The three categories of suffering are saṅkhāra dukkhatā, vipariṇāma dukkhatā, and dukkha dukkhatā.
June 20, 2021; rewritten January 4, 2025
Three Categories of Suffering
1. In the previous post, “Introduction – What is Suffering?” we discussed what suffering means in Buddha Dhamma. Here, we continue that discussion. The three categories of suffering are stated in the Dukkhatā Sutta (SN 45.165): “…Dukkha dukkhatā, saṅkhāra dukkhatā, vipariṇāma dukkhatā—imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso dukkhatā.”
- It does not make sense to try to translate the names of the three categories: Dukkha dukkhatā, saṅkhāra dukkhatā, vipariṇāma dukkhatā. Instead, it is better to understand the meanings of those three types of suffering. Here, dukkhatā means “type of dukkha.”
- Thus, we can say that the 3 categories of suffering are dukkha-dukkha, saṅkhāra-dukkha, and vipariṇāma-dukkha.
2. The three types of suffering are associated with the characteristics of a saṅkhata, as pointed out in the Tipitaka Commentary Peṭakopadesa, “5. Hāravibhaṅgapañcamabhūmi:”
“Tattha tīṇi saṅkhatalakkhaṇāni tisso dukkhatā uppādo saṅkhatalakkhaṇaṁ, saṅkhāradukkhatāya dukkhatā ca saṅkhatalakkhaṇaṁ, vipariṇāmadukkhatāya dukkhatāti aññathattaṁ ca saṅkhatalakkhaṇaṁ, dukkhadukkhatāya ca dukkhatā, imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ saṅkhatalakkhaṇānaṁ ..”
Translation:
“Three saṅkhata lakkhaṇa correspond to three types of suffering (tisso dukkhatā):
(i) saṅkhāradukkhatāya emphasizes the key idea that a saṅkhata (any existence in the world) arises due to (avijjā paccayā) saṅkhāra. That itself takes effort (suffering) and will also lead to future suffering.
(ii) vipariṇāmadukkhatā conveys the idea that a mind moves away from the pabhassara (pure) mind when saṅkhāra accumulation starts. Vipariṇāma means “moving away from” the ideal state of the mind. See “Uncovering the Suffering-Free (Pabhassara) Mind.”
(iii) dukkhadukkhatāya conveys that all existences (during life or in future lives) end up in suffering.
- All three types of dukkha WILL NOT stop until saṅkhāra-generation via “avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra” stops.
What Is Suffering Based on?
3. What is our whole world? We sense external rupa through our five physical senses (internal rupa) and then think about them. Thus, we can sum up our world as what we experience through our six internal senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind). If our six internal senses stop working or weaken, we suffer.
- Using those sensory faculties, we experience six types of rupa in the external world: visuals, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dhammā. If those are not to our liking, we suffer. On the sixth type of rupa, see “What are Rūpa? – Dhammā are Rūpa too!” Of course, attachment to those rupa leads to suffering in future lives, too.
- Those twelve (six INTERNAL and six EXTERNAL) make up “our world.” Everything is included in those twelve—all 12 lead to suffering, not only in this life but also in future lives.
- First, let us discuss the three types of dukkha we experience during a lifetime.
Three Types of Dukkha During Lifetime – “Mundane Suffering”
4. Any saṅkhata (born into the world) changes (sometimes unexpected) leading to suffering. First, let us consider whether we can keep our physical bodies (internal rupa) and their associated sensory faculties to our satisfaction.
- We may be able to maintain our five physical senses to our satisfaction for many years, which is why people do not even take the time to think about these concepts.
- We start feeling this hidden suffering when we pass middle age. For example, eyesight, hearing, and taste will get weaker. Our bodies start sagging, and the brain becomes weaker, too. That is the mundane version of vipariṇāma-dukkha.
