Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 136Stingy With Families
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kulamaccharinī
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KULAMACCHARINĪ SUTTA: STINGY WITH FAMILIES
Context
The Kulamaccharinī Sutta (Stingy with Families) is a part of the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This text is recorded in the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (Analysis of the Rules for Nuns), which sets forth the regulations and analysis of each precept that nuns are required to observe.
In its historical context, the Buddha taught the Dharma with a clear purpose: to bring an end to suffering and to guide sentient beings toward liberation. When establishing the order of nuns, he laid down rules — known as the Pātimokkha (the Bhikkhunī Code) — to protect the harmony and purity of the practice of the Dharma-Vinaya. Each precept is not an independent punishment, but rather an expression of deep understanding of the nature of the mind and the path of practice.
The Kulamaccharinī Sutta arose from specific incidents in which nuns had committed violations, whereupon the Buddha established a rule to correct the behavior in question and to address the underlying reasons for such violations.
Main Content
Kulamaccharinī (maccharinī = stinginess/possessiveness; kula = family) concerns unfair or partial conduct in the relationships between nuns and the families who support them. Specifically, this text addresses the situation in which a nun is willing to accept or show preference only for offerings — robes, requisites, food, medicine — from certain particular families, while displaying displeasure or refusal toward other families.
Such behavior violates a fundamental principle of the Vinaya: a nun should not create discrimination or cause distress among lay supporters. This is harmful not only to the nun herself — since it nourishes greed (lobha), aversion (dosa), and delusion (moha) — but also undermines the faith of the community and damages the exemplary conduct (ādāsa, being a mirror of virtue) expected of one who has gone forth.
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