“I already know/see/understand that the panca upadanakhhanda CAUSES suffering, but I have been contemplating on to see if the pancakkhanda IS (not cause :)) suffering.”
That is a subtle point, It may depend on how one uses words to describe “meanings.”
The way I look at it is as follows.
– If there is a bottle of poison on the table, it is not going to hurt anyone.
– But if one drinks that, one will be subjected to suffering.
In the same way, pancakkhandha is like a bottle of poison.
– One will be subjected to suffering if one craves pancakkhandha, i.e., it is pancupadanakkhandha that leads to FUTURE suffering.
For example, an Arahant has removed part of suffering in this life. That is sankhara dukkha (an Arahant would not generate (abhi)sankhara, and thus “samphssa-ja-vadana” would not arise in an Arahant.
– However, dukkha vedana due to past kamma will still bring suffering until the death of the physical body.