- So, what do most of us do? We start looking for ways to “prop them up.”: We can take temporary measures by wearing glasses and hearing aids, adding more spices/flavor to food, and doing cosmetic procedures to maintain the body’s appearance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with some of these “fixes”; for example, we need to see, so we must take precautions to protect our eyes and start wearing glasses. Ditto for hearing aids and even for adding spices to food. Some people resort to cosmetic procedures (coloring their hair, for example) to maintain self-confidence.
- These “remedies” require effort and are part of saṅkhāra-dukkha.
5. Those two types of “mundane dukkha” can also arise due to external rupa.
- For example, our houses, cars, or other ” valuable things” are also saṅkhata, just like our physical bodies. They undergo (both expected and unexpected) change and will cease to exist, contributing to the mundane version of vipariṇāma-dukkha.
- We also need to work to repair them and try to maintain them to our satisfaction. That is also part of saṅkhāra-dukkha.
- During both types of saṅkhāra generation, we will generate kamma that will lead to kamma vipaka. Those manifest as dukkha-dukkha. For example, if a woman gets a “facelift,” she must go to a surgeon and pay. If we need to repair a car, we must take it to a mechanic and pay him. All these activities involve dukkha-dukkha.
- The above-discussed are aspects of “mundane versions” of suffering. The deeper meaning is associated with moving away from the “suffering-free” state of the mind. See “Uncovering the Suffering-Free (Pabhassara) Mind” and “Recovering the Suffering-Free Pure Mind.”
Three Types of Dukkha in the Rebirth Process
6. “Saṅkhāra” means “san” + “khāra” or our efforts to accumulate/maintain things in this world (both internal and external) to our satisfaction. Any saṅkhata (both internal and external) arises due to such efforts. See “Saṅkhāra – What It Really Means.”
- In Buddha Dhamma, our focus is on a specific type of saṅkhāra; they are abhisaṅkhāra. But this distinction is not always emphasized (like in “avijjā paccyā saṅkhāra,” which is really “avijjā paccyā abhisaṅkhāra”). One needs to be able to figure that out.
- No matter how much effort we make, our bodies will fall apart at old age (or even earlier), and when we die, we will have to leave behind all those external “valuables” that we accumulated with much effort. That is why we say (abhi)saṅkhāra arise due avijjā, i.e., “avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra.” All our efforts based on “san” (greed, anger, and ignorance) are due to avijjā!
- “Abhisaṅkhāra” generation is the root cause for the generation of all types of saṅkhata, internal and external. That takes place via Paticca Samuppada.
Dukkha-Dukkha in the Rebirth Process
7. The worst category of suffering in the rebirth process arises as kamma vipāka, giving rise to rebirth in the apāyās. Beings in the apāyā encounter harsher suffering; in the niraya (lowest realm), that is all one feels.
- A person who made money by killing another or stealing from another may live well in this life (at least outwardly) but will be subjected to much suffering in the upcoming births. This is the worst category of dukkha-dukkha, which arises due to past immoral actions. Until the death of the physical body, even an Arahant is subjected to dukkha-dukkha.
- Therefore, the third category of suffering, dukkha-dukkha, arises from immoral acts (pāpa kamma/akusala kamma.) The severity of suffering depends on the severity of the violation. Paṭicca samuppāda (“pati+ichcha” leading to “sama”+”uppāda”) describes the underlying mechanism; see, “Paṭicca Samuppāda – “Pati+ichcha”+” Sama+uppäda,” where it is briefly discussed how one’s actions lead to effects that are similar “in-kind.”
- The results of our actions will not be according to our wishes. Instead, they will be according to root causes (lobha, dosa, moha) and prevailing conditions at any time. Paṭicca samuppāda is Nature’s law-enforcing mechanism.
Dukkha-Dukkha in Rebirth Process Is Delayed Results of “Bad Saṅkhāra”
8. All our actions (including speech and thoughts) are initiated by saṅkhāra. Thus, dukkha-dukkha arises from the worst forms of saṅkhāra (involving lobha, dosa, and moha,) which we call immoral actions (pāpa kamma/akusala kamma.) This dukkha-dukkha is the main form of suffering discussed in the previous post, “Introduction – What is Suffering?”
