The feelings of suffering and happiness arise from afflictive karmic formations

After attaining the fruits of realization, the karma leading to the three evil destinies is eliminated, but this karma must still be retributed in the human realm. However one receives retribution in the human realm, it is milder than in the three evil destinies. The most severe evil retribution among humans is a short lifespan—being killed by others or tortured to death—which is still milder than the suffering of the three evil destinies. Wherever there is the mind of the six consciousnesses, there is feeling; one can feel suffering and happiness, as well as neither-suffering-nor-happiness. The noble ones are no exception. It is only that the noble ones engage the mind less, keeping it away from the five desires and the six sense objects, so their feelings of suffering and happiness are very slight. If they do care about the six sense objects, their feelings of suffering and happiness will be somewhat greater.

Where there are afflictions, there are karmic formations, and one will do wrong things; it is the same even after enlightenment and attaining the fruits of realization. If the afflictions are slight, fewer wrongs are committed; when afflictions are eliminated, wrongs become even fewer. Even after afflictions are eliminated, there remain the habit energies of afflictions, so one may still make some slight mistakes. It is not until the eighth-ground bodhisattva, when the self-grasping is completely severed and the habit energies of afflictions are completely eliminated, that there are no longer any karmic formations pertaining to the self. From the fourth ground upward, bodhisattvas possess the four dhyānas and eight samādhis and have supernatural powers, so they no longer experience much suffering. They rarely come to the human world, and especially the bodhisattvas of the seventh and eighth grounds have no need to come to the human world at all.