Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 135Stingy With Families

Kulamaccharinī Scripture: Stinginess Toward Families

Background

The Kulamaccharinī scripture in Pāli, or “Stinginess Toward Families,” is one of the training rules recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This Vinaya was compiled to govern the communal life of monks and nuns, while also reflecting the profound ethical principles of the Buddha-Dharma.

The term “maccharinī” in Pāli means stingy or miserly, a spiritual attitude reflecting harshness, lack of compassion, and lack of generosity. In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this scripture concerns improper actions by nuns or female Buddhist devotees who may conceal or deny material benefits to their families, or fail to share the good things they have received.

The scripture is presented as a specific case in Uposatha meetings or in sessions explaining the Vinaya, where teachers instruct the community of practice about conduct that violates the rules of virtue.

Main Content

The Kulamaccharinī scripture criticizes the stingy attitude that some bhikkhunīs or female devotees may display. Specifically, this is the case when a person in the Sangha is unwilling to share material benefits such as robes, food, medicine, or requisites for practice with family or with other members of the Sangha.

This stingy attitude is considered a violation of the spirit of the Five Precepts or of more specific disciplinary rules for monks and nuns. Instead of pursuing the spirit of loving-kindness (mettā) and benevolent support (anugrahānuggaha), such people cling to greed (lobha) and miserliness (macchariya), two of the poisons of the mind together with hatred (dosa).

This scripture is not a sermon but a disciplinary regulation, which may be accompanied by appropriate disciplinary measures depending on the seriousness of the violation. It reflects the view of early Buddhism that communal life in the Sangha requires compassion, sharing, and renunciation of things unnecessary for spiritual progress.