sankhradukkha

Sankhradukkha is a term encountered primarily in scholarly discussions of Buddhist philosophy rather than a standard canonical concept. It is used to describe a specific sense of suffering that arises from conditioned phenomena or mental formations, rather than as a widely accepted doctrinal category.

Etymology and meaning

The term combines saṅkhāra (formations, conditioned phenomena or mental formations) with dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness). In transliteration, spellings such as saṅkhāradukkhā or sankhāradukkha may appear. The exact definition in use can vary by author, and the term is not consistently established across schools.

Conceptual background

In Buddhist thought, dukkha denotes the pervasive unsatisfactoriness of conditioned existence, tied to craving and ignorance. Saṅkhāra refers to the processes and formations that arise through conditioning, including mental formations that shape perception and behavior. Sankhradukkha is typically framed as the particular form of suffering associated with these conditioned processes, emphasizing how the act of formation itself can be a source of dissatisfaction within the cycle of conditioned existence.

Usage and reception

Sankhradukkha is not a standard term in canonical scriptures such as the Pāli Nikāyas or major Mahāyāna treatises. It appears mainly in modern or cross-tradition glossaries, essays, or comparative studies that seek to nuance the discussion of dukkha by focusing on the role of saṅkhāra. Because it is not uniformly defined, its interpretation varies among scholars and translations.

See also

Dukkha; saṅkhāra; the five aggregates; the Four Noble Truths; Buddhist epistemology.