antidote to sadness

[befriend]

what is the antidote to sadness? is it an increase in one of the hindrances?

[nameless]

Sadness is not listed as one of the 5 hindrances: desire, aversion, sloth/torpor, restlessness/worry, doubt.

It is probably related to desire (sadness when you lose/fail to obtain something you desire), or aversion (to the situation you are in where you can't have what is desired).

[Jhana4]

what is the antidote to sadness? is it an increase in one of the hindrances?

Doing metta meditation helps.

Getting out of the house and doing nice things for people is extremely helpful. Even holding a door open for someone can break the mood for a short time.

Staying busy is effective too.

[Prasadachitta]

Hello Befreind,

I think that sadness can describe a number of differing states of mind. An appropriate response would depend on why one is sad and the type of thoughts which accompany the continuing sadness.

However I would say the most generally applicable response is to attend to bodily sensations arising and passing away with the breath. Sadness is often an experience we resist being aware of and in the processes we tend to prolong it and get into intrenched rumination about it.

I hope this helps.

Take care

Prasadachitta

[philipabraham]

Nice one.Thanks for sharing.

[Oh.Wow]

Try opening up to the sadness. It's obviously arising because it was caused by something. Try to spend some time with it, and understand what it's all about. Then it will probably become your friend and stop bothering you.
-Wow

[Alobha]

I think that sadness can describe a number of differing states of mind. An appropriate response would depend on why one is sad and the type of thoughts which accompany the continuing sadness.

Agree.

If your sadness is linked to / based on specific thoughts, i recommend reading: MN.20 Vitakkasanthana Sutta: The Relaxation of Thoughts

To break it down the essencial part is:

"Now when a monk... attending to another theme... scrutinizing the drawbacks of those thoughts... paying no mind and paying no attention to those thoughts... attending to the relaxing of thought-fabrication with regard to those thoughts... beating down, constraining and crushing his mind with his awareness... steadies his mind right within, settles it, unifies it and concentrates it: He is then called a monk with mastery over the ways of thought sequences. He thinks whatever thought he wants to, and doesn't think whatever thought he doesn't. He has severed craving, thrown off the fetters, and — through the right penetration of conceit — has made an end of suffering and stress."

[sattva]

what is the antidote to sadness? is it an increase in one of the hindrances?

Hi befriend,
I was on my way to post in another thread when this caught my eye, especially the word antidote in your title. I have a page from a mostly Tibetan Buddhist site having to deal with anger antidotes. So, I thought that there might be something there on sadness as they have listings of other emotions. I did find this there. I am not sure if it will help.

Nagarjuna said:

If there is a remedy when trouble strikes,
What reason is there for despondency?
And if there is no help for it,
What is the use of being sad?

So come what may, I'll never harm
My cheery happiness of mind.
Depression never brings me what I want;
My virtue will be warped and marred by it.


If there is a remedy when trouble strikes,
What reason is there for despondency?
And if there is no help for it,
What is the use of being sad?

However, I do think you have to watch with just stuffing down emotions and painting a cheery smile on a sad face. Although it took awhile, even the Dalai Lama came to understand that western psyche is not quite the same as Tibetan psyche. For instance, he couldn't understand westerners problems with self-esteem issues.

I have had my bouts with sadness. Sometimes, it can be related to just being physically or mentally tired, sometimes it relates to issues from the past that haven't totally resolved. Life is strange and sometimes if our karma is ripe, it is miraculous. Until then you can recite one of my favorite phrases. "This too shall pass" and remember a time when you also felt sad, but that it didn't stay.

Anyway, I wish you well