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Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 38.14

A Question About Suffering

Dukkhapañhāsutta — Jambukhādakavagga

Setting
Not restated; continues directly as dialogue from SN 38.1's own setting
Speakers
The wanderer Jambukhādaka questioning Venerable Sāriputta
Form
A direct question and answer, naming a standard threefold list
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — a compact but conceptually dense threefold distinction

Why this discourse

Jambukhādaka asks what “suffering” (dukkha) is. Sāriputta names the classic threefold analysis: the suffering inherent in painful feeling itself, the suffering inherent in conditions (formations), and the suffering inherent in change — a more precise, technical threefold breakdown than the single word “dukkha” alone conveys.

Reading guide

Three kinds of suffering, not one

Ordinary painful feeling (dukkha-dukkhatā), the suffering built into all conditioned things simply by being conditioned (saṅkhāra-dukkhatā), and the suffering that arises specifically from change (vipariṇāma-dukkhatā) — three distinct technical categories, not three synonyms for the same experience.

Key terms

dukkhadukkhatā, saṅkhāradukkhatā, vipariṇāmadukkhatā — “the suffering inherent in painful feeling; the suffering inherent in conditions; and the suffering inherent in perishing” — the classic threefold technical analysis of suffering
āvuso — “reverend, friend” — the reciprocal address term Jambukhādaka and Sāriputta use throughout this saṃyutta
pañhā — “question” — the recurring suffix naming every discourse's own Pali title throughout this saṃyutta
atthi... maggo atthi paṭipadā — “is there a path and a practice” — this saṃyutta's own recurring path-confirmation question, asked with only its object changing from SN 38.1 through SN 38.15
cuddasamaṁ — “fourteenth” — this discourse's own untranslated closing ordinal

The text

The portion of this discourse Sujato's own English translation renders. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘suffering’. What is suffering?” “Reverend, there are these three forms of suffering. The suffering inherent in painful feeling; the suffering inherent in conditions; and the suffering inherent in perishing. These are the three forms of suffering.” “But, reverend, is there a path and a practice for completely understanding these forms of suffering?” “There is.” …

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Self-check quiz

2 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 2
What three forms of suffering does Sāriputta name?
Correct: A. A precise, technical threefold breakdown — three distinct categories, not three synonyms.
Question 2 of 2
What distinguishes "saṅkhāra-dukkhatā" from ordinary painful feeling?
Correct: A. A structural, not merely experiential, category of suffering.
Answered 0 of 2 · Correct 0

Further reading

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