Today is the 28th of September, 2013, and we are in Magnolia Grove Practice Center, in the Rising Tide Meditation Hall. This is our fifth day of the retreat with the theme Healing Oneself, Healing the World.

Today we have a session of questions and answers. The teenagers and the young people are encouraged to come and ask their questions first. Then there will be enough time for young adults and adults to ask their questions. We know that a good question can benefit many people. That is why we should ask the real question, the question of our heart, a question that has to do with our suffering, our happiness, our practice. There are a few questions already written down and from time to time we shall read one of these questions. Those of us who have a question are invited to come and sit here around Thầy. It is very beautiful from here. Sangha is beautiful.

And they will take turns to sit on that chair so that everyone can see him or her before they ask the question. According to the tradition, before you ask a question, you listen to the bell and you breathe in and out three times. And everyone is breathing in and out with you. So please, those of us who have a question, I invite you to come up here and sit around Thầy.

My question is: How do you deal with depression?

How do you deal with?

Pressure.

Precious. Depression.

Yeah, depression.

We have learned in the last four days that if something happens, we 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 that 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 may have been exposed to many things—the sound, the sight, the feelings and so on—you may have consumed in such a way that has brought that depression to you. And if possible, you