that it is not something to be sad about. In fact, once you see a little into the implications, it is actually a source for greater happiness prior to realizing equanimity and so forth.
So may wonder why that would be. Well, there is a natural state of joy and happiness within that I personally would equate with the natural functioning of even our nervous system when it is not encumbered by the effects of wrong views and agitated states of craving and such.
We tend believe that the only happiness we can experience is based on external experiences and acquisitions. Well, we can have that kind of happiness and joy, but it is not the only kind and, after all, all of our states are internal. So, I guess you could call it feeling good for no reason at all.
I've seen a way to refer to suffering/unsatisfactoriness that I think is very appropriate for Westerners as an introduction as it does not require as much of a connecting of the dots. That is, expectations. If you refer to that characteristic that way, it makes perfect sense as a cause of our mental suffering. I won't go into it fully here, but consider just how much the degree and kind of expectations, (reasonable and unreasonable) impact our happiness and experiences. Even though we are expected to have expectations, they are worthy of inquiry. Now, just to illustrate, if you had, (ideally) no expectations of any situation or outcome and things were totally accepted, initially, just as they are, what would that be like?
Skillful means comes with the caution that one is careful to never misrepresent the Buddha, and my aim is to abide by that as much as possible, so any critiques or corrections to my understanding are always welcome.
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