Five kinds of suffering
that only women are subject to,
not men
Āveṇikadukkha Sutta
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Saɱyutta Nikāya – Saḷāyatana Vagga – Mātugāma Saɱyutta
“Bhikkhus, there are five kinds of suffering peculiar to women, which women experience but not men. What five? Here, bhikkhus,
1. even when young, a woman goes to live with her husband’s family and is separated from her relatives. This is the first kind of suffering peculiar to women …. Again,
2. a woman is subject to menstruation. This is the second kind of suffering peculiar to women … Again,
3. a woman becomes pregnant. This is the third kind of suffering peculiar to women …. Again,
4. a woman gives birth. This is the fourth kind of suffering peculiar to women … . Again,
5. a woman is made to serve a man. This is the fifth kind of suffering peculiar to women ….
These, bhikkhus, are the five kinds of suffering peculiar to women, which women experience but not men.”
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From the book : ‘The connected discourses of the Buddha’ (Bhikkhu Bodhi)