Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 152Stingy With Families

An Explanation of the Kulamaccharinī Sutta (A Dharma Teaching on Greed Toward Families)

Background

The Kulamaccharinī Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, a core component of the early Pāli Canon. It is a text concerned with maintaining discipline in the Sangha, especially matters of ethics and conduct for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. The term “Kulamaccharinī” derives from “kula” (family) and “maccharinī” (greed, miserliness), indicating a habit of greed or stinginess toward supporting families.

In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this sutta was recorded to guide monastics in upright and non-greedy conduct toward householders. It is part of the prohibitions (nissaggiya pācittiya), violations requiring confession and the forfeiture of the offending object.

Main Content

The Kulamaccharinī Sutta primarily addresses the situation in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has an attitude of greed and stinginess toward a particular family. This manifests in actions such as favoring one family over others, refusing invitations from other families if the preferred family does not permit it, or even forbidding other monastics from visiting the house of “one’s own family.”

This attitude violates the fundamental principle of the Sangha: equality, impartiality, and immeasurable compassion toward all who are devoted to practice and support. When a monastic has a “close affection” for or “possesses” a certain family, they violate the spirit of renunciation, that is, the abandoning of desires and habits that create suffering.

This rule requires the monastic to confess promptly before the Sangha; otherwise, they must undergo the corresponding penalties. Confession and forfeiture (nissaggiya) are the first step for a monastic to return to the right path.

Practical Meaning

The Kulamaccharinī Sutta teaches that greed—whether in small or great form—is the root of suffering.