The first way is that individuals are ignorant of greater happiness and believe themselves to be content with what they have.
In this day and age, because of the belief in hyperindividualism, we fail to realize that we all share fundamental human nature. Our fundamental human nature means that we ultimately find the same things wonderful and good, and other things less wonderful and good, and still other things evil. The supposed differences among individuals as to what is better and worse arise from individual ignorance as to which things are better and which things are worse.
We are ignorant as to which things are better and which things are worse because we have not yet realized which things are greater and which things are lesser. For example, when one is a young boy, lacking in experience and maturity, one might mistake video games and toys to be sources of great happiness. However, when he is a young adult, with some experience and maturity, he might see his career as a source of great happiness. He will still find happiness in in video games, but will value his career as greater. Later he will marry, and see his marriage as a source of great happiness. He will still find happiness in his career, but will value his marriage as greater. One day, he will have children, and see his entire family as a source of great happiness. He will still find happiness in his marriage, but value his entire family life as greater.
He then looks back at his life, and realizes that he was furthest from true happiness when he was a child, and closer to true happiness as he realized and attained what are sources of greater happiness in life as he ages.
Such it is with greater happiness. Thus, no one should be satisfied with what sources of happiness he has but should rather instead realize and attain greater happiness.
The second way is that individuals mistake what is suffering for what is happiness because of their sickly and deprived state of being perverts their sense of true happiness and true suffering.
In the Magandiya Sutra, the Buddha provides an analogy for how ordinary beings mistake suffering for pleasure. He explains,
Suppose, Magandiya, there was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a burning charcoal pit. Then his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, would bring a physician to treat him. The physician would make medicine for him, and by means of that medicine the man would be cured of his leprosy and would become well and happy, independent, master of himself, able to go where he likes. Then he might see another leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a burning charcoal pit. What do you think, Magandiya? Would that man envy that leper for his burning charcoal pit or his use of medicine?Magandiya responds,
"No, Master Gotama [the Buddha]. Why is that? Because when there is sickness, there is no need for medicine, and when there is no sickness there is no need for medicine."The Buddha then repeats his story of the leper having his treatment, except now he hypothesizes that "then two strong men would seize him by both arms and drag him toward a burning charcoal pit." He then asks, "What do you think, Magandiya? Would that man twist his body this way and that?"
To which Magandiya responds, "Yes, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because that fire is indeed painful to touch, hot, and scorching."
The Buddha continues questioning: "What do you think, Magandiya? Is it only now that that fire is painful to touch, hot, and scorching, or previously too was that fire painful to touch, hot, and scorching?"
Magandiya answers,
"Master Gotama, that fire is now painful to touch, hot, and scorching, and previously too that fire was painful to touch, hot, and scorching. For when that man was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, his faculties were impaired; thus, though the fire was actually painful to touch, he acquired a mistaken perception of it as pleasant."The original context of this story is the Buddha explaining to Magandiya, a hedonist, as to why sensual pleasures are in fact distortions of suffering. The Buddha concludes,
"Suppose, Magandiya, there was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the opening of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a burning charcoal pit; the more he scratches the scabs and cauterizes his body, the fouler, more evil-smelling, and more infected the openings of his wounds would become, yet he would find a certain measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in scratching the openings of his wounds. So too, Magandiya, people who are not free from lust for sensual pleasures, who burn with the fever of sensual pleasures, still indulge in sensual pleasures; the more they indulge in sensual pelasures, the more their craving for sensual pleasures increases and the more they are burned by the fever of sensual pleasures, yet they find a certain measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in dependence of the five cords of sensual pleasure."Though the Buddha was talking in the context of sensual pleasures, we can expand this analogy to understand why we see suffering as attractive or pleasurable. We mistake suffering as attractive or pleasurable because we are sickly and deprived of our needs and greater happiness, and we attempt to use activities of suffering (or lower happiness) as temporary alleviations for our illness.
Whenever we watch TV, or play video games, we indulge in this lower form of happiness. But this lower form of happiness is not happiness, it's a temporary alleviation for a greater suffering. It's a bandaid on a tumor. It's the painkiller to a broken arm. Worse, these lower forms of happiness are actually forms of suffering that cause greater suffering later on. Watching TV or playing video games not only keeps us from confronting, finding solutions, and applying solutions to solve our problems, but also actively creates negative results by allowing our minds to inundated by negative influences. At best, they are distractions that keep us from attaining truer happiness; at worst, they actively hurt ourselves. Either way, they perpetuate our problems.
Such it is with suffering. Thus, one should not delude oneself that he or she is happy with states of suffering, but should rather instead realize and attain greater happiness.
In this way, people suffer without realizing their suffering. In this way, people characterize their state of sickness and deprivation as happiness. In doing so, they pass up opportunities toward greater happiness.
A contemplative person who has developed his awareness will be able to see his suffering and the possibility toward solving that suffering. He will begin to see what is greater in life, and in what ways he is sickly and deprived. Then he can reach greater happiness.
How can one begin to contemplate happiness and suffering? With each activity, with each experience, one should ask...
How happy does this make me? How happy does this make me compared to other experiences or activities? How long will this happiness last? What are the end results of it? Are they good for me and others? Are they bad for me and others? Is this something that will compel me to get out of bed everyday? If I continue to do this or experience this, will it continue to make me happy, or will it fade each time? Why does this make me happy? How does this make me happy? Is it a distraction from suffering, deprivation, or sense of emptiness? Is it worth the effort?
People will recognize their suffering if they don't get confused with the idea that "this is it, this is all that there is to life...so it's up to you to be happy with it." This idea keeps us in a perpetual state of suffering and keeps us from pursuing and attaining higher happiness.
