Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 150Stingy With Families

Sutta on Being Miserly Toward Families (Kulamaccharinī)

Background

The Kulamaccharinī Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha section for Bhikkhunīs. This is one of the rules concerning moral action intended especially for the monastic community, recorded in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma.

The spirit of this section of the Vinaya Piṭaka is to protect the integrity of the practice of Bhikkhunīs and to maintain the reputation of the fourfold Sangha. The Buddha established prohibitions in order to preserve inner freedom and prevent actions that harm the community of practice. The Kulamaccharinī Sutta concerns the attitude of being “miserly toward families” (maccharinī = stingy, envious, selfish), an error in the conduct of nuns toward householders who support the Sangha.

Main Content

Kulamaccharinī, an unwholesome matter concerning families, forbids conduct through which Bhikkhunīs show a stingy, envious, or selfish attitude toward householders (kula). Specifically, this concerns nuns refusing to share or pass on benefits to the families who support them, or concealing things that could be helpful to householders.

In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, “family” refers to members of the clan—mothers, sisters, daughters-in-law, or women related by blood. The sutta forbids Bhikkhunīs from showing unwillingness to help these people when there is an opportunity to teach the Dharma or offer spiritual support. This is a Pācittiya offense, one of the lighter levels of violation in the Vinaya requiring confession.

The deeper principle here is that Bhikkhunīs must respect and cherish those connected to them, rather than allowing a mentality of seeking gain and envy to govern their actions. The Buddha wanted nuns to live with generosity, not allowing selfishness to sever their ties with the world, especially with those connected by blood.