Abbhokāsikasutta — 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
a single abbreviated line, the steepest compression in this chapter
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — extremely short, compressed by the source itself
Why this discourse
The source text itself gives this discourse only a single abbreviated line — the steepest compression in this chapter's ten-part catalog — trusting the reader entirely to supply the full five-motive pattern already given at AN 5.181.
Reading guide
A single surviving line
Where AN 5.182–184 each retained at least the discourse's opening and closing frame, this discourse and the four that follow are reduced in the source itself to one line: ‘These five dwell in the open air…’, followed immediately by an ellipsis. This is the compilers' own choice, not an omission on this guide's part.
Open-air dwelling, beyond even tree-root shelter
Abbhokāsika goes a step further than dwelling at a tree's root (AN 5.183): no shelter at all, not even a tree's partial cover from rain or sun — full, direct exposure to weather as a matter of ordinary life.
The same five motives still apply
Even reduced to a single line, this discourse presupposes the same analysis given in full at AN 5.181: someone might dwell in the open air from folly, vanity, disturbed mental states, mere imitation, or genuine renunciation, and only the last is praised.
Why this compression is worth noticing, not skipping past
The extremity of this compression is itself informative: by the fifth practice in this catalog, the compilers judged the pattern so thoroughly established that spelling it out even in the partial way used for AN 5.182–184 had become unnecessary. Reading these five thin entries side by side with AN 5.181's full statement shows the underlying structure most clearly.
What follows
AN 5.186–189 continue this same single-line compression, applied to four further practices, before AN 5.190 closes the chapter by restating the full template one final time.
Key terms
abbhokāsika — “one who dwells in the open air” — this discourse's title concept, without any shelter at all.
pe — the standard abbreviation marker; here the entire five-motive analysis is reduced to this single mark.
āraññika — “wilderness dweller” — AN 5.181's practice, this discourse's closest relative in this catalog.
appicchataṁ — “few wishes” — part of the fifth, genuinely praiseworthy motive established at AN 5.181, presupposed here.
dhutaṅga — the later commentarial term for the whole catalog of austere practices this chapter documents, including this one.
The text
The discourse as it survives in the source: a single abbreviated line. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Open air dwellers
§1“These five dwell in the open air. …”
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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 'abbhokāsika' describe?
Correct: A. This discourse's title concept.
Question 2 of 10
How much of this discourse survives in the source text?
Correct: A. The steepest compression in this chapter's catalog.
Question 3 of 10
How does open-air dwelling compare to tree-root dwelling (AN 5.183)?
Correct: A. Full, direct exposure to weather as a matter of ordinary life.
Question 4 of 10
Whose choice does this discourse's extreme brevity reflect?
Correct: A. The compilers judged the pattern already thoroughly established by this point.
Question 5 of 10
What does this discourse's single line presuppose?
Correct: A. Trusting the reader to supply the full pattern.
Question 6 of 10
What is informative about reading this discourse's compression alongside AN 5.181's full statement?
Correct: A. The extremity of compression is itself informative about how the chapter is structured.
Question 7 of 10
What four discourses follow, continuing this same single-line compression?
Correct: A. Before AN 5.190 restates the full template one final time.
Question 8 of 10
What later discourse in this chapter restates the full five-motive template?
Correct: A. A final full statement, bookending AN 5.181's opening one.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'dhutaṅga' name?
Correct: A. Including open-air dwelling among its members.
Question 10 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'Wilderness Dwellers', this session's nineteenth chapter.
