Rukkhamūlikasutta — Araññavagga — the nineteenth chapter of the Fives
Setting
None stated; the discourse continues from AN 5.1, whose setting at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove is understood to hold
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
the same five-motive list, abbreviated in the source itself
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, abbreviated by the source
Why this discourse
The same five-motive template again, applied to dwelling at the root of a tree (rukkhamūlika) rather than in a built shelter — one of the most basic renunciations of physical comfort in this catalog, and one explicitly recommended to newly ordained mendicants elsewhere in the monastic tradition.
Reading guide
A practice recommended at ordination
Dwelling at the root of a tree is traditionally named as one of the four supports (nissaya) a mendicant is told to rely on immediately after ordination, alongside rag robes, almsfood, and fermented urine as medicine — making this practice's inclusion here especially pointed: even a baseline expectation can be undertaken for the wrong reasons.
The same five motives, the same compression
As with AN 5.182, the source text spells out only the first and last of the five motives, trusting the reader to supply the remaining three (corrupt wishes, madness, imitation) from AN 5.181's full statement.
Minimal shelter, maximal exposure
Unlike a built dwelling, the root of a tree offers no walls, no door, and only partial protection from weather — a deliberate exposure to discomfort and the elements, consistent with this whole chapter's concern for simplicity over comfort.
Still, only one motive is praised
Even this basic, traditionally expected practice doesn't escape the chapter's underlying point: undertaking it from folly, vanity, mental disturbance, or mere imitation doesn't make it praiseworthy, regardless of how ordinary or expected the practice itself might be.
What follows
AN 5.184 applies this same template to a far more confronting practice: dwelling in a charnel ground, among the dead.
Key terms
rukkhamūlika — “one who dwells at the root of a tree” — this discourse's title concept.
nissaya — “support, reliance” — the four basic supports a newly ordained mendicant is traditionally told to rely on, including tree-root dwelling.
pe — the standard abbreviation marker, compressing the middle three motives from AN 5.181.
mandattā momūhattā — “from stupidity and folly” — the first motive, spelled out despite the overall compression.
idamatthitaṁyeva nissāya — “for the sake of this very reason” — part of the fifth, genuinely praiseworthy motive.
The text
The discourse in full, as compressed in the source itself. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five kinds of tree-root dweller
§1“Mendicants, there are these five who dwell at the root of a tree. What five? One may dwell at the root of a tree because of stupidity … corrupt wishes … madness … because it is praised by the Buddhas … or for the sake of having few wishes … These are the five who dwell at the root of a tree.”
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What does 'rukkhamūlika' describe?
Correct: A. This discourse's title concept.
Question 2 of 10
What tradition names tree-root dwelling as one of the four basic supports for a newly ordained mendicant?
Correct: A. Making its inclusion here especially pointed — even a baseline expectation.
Question 3 of 10
How does the source text present this discourse's content?
Correct: A. Matching AN 5.182's same compressed structure.
Question 4 of 10
What does dwelling at the root of a tree offer, unlike a built dwelling?
Correct: A. A deliberate exposure to discomfort and the elements.
Question 5 of 10
Does being a traditionally expected practice exempt tree-root dwelling from this chapter's five-motive analysis?
Correct: A. This chapter's underlying point applies regardless of how expected a practice is.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'nissaya' mean?
Correct: A. The traditional four supports, including tree-root dwelling.
Question 7 of 10
What discourse follows, applying this template to a more confronting practice?
Correct: A. Dwelling among the dead, in a charnel ground.
Question 8 of 10
What motive does this discourse's abbreviated structure still spell out first?
Correct: A. Retained despite the overall compression, as in AN 5.182.
Question 9 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'Wilderness Dwellers', this session's nineteenth chapter.
Question 10 of 10
What other three requisites accompany tree-root dwelling in the traditional four supports?
Correct: A. The traditional baseline expectations for a newly ordained mendicant.
