Most of us would hardly relate the word “cute” to the image of a Buddhist monk. But Yancan has the guts to tell people that he is just that. The name of his new book This Monk Is a Bit Cute gives you some idea.
大多数人很难将“萌”这个词同僧人的形象联系到一起。但是，延参法师却有勇气向世人宣告“这个和尚有点萌”，从他新书的名字——《这个和尚有点萌》上来看，我们便可略知一二。
Yancan, the abbot of Panlong Temple in Handan, Hebei, first rose to online prominence in late June, when a video of him being harassed by monkeys near E’Mei Mountain was uploaded to the Internet. He drew a large following on his Sina Weibo, with his posts being forwarded thousands of times.
延参法师是河北邯郸蟠龙寺的主持，今年六月底，他因一段“峨眉山猴子戏弄法师”的视频而一跃成为网络红人。延参法师在新浪微博拥有众多粉丝，他的微博转发量达上千次之多。
For over 20 years, the Zen monk has passed on his knowledge through sermons and lectures. But the power of the Internet has given Yancan a new means through which to spread his wisdom.
二十多年以来，延参法师一直通过布道和讲座来传授知识，而网络的力量让他找到了一个传播智慧的新途径。
“I’ve published four books before, but I found that today’s young people are not interested in reading the great truth. They like to learn and read in a fast and simple way,” Yancan said during his book tour in Shenzhen on Nov 3.
11月3日，延参法师在深圳签售新书时表示：“我之前出过四本书，但是我发现现在的年轻人都不太爱看大道理，他们喜欢便捷的学习阅读方式。”
“So I thought, why don’t I write something that can be finished in, like, 30 minutes and make people happy and learn at the same time?”
“于是，我就想，我为什么不写点儿好比半个小时内就能看完、寓教于乐的东西呢？”
The book, which is a record of interesting conversations Yancan had with his young disciples, is very much like the posts on his Sina Weibo account–humorous, light-hearted and often reflecting a Buddhist interpretation of common life issues, ranging from the pains of growing up, to dealing with the national college entrance exams.
该书记录了延参法师和徒弟们在现实生活中的幽默对话，像极了他的微博风格——轻松幽默，却常常会在日常生活中传达出佛教哲理；他的微博内容十分广泛，涉及从成长的烦恼到如何应对高考。
“Life inspires me, and then I write what comes to my mind,” the monk said.
延参法师说：“生活赋予我灵感，我想到什么就会写下来。”
While Yancan’s positive approach and humorous demeanor have charmed the public, he has also been criticized. Among the complaints is the notion that Buddhist monks should not be heavily involved in the secular world.
尽管延参法师本人积极的心态和幽默的举止深受大众喜爱，但同时也不乏批评的声音。有人指责道，佛教中人不应过多地卷入世俗活动中。
“I only hope to shore up positive energy on the Web, where people vent too much anger and frustration,” Yancan said. “Isn’t it a good thing? Everybody laughs and no one gets hurt.”
延参法师说：“现在人们常常会上网泄愤、吐槽，我只是想传播正能量。这样不好吗？人们开怀大笑，没人会损失什么。”
“I am duty-bound to propagate Buddhism. I don’t reject the Internet or TV, because the new age needs us to change.”
“我有义务传播佛教，我不会排斥网络或电视这些媒介，因为我们也需要与时俱进做出相应改变。”
Yancan also encourages people to change their view of Buddism, because “cuteness is part of the Buddhist culture”.
延参法师同时鼓励人们换一个视角看佛教，因为“萌也是佛教文化的一部分。”
“Buddhism advocates a life attitude that’s optimistic, philosophic and cute,” Yancan said. “Monks provide the spiritual support for people, so we must have a cute spirit ourselves.”
延参法师说：“佛教推崇一种积极、贤明、卖萌的人生态度，僧人为世人提供精神支持，因此我们自己得有卖萌的精神。”