- Everything happens due to a reason (causes). Doing a good deed will lead to good results, and evil deeds will lead to bad results. This is the basis of science and also how nature works. “Every action has a reaction.” It is guaranteed, sooner or later.
- This is why rebirth is a reality of nature. Some people live lavishly with money earned by immoral deeds. They WILL suffer the consequences in future rebirths.
- It also explains why different people are born with different levels of health, wealth, beauty, etc., and why there are innumerable varieties of animals with different levels of suffering. Those are all results of evil deeds done in previous lives.
Saṅkhāra-Dukkha Gives Rise to All Dukkha
9. The “Vicayahāravibhaṅga” in the Petakopadesa states the following: “Saṅkhāradukkhatāya pana loko anupādisesāya nibbānadhātuyā muccati, tasmā saṅkhāradukkhatā dukkhaṁ lokassāti katvā dukkhamassa mahabbhayanti.”
- The meaning is “If saṅkhāra-dukkha can be overcome, one will get to Nibbāna. Therefore, saṅkhāra-dukkha is the one with great danger (mahabbhaya or mahā + bhaya.)”
- An average human perceives the cultivation of (abhi)saṅkhāra as “pleasure.” An extreme example is raping a woman seeking sensory gratification. That involves vaci (planning/thinking) and kāya (implementing) abhisaṅkhāra. It could be enjoyable at that time. However, he will pay for that brief gratification for millions of years. Unimaginable but true!
- Thus, any such “pleasure” is short-lived (vipariṇāma dukkha) and will bring unimaginable dukkha-dukkha in the future. One must “see” the “hidden suffering in sensory pleasures” before getting to the Sotapanna stage.
- Until then, humans see the cultivation of (abhi)saṅkhāra as “pleasure.”
We Engage in Saṅkhāra Due to Avijjā
10. The suffering we discussed so far arises from one aspect of anicca: Anything in this world is subjected to decay and destruction; nothing in this world is exempt from that. That is part of “viparināma dukkha,” suffering that arises due to changes and decay (both expected and unexpected.)
- Saṅkhāra-dukkha is associated with maintaining our internal rupa and acquiring and maintaining external rupa. All such efforts require thinking, speaking, and bodily actions; they involve mano, vaci, and kāya saṅkhāra. See “Saṅkhāra – What It Really Means.”
- Dukkha-dukkha arises even without us realizing it, while we seek remedies for viparināma dukkha with various activities involving involve mano, vaci, and kāya saṅkhāra. That leads to the kamma generation. Part of such kammā will bring vipāka into this life, primarily as physical work.
- As we will discuss, if they involve abisaṅkhāra, those will lead to kamma vipāka in future lives.
- Generation of abisaṅkhāra leads to everything in the world, living or inert. All those are saṅkhata, meaning “prepared by the mind.” A deeper analysis is in “Worldview of the Buddha.”
Uppāda (arising,) Vaya (cessation,) and ṭhiti (Existence)
11. A saṅkhata (anything prepared by the mind, which includes everything in the world) has the following three characteristics: uppāda (arising,) its existence (ṭhiti) before destruction, and vaya (cessation, i.e., it can be stopped from occurring in the future, not its destruction). These three characteristics are stated in the “Saṅkhatalakkhaṇa Sutta (AN 3.47).”
- These characteristics of a saṅkhata are not directly related to the three types of suffering. They emphasize that any saṅkhata comes into existence and will be destroyed after some time. Furthermore, because they arise due to mental processes (contaminated with raga, dosa, and moha), they can be stopped from arising again.
- A saṅkhata arises due to Paticca Samuppāda starting with “avijjā paccayā sankhāra.”
- In contrast, Nibbana is asankhata. It is not “prepared by the mind.” Instead, Nibbana is attained by stopping the formation of all saṅkhata in the world. That is in the companion sutta to the above sutta: “Asaṅkhatalakkhaṇa Sutta (AN 3.47).”
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Next, “Avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra“, …………..
