多数正念研究都聚焦于其对个体的益处，但也有学者提出，我们不仅可以为自己修习正念，也可以为他人而练 —— 正念能帮助我们建立更稳固、更健康的人际关系。

The sad truth is that living in the attention economy, most of us have become bad listeners. However,just as it is possible to watch ourselves having an experience without reacting, it's possible to watch another person have an experience without getting tied up in reactivity and judgment.

令人遗憾的是，身处注意力经济时代，我们大多数人都已不再擅长倾听。不过，正如我们能静观自身情绪而不妄加反应，我们也能旁观他人的经历，不被自身的主观反应与评判所牵绊。

The gift of mindfulness is a practice of listening with compassion to others describe their experiences. To give this gift means putting away your phone, turning off social media, and setting aside other common distractions. It means practicing being fully present in another person's presence and listening to them with complete attention without judgment, while resisting the urge to make the interaction about you. 正念所馈赠的，是以同理心倾听他人诉说的能力。送出这份 “礼物”，意味着放下手机、关闭社交媒体，抛开其他常见的干扰。意味着全然陪伴在他人身边，不带评判地专注倾听，克制住把对话焦点转向自己的冲动。

If we judge the value of gifts based on their price, this gift may seem worthless, but in a distracted world, it is a precious one.

若以价格衡量礼物的价值，这份馈赠或许看似一文不值；但在这个人心浮躁、注意力涣散的世界里，它却无比珍贵。

一、核心单词

正念 & 心理

mindfulness 正念，专注力

anxiety 焦虑

chronic illness 慢性病

healing 康复，治愈

craving 渴望，欲望

emotion 情绪

amplify 放大，增强

spiral off 陷入（思绪）失控

judgment 评判，判断

indifferent 冷漠的，漠不关心的

compassion 同情，慈悲心

reactivity 反应性，冲动反应

社会 & 科技

contemporary 当代的

profound 深刻的

transformation 转变，变革

attention 注意力

commodity 商品

corporation 公司，企业

technological revolution 技术革命

target 以……为目标

perpetual 持续不断的

diversion 分心，消遣

resist 抵抗，抵制

relish 享受，品味

人际关系

individual 个人的

scholar 学者

assert 主张，断言

relationship 关系

distraction 干扰，分心

precious 珍贵的

worthless 无价值的

二、高频短语

正念相关

be caught up in sth 陷入，被……裹挟

observe experience 观察体验

send the mind spiraling off 思绪陷入混乱/胡思乱想

calm the mind and body 平复身心

likes and dislikes 好恶

good and bad 好坏，是非

be fully present 全然活在当下，专注当下

注意力经济

attention economy 注意力经济

buy and sell 买卖

target one’s attention 吸引某人注意力

a perpetual diversion 持续不断的干扰

one’s ability to focus 专注能力

resist the attention economy 抵制注意力经济

倾听与关系

suffer from chronic illness 患有慢性病

build stronger relationships 建立更牢固的关系

become bad listeners 变得不擅长倾听

get tied up in reactivity 被冲动反应束缚

listen with compassion 带着同理心倾听

set aside distractions 抛开干扰

put away your phone 收起手机

turn off social media 关闭社交媒体

resist the urge to do sth 克制做某事的冲动

make the interaction about you 把互动焦点转向自己

通用表达

a number of meaningful benefits 诸多切实益处

promote healing 促进康复

human beings have the capacity to do 人类有能力做……

in the moment 当下，此刻

rest on 依赖，基于

at every moment 每时每刻

the sad truth is that 令人遗憾的事实是

judge the value of sth based on… 基于……评判某物的价值