Yathāsanthatikasutta — 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
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — extremely short, compressed by the source itself
Why this discourse
A practice concerned not with hardship itself but with indifference to one's assigned circumstances: accepting whatever sleeping place happens to be laid out, without campaigning for a preferred spot — a subtler renunciation than the more visibly austere practices around it.
Reading guide
Indifference to circumstance, not hardship itself
Unlike open-air dwelling or never lying down, yathāsanthatika doesn't necessarily involve physical hardship at all — it concerns accepting whatever sleeping place is assigned, rather than seeking out or angling for a more desirable one, whether that assigned place turns out comfortable or not.
A practice about wanting, not about deprivation
This makes it a genuinely distinct kind of renunciation from its neighbors in this catalog: not the deliberate acceptance of discomfort, but the deliberate absence of preference and maneuvering — letting go of the wish to control one's own circumstances, rather than choosing harsher circumstances outright.
The same compression, the same presupposition
As with AN 5.185–186, the source reduces this discourse to a single line, presupposing AN 5.181's full statement of the five underlying motives rather than restating it here.
A motive-check even for subtle practices
Even this quieter, less visibly dramatic practice isn't automatically praiseworthy: someone might accept whatever spot is assigned from genuine indifference to comfort, or equally from apathy, disturbed mind, or performative unconcern meant to be noticed by others.
What follows
AN 5.188 continues this compression, applied to eating only in one sitting per day — the catalog's shift from dwelling and posture toward eating practices.
Key terms
yathāsanthatika — “one who sleeps wherever a mat is laid” — this discourse's title concept, accepting an assigned sleeping place without preference.
santhata — “a laid-out mat or sleeping place” — whatever spot is assigned, accepted as it comes.
pe — the standard abbreviation marker, reducing this discourse's content to a single line.
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).
Those who sleep wherever a mat is laid
§1“These five sleep wherever they lay their mat. …”
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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 'yathāsanthatika' describe?
Correct: A. This discourse's title concept.
Question 2 of 10
How does this practice differ from open-air dwelling or never lying down?
Correct: A. A subtler renunciation, concerned with wanting rather than deprivation.
Question 3 of 10
What does this practice let go of, according to the guide?
Correct: A. Rather than choosing harsher circumstances outright.
Question 4 of 10
How much of this discourse survives in the source text?
Correct: A. Matching AN 5.185-186's same compression.
Question 5 of 10
Is this quieter practice automatically exempt from the chapter's motive-check?
Correct: A. Even quiet, undramatic practices aren't automatically praiseworthy.
Question 6 of 10
What discourse follows, shifting the catalog toward eating practices?
Correct: A. A shift from dwelling and posture toward eating practices.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'santhata' mean?
Correct: A. Whatever spot is assigned, accepted as it comes.
Question 8 of 10
What does this discourse's single line presuppose?
Correct: A. Trusting the reader to supply the earlier pattern.
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 does 'dhutaṅga' name?
Correct: A. Including this practice among its members.
