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DUKKHA 
Home  Philosophy & Religion  Religious Beliefs

 ARTICLE Dukkha
Introduction & Quick Facts Buddhism

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Alternative Titles: duhka, duhkha, dukha

Dukkha, (Pāli: “sorrow,” “suffering”) , Sanskrit Duhkha, in

Buddhist thought, the true nature of all existence. Much Buddhist Ring in the new year 
with a Britannica
doctrine is based on the fact of suffering; its reality, cause, and means
Membership
of suppression formed the subject of the Buddha’s first sermon (see
Four Noble Truths). Recognition of the fact of suffering as one of three
basic characteristics of existence—along with impermanence
(anichcha) and the absence of a self (anatta)—constitutes the “right
knowledge.” Three types of suffering are distinguished: they result,
respectively, from pain, such as old age, sickness, and death; from
Dukkha
pleasure changing to pain; and from the fact that, because of QUICK FACTS

impermanence, beings are susceptible to pain in the next moment.

RELATED TOPICS
Buddhism

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

Four Noble Truths

Four Noble Truths, one of the fundamental doctrines of Buddhism,

said to have been set forth by the Buddha, the founder of the
religion, in his first sermon, which he gave after his enlightenment.…

Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths

…the truth of misery (dukkha; literally “suffering” but connoting

“uneasiness” or “dissatisfaction”), the truth that misery originates
within the craving for pleasure and for being or nonbeing
(samudaya), the truth that this craving can be eliminated (nirodhu)…

Indian philosophy: The Four Noble Truths and the nature of

suffering

…his Four Noble Truths: (1) dukkha (Sanskrit duhkha; generally but
misleadingly translated as “suffering,” as it implies a broader sense of
dissatisfaction with existence in the phenomenal world); (2) the
i i ti f d kkh i t h (“d i ” “ i ”) (3) th

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SAUTRĀNTIKA
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Home  Philosophy & Religion  Religious Beliefs

 ARTICLE Sautrāntika
Introduction & Quick Facts Buddhist school

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Article History whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced
degree....
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Learn More!
Sautrāntika, ancient school of Buddhism that emerged in India
about the 2nd century BC as an offshoot of the Sarvāstivāda (“All-Is-
Real Doctrine”). The school is so called because of its reliance on the
sutras, or words of the Buddha, and its rejection of the authority of the
Abhidharma, a part of the canon.

READ MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Indian philosophy:
Contributions of the
Sautrantikas
The Vaibhashika doctrine of eternal Sautrāntika
elements is believed to be inconsistent QUICK FACTS
with the fundamental teachings of the
Buddha. The Sautrantikas...

AREAS OF INVOLVEMENT
Buddhism
Sarvastivada

The Sautrāntikas maintained that though events (dharmas) have only

momentary existence, there is a transmigrating substratum of
consciousness that contains within it seeds of goodness that are in
every person. The Sautrāntika sometimes is characterized as a
transitional school that led to the development of the Mahāyāna
tradition, and many of its views influenced later Yogācāra thought.

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

Indian philosophy: Contributions of the Sautrantikas

The Vaibhashika doctrine of eternal elements is believed to be

inconsistent with the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. The
Sautrantikas (so called because they rest their case on the sutras)
insist on the noneternality of the dharma as well. The past and the…

India

India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. Its
capital is New Delhi, built in the 20th century just south of the
historic hub of Old Delhi to serve as India’s administrative centre. Its
government is a constitutional republic that represents a highly…

Buddhism

Buddhism, religion and philosophy that developed from the

teachings of the Buddha (Sanskrit: “Awakened One”), a teacher who
lived in northern India between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries
bce (before the Common Era). Spreading from India to Central an…

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