Āraññakasutta — Kakudhavagga — the tenth 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 bare five-item list, framed by a mendicant practicing mindfulness of breathing
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, completing this chapter's trio
Why this discourse
The trio's third and final member: keeping AN 5.96–97's three simple-living qualities and closing review-of-freedom factor, this discourse swaps in a third fourth-item variant — actually living in the wilderness, in remote lodgings.
Reading guide
The trio's third and final item
Completing the run begun at AN 5.96, this discourse keeps the same three simple-living qualities and closing review-of-freedom factor, swapping in wilderness dwelling (āraññako, pantasenāsano) as the fourth item.
Practicing, or 'making much of'
This discourse's verb is bahulīkaronto, literally ‘making much of’ or practicing repeatedly — the third of the trio's three near-synonymous framing verbs.
Three fourth-items, one underlying point
Across the trio, the varying fourth item is, in turn, deep learning (AN 5.96), access to serious talk (AN 5.97), and actual wilderness residence (AN 5.98) — three quite different markers of serious practice, suggesting no single one of them is indispensable on its own. What stays constant across all three is the combination of simple living, wakeful energy, and honest self-review.
A tightly formulaic trio
Worth appreciating as a compact demonstration of how this collection builds variation into repetition, changing exactly one slot at a time across three near-identical discourses.
Wilderness-dwelling, cross-referenced
This discourse's fourth item connects directly back to AN 5.77's five future perils specific to wilderness-dwelling mendicants, from earlier in this nipāta.
What comes next
AN 5.99 turns to something altogether different: the vivid simile of the lion, applied to the Buddha's own teaching.
Key terms
āraññako — “a wilderness-dweller” — this discourse's distinguishing fourth item.
pantasenāsana — “a remote lodging”.
bahulīkaronto — “practicing, making much of” — this discourse's verb, completing the trio's three.
appamiddho — “rarely drowsy” — one of the three shared simple-living qualities.
akuppa — “unshakable” — the attainment all three discourses in this trio converge on.
The text
The discourse in full: mindfulness of breathing, simple living, wilderness dwelling, and self-review. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Mindfulness of breathing, and five qualities
§1“Mendicants, a mendicant practicing mindfulness of breathing who has five things will soon penetrate the unshakable. What five? It’s when a mendicant has few obligations and duties, and is unburdensome and contented with life’s necessities. They eat little, not devoted to filling their stomach. They are rarely drowsy, and are dedicated to wakefulness. They live in the wilderness, in remote lodgings. They review the extent of their mind’s freedom. A mendicant practicing mindfulness of breathing who has these five things will soon penetrate the unshakable.”
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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 three qualities does this discourse share with AN 5.96 and AN 5.97?
Correct: A. The trio's three constant simple-living qualities.
Question 2 of 10
What fourth item does this discourse use, distinct from both AN 5.96 and AN 5.97?
Correct: C. The trio's third and final variant.
Question 3 of 10
What verb frames this discourse's relationship to mindfulness of breathing?
Correct: C. The third of the trio's three verbs.
Question 4 of 10
What are the three fourth-item variants across the whole trio (96, 97, 98), in order?
Correct: A. The trio's sequence of varying fourth items.
Question 5 of 10
What does the variation across the trio's fourth item suggest?
Correct: B. Three different markers, one underlying combination held fixed.
Question 6 of 10
What is the fifth item, shared across all three discourses?
Correct: B. Constant across the entire trio.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'āraññako' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's fourth-item quality.
Question 8 of 10
What earlier discourse in this nipāta discussed dangers specific to wilderness-dwelling mendicants?
Correct: B. Future Perils (1st), naming five physical hazards.
Question 9 of 10
What outcome do all three discourses in this trio converge on?
Correct: B. The same akuppa outcome named at AN 5.95.
Question 10 of 10
What does AN 5.99 turn to next?
Correct: B. A striking shift from formulaic lists to extended simile.
