Why Do Many People Remain Happy Without Perceiving Suffering?

Since beginningless kalpas, sentient beings have been adrift in the ocean of suffering and have long grown accustomed to it. They have never experienced true happiness, and without contrast, there is neither perception nor awakening. The more ignorant sentient beings are, the less they recognize suffering and their own ignorance; they often mistake suffering for happiness. Recognizing suffering is the awakening of spiritual practitioners, and the awakening of such practitioners is, for the most part, cultivated through the teachings of the Buddha. Once suffering is recognized, one will aspire to cessation and cultivate the path. Sooner or later, one will exhaust the accumulation of suffering, thereby transcending the cycle of birth and death and attaining liberation.

Ignorance is the heaviest among all afflictions. The ignorant are the most difficult to guide. They do not absorb any teachings, understand any words, benefit from any exhortations, nor respond to any skillful means or methods. They are like a hard stone, impervious to all influences. Due to their ignorance, they have fewer other afflictions, fewer delusions, and fewer thoughts, and they remain unaware of the need for liberation. Among humans, if such a person practices concentration, they might quickly enter the realm of desire, where scattered thoughts cease. However, they cannot attain deeper meditative states because their heavy ignorance and afflictions are incompatible with the higher realms.