Xct Mu Bi Pc 148Stingy With Families

Kulamaccharinī Sutra: On Greed Toward Families

Background

The Kulamaccharinī (Pāli: kulamaccharinī, from kula = family, maccharinī = greedy, stingy) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the analysis of rules for bhikkhunīs. These are regulations concerning the conduct of Buddhist bhikkhunīs, with special attention to the problem of greed and stinginess in the context of relationships with families.

In the Buddha’s time, bhikkhunīs practiced under strict conditions, living from the alms of lay followers. However, some bhikkhunīs, though they had gone forth, still showed greed toward families that provided food and goods. This text concerns conduct that violates the principles of virtue, especially the manifestation of such greed.

Main Content

The Kulamaccharinī focuses on analyzing cases in which bhikkhunīs display “stinginess toward families” (macchariya), a greedy and possessive attitude toward the families that support them.

This behavior appears in many ways: keeping gifts or food from a family without sharing them with other bhikkhunīs; scheming in order to receive special benefits from particular families; or preventing other bhikkhunīs from approaching “good” families in order to monopolize their offerings.

In the Theravāda tradition, the virtue of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs lies not only in observing rules of conduct but also in the spiritual attitude. Greed (lobha, one of the three poisons) is one of the greatest obstacles on the path of practice. When bhikkhunīs go forth, they have renounced coarse desires for material wealth. Therefore, the display of greed toward families is a deep contradiction of the very nature of renunciation.