A strange kind of sadness

betaboy

I've been experiencing a strange kind of sadness - not personal grief or sorrow, but sadness relating to other people. Like, if I read in the papers about some random stranger being killed (or something similar), I feel sad to the point of tears. It doesn't have to be papers or tv, that's just an example. Point is, even things happening to random strangers are affecting me. It's been that way before but getting worse lately.

Do you experience that? How do you deal with it?

robot

betaboy said:

I've been experiencing a strange kind of sadness - not personal grief or sorrow, but sadness relating to other people. Like, if I read in the papers about some random stranger being killed (or something similar), I feel sad to the point of tears. It doesn't have to be papers or tv, that's just an example. Point is, even things happening to random strangers are affecting me. It's been that way before but getting worse lately.

Do you experience that? How do you deal with it?

Getting better you mean. That's the name of the game. Empathy, compassion.

lobster

What is the deal with dealing with it?
When you start meditating, you will provide answers.

Vastmind

^^^ ROFLMAO

how

Some have called it "being disturbed by the truth."
I think it's just the softening of self made barriers that formally isolated you from others.
To deal with it is to simply allow it to be what it is...... The first noble truth.

wangchuey

I share your pain. Its just how the world works. We witness it in nature. The weak and small gets devoured. Just survive. Its all we can do. Good days will come.

Bunks

betaboy said:

I've been experiencing a strange kind of sadness - not personal grief or sorrow, but sadness relating to other people. Like, if I read in the papers about some random stranger being killed (or something similar), I feel sad to the point of tears. It doesn't have to be papers or tv, that's just an example. Point is, even things happening to random strangers are affecting me. It's been that way before but getting worse lately.

Do you experience that? How do you deal with it?

Forgive me @betaboy but after reading a couple of your recent posts I'd suggest you may need to talk to someone i.e. a professional therapist. Have you had issues with depression in the past?

Perhaps check this site out. It looks quite helpful.

http://mantherapy.org.au/

BhikkhuJayasara

Compassion is fine, but wisdom with that compassion is important. If you cried over the suffering of each being you could start now and keep crying a million lifetimes from now and still not be close to done, the suffering of all beings across all the universes is immeasurable.

Even the Buddha gives these immense similes,

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn15/sn15.003.than.html

At Savatthi. There the Blessed One said: "From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. What do you think, monks: Which is greater, the tears you have shed while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing — or the water in the four great oceans?"

"As we understand the Dhamma taught to us by the Blessed One, this is the greater: the tears we have shed while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing — not the water in the four great oceans."

"Excellent, monks. Excellent. It is excellent that you thus understand the Dhamma taught by me.

"This is the greater: the tears you have shed while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing — not the water in the four great oceans.

"Long have you (repeatedly) experienced the death of a mother. The tears you have shed over the death of a mother while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing — are greater than the water in the four great oceans.

"Long have you (repeatedly) experienced the death of a father... the death of a brother... the death of a sister... the death of a son... the death of a daughter... loss with regard to relatives... loss with regard to wealth... loss with regard to disease. The tears you have shed over loss with regard to disease while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing — are greater than the water in the four great oceans.

"Why is that? From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries — enough to become disenchanted with all fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be released."

seeker242

One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokitesvara vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara. Despite strenuous effort, he realizes that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head splits into eleven pieces. Amitabha Buddha, seeing his plight, gives him eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokitesvara attempts to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha Buddha comes to his aid and invests him with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes.

Good story!

Jeffrey

The brahma viras are the heavenly abodes: kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equinimity. They represent protection from fear. Each of these has near enemies and far enemies. The near enemy is how the quality gets distorted. Like compassion into pity.

Another near enemy of compassion is 'overwhelm'. That is what you are experiencing (from the brahmavira context). Overwhelm can be dealt with by using sympathetic joy to make you see the beauty of people. It is like you are sorry for someone because their grandma died and all the horrible things that have happened to loved ones, when all of the sudden you see the beauty of the love that person holds for their grandma or other concerns. It can be uplifting to see that even through all the sweat and tears there are still rays of goodness radiating from the love shared in our lives.

federica

Near and far enemies, in case anyone would like to see a precis:

BhikkhuJayasara

federica said:

Near and far enemies, in case anyone would like to see a precis:

Thanks for this, this near far enemy thing doesnt exist in theravada and has always confused me. This is very straight forward.

Hamsaka

Jeffrey said:

The brahma viras are the heavenly abodes: kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equinimity. They represent protection from fear. Each of these has near enemies and far enemies. The near enemy is how the quality gets distorted. Like compassion into pity.

Another near enemy of compassion is 'overwhelm'. That is what you are experiencing (from the brahmavira context). Overwhelm can be dealt with by using sympathetic joy to make you see the beauty of people. It is like you are sorry for someone because their grandma died and all the horrible things that have happened to loved ones, when all of the sudden you see the beauty of the love that person holds for their grandma or other concerns. It can be uplifting to see that even through all the sweat and tears there are still rays of goodness radiating from the love shared in our lives.

@Jeffrey, this is beautiful. Thank you