Sri Ramana Maharishi answers a question on the cause of the sufferings of the world –

He says, “To whom does all this appear?”

“You are not aware of the world and its sufferings in your sleep; you are conscious of them in your wakeful state.

Continue in that state in which you were not afflicted by these. That is to say, when you are not aware of the world, its sufferings do not affect you.

When you remain as the Self, as in sleep, the world and its sufferings will not affect you. Therefore look within. See the Self! There will be an end of the world and its miseries.”

“The world is not external. Because you identify yourself wrongly with the body you see the world outside, and its pain becomes apparent to you. But they are not real. Seek the reality and get rid of this unreal feeling.”

“If you remain free from pain, there will be no pain anywhere. The trouble now is due to your seeing the world externally and also thinking that there is pain there. But both the world and pain are within you. If you look within, there will be no pain.”

“So long as you consider yourself the body you see the world as external. The imperfections appear to you. God is perfection. His work also is perfection. But you see it as imperfection because of your wrong identification.”

Ques: Why did the Self manifest as this miserable world?”

Sri Ramana Maharishi says –

“In order that you might seek it. Your eyes cannot see themselves. Place a mirror before them and they see themselves. Similarly with the creation.”

“See yourself first and then see the whole world as the Self”.

“You are not instructed to shut your eyes from the world. You are only to “see yourself first and then see the whole world as the Self”.
If you consider yourself as the body the world appears to be external.
If you are the Self the world appears as Brahman.”

(Talk 272 – Talks with Sri Ramana Maharishi)