Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 148Stingy With Families

Kulamaccharinī Sutta: Stinginess Toward Families

Background

The Kulamaccharinī Sutta (Pāli: Kulamaccharinī) is found in the Kammavācanā section of the Vinaya Piṭaka, a collection of rules concerning the acts and formal utterances of the Sangha in the Theravāda tradition. This is a particular regulation connected with the Pātimokkha—the fundamental code of 227 or 311 rules that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe.

The background for the arising of this regulation comes from a specific situation: there were monks and nuns who, in the name of practice, were in fact stingy, unwilling to share material goods or benefits with other members of the Sangha community as well as with their own relatives. This conduct runs contrary to the bodhisattva spirit and to the equal, non-possessive way of life emphasized in early Buddhism.

Main Content

This regulation deals with the mechanism of macchariyatā—the mental state of stinginess, greed, and fear of lack. Specifically, it establishes that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs should not be discourteous, behave rudely, or tactfully refuse contact with their families or relatives under the pretext of protecting personal property or benefits.

In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this is not only a matter of personal morality but also a matter concerning the saṅgha—the monastic community. When a monastic displays stinginess and a lack of compassion toward family or anyone else, this breaks harmony and trust within the community. Such conduct is regarded as an offense of Saṅghādisesa—offenses that must be declared before the Sangha and require rehabilitation.

The regulation also reflects the Dharma’s deep understanding of human psychology: stinginess is not protection, but fear and greed concealed beneath the guise of action. It arises from failing to understand anattā (non-self)—the realization that there is no real “I” to protect or to lose.