How do you deal with depression?

Thay answers questions on 21 June 2014. Question 1

Topics: mindfulness, buddhism, thich nhat hanh, magnolia grove, depression, cause, cure, consumption, nutriment

(Half-Bell)

(Bell)

My question is:
how do you deal with depression?

How do you deal with depression?

(Thay off-camera)
Depression?

Yeah, depression.

We have learnt in the last four days,

that if something happens,

you have to be there
in order to recognize it.

So the first thing we do,

is to recognize the depression

and say hello to it.

Hello! My depression!

I know you are there.

And you have to look deeply to see,

whether there is a real depression or not.

A real depression is a kind of thing,

that can take away our peace, our joy,

our stability and so on.

Recognize it, and then look into it,

you should have enough time

to look into it, even to embrace it

and to find out why

it has come to you.

You might have been exposed
to many things.

The sounds, the sights,

the feelings and surroundings,

you might have consumed them
in such a way,

that has brought that depression to you.

If possible, you can ask,

someone to help you to do that.

A teacher, a friend, a psychotherapist,

they can help you to look deeply
into your depression,

to find out what kind of roots,

what kind of nutriment,

what kind of consumption,

you have used in order to feed it,

to bring it to you.

This is very important.

This is practicing the 'First Noble Truth'

and the Second Noble Truth'

and when you have seen,

the ghost,

the ghost is the root of the depression,

and the source of food that

that has brought the depression to you

and then you know what to do

and what not to do.

Maybe you have to change the environment,

you have to change your way of consumption,

you have to be surrounded
by more positive elements.

If you get a new source of nutriment,

healthy, sane,

you don't feed your depression anymore,

It will have to go by itself,

you don't have to chase it away.

That is what you have learnt,

during the last many days.

You can do it by yourself,

and you can rely on a friend,

a brother or sister
in the practice to help you,

because she knows how to do it,

he knows how to do it.

It's a good question.

(Half-Bell)

(Bell)