Overview
Five of the thirteen dhutaṅgas are associated with lodging (senāsanappaṭisaṃyutta): the Manorathapūraṇī names them in one sentence (Mp-iv 1152:3) and refers to the Visuddhimagga for their detailed explanation (Mp-iv 1152:4). They concern where the monastic resides.
The List
- Āraññik’aṅga - Forest Dweller’s Practice: Residing in the forest, away from the village (the Visuddhimagga gives the minimum distance as five hundred bow-lengths: Vism-i 539:3 “pañcadhanusatikaṃ pacchimaṃ”).
- Rukkhamūlik’aṅga - Tree-root Dweller’s Practice: Living at the root of a tree, not in a hut.
- Abbhokāsik’aṅga - Open-air Dweller’s Practice: Living in the open air, with no roof or tree cover.
- Sosānik’aṅga - Cemetery Dweller’s Practice: Dwelling in a charnel ground or cemetery, keeping the reality of death in view.
- Yathāsanthatik’aṅga - As-available-bed-and-seat Dweller’s Practice: Contentment regarding accommodation, accepting whatever lodging is assigned, without complaint or preference.
Quote
Senāsanappaṭisaṃyuttāni pana pañca dhutaṅgāni āraññikaṅgaṃ rukkhamūlikaṅgaṃ abbhokāsikaṅgaṃ sosānikaṅgaṃ yathāsanthatikaṅganti.
The five ascetic practices associated with lodging are the forest dweller’s practice, the tree-root dweller’s practice, the open-air dweller’s practice, the cemetery dweller’s practice, and the as-available-bed-and-seat dweller’s practice (last item corrected, tr. Claude; TPR’s translation here reads “sitter’s practice”).— Manorathapūraṇī (Aṅguttara Aṭṭhakathā, Catukkanipāta; Aṭṭhakathā layer) · TPR
Textual References
- Commentary: Manorathapūraṇī (Mp-iv 1152:3) – “Senāsanappaṭisaṃyuttāni pana pañca dhutaṅgāni …”, the five lodging practices.
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (Chapter II, Vism-i 419:2) – The full list of thirteen ascetic practices, in which these five are items 8 to 12. Other commentaries count the sitter’s practice (nesajjikaṅga) with the lodging group too, making six (Pj-ii 1531:3).
- Canonical (Mūla layer in TPR): Milindapañha (Mil 1805:3) – The thirteen dhutaṅgas in the same order.