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dukkhakkhandho

dukkhakkhandha

masc nom sg of dukkhakkhandha (noun)

1. heap of suffering; mass of difficulties; mountain of trouble

Built from

• du(r) — prefix · bad, hard, gone wrong
  Negating and intensifying prefix. Cognate: Greek dys- (dysfunction).
• kkhakkhandha — stem · suffering-heap
  sukha (ease, pleasure) prefixed by du(r)- becomes dukkha (suffering). khandha (heap, aggregate) fused with dukkha by iṭṭhagama contraction (kkkh → kkh). The stem denotes the massed burden of suffering.

Analysis. du(r)-kkhakkhandha: 'bad-heap' or 'suffering-heap'. The compound fuses dukkha (suffering, bad pleasure) with khandha (heap, aggregate, mass). Often used in Buddhist texts to denote the towering, overwhelming weight of suffering and its accumulated defilements.

Etymology. dukkha from du(r)- 'bad, hard, gone wrong' (cognate Greek dys-) + sukha 'ease, pleasure' (from su- 'well, good'; cognate Greek eu-, English 'sweet'). The negative du(r)- inverts sukha to mean suffering, hard-to-bear. khandha is a Sanskrit borrowing or cognate with Latin candela 'heap, mass of light'; it denotes the five aggregates (skandhas in Sanskrit) or any bundle or mass.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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