Macchariyasutta — Satipatthanavagga — the seventh chapter of the Nines
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
Five kinds of stinginess named in full, then the remedy compressed to an ellipsis, matching AN 9.65-68
Length
~30 seconds to read
A term already met once in this nipāta
One of these five kinds of stinginess, with the teaching, was already named as the seventh of nine things rooted in craving at AN 9.23
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, and among the most socially concrete lists in this chapter
Why this discourse
The five kinds of stinginess — with dwellings, families, material things, praise, and the teaching — are given up the same way as every other obstacle in this chapter, by developing the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
To give up the five kinds of stinginess — with dwellings, families, material things, praise, and the teaching — a mendicant should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the same remedy given throughout this chapter.
Five domains of withholding
Unlike more abstract obstacle-lists elsewhere in this chapter, stinginess names five concrete, socially observable domains: a monastic's own lodging, their spiritual patrons or families, material possessions, credit or praise, and — distinctively — the teaching itself, withheld from those who might benefit from hearing it.
Withholding the teaching, a stinginess unlike the rest
The fifth item, stinginess with the Dhamma, stands apart from the other four's more ordinary possessiveness: it names a specifically monastic failure, hoarding spiritual knowledge rather than material goods, and closes the list on its most consequential form.
A term this nipāta has already touched once
Stinginess (macchariya) itself was already named as the seventh link in AN 9.23's nine-stage chain rooted in craving — ownership producing stinginess, stinginess producing safeguarding, and safeguarding eventually producing open conflict. This discourse doesn't repeat that chain but names the specific domains stinginess takes when it does arise.
Key terms
pañca macchariyāni — “the five kinds of stinginess” — this discourse's own title term, naming five concrete domains of withholding.
āvāsamacchariyaṁ, kulamacchariyaṁ, lābhamacchariyaṁ — “stinginess with dwellings, families, material things” — the first three, ordinary forms of monastic possessiveness.
vaṇṇamacchariyaṁ, dhammamacchariyaṁ — “stinginess with praise, and the teaching” — the remaining two, the latter a distinctively monastic failure of withholding spiritual knowledge.
macchariyaṁ ārakkhaṁ janeti — “stinginess gives rise to safeguarding” — AN 9.23's own use of this same term, as one link in a nine-stage chain rooted in craving.
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā — “the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — the shared remedy, named but not spelled out in this discourse.
The text
The discourse in full, as it survives: five kinds of stinginess given in full, then the remedy compressed to an ellipsis. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five kinds of stinginess
§1“Mendicants, there are these five kinds of stinginess. What five? Stinginess with dwellings, families, material things, praise, and the teaching. These are the five kinds of stinginess.
The remedy, compressed
§2To give up these five kinds of stinginess you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. …”
· · ·
Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What five kinds of stinginess does this discourse name?
Correct: B. Five concrete, socially observable domains of withholding.
Question 2 of 6
What makes the fifth item, stinginess with the teaching, distinctive among the five?
Correct: B. A withholding of benefit to others, distinct from ordinary possessiveness.
Question 3 of 6
Where has this project already met the term ‘stinginess’ (macchariya) earlier in this nipāta?
Correct: B. A single step in a causal chain there, five concrete domains here.
Question 4 of 6
How does this discourse relate to AN 9.23's chain?
Correct: B. Complementary treatments of the same underlying concept.
Question 5 of 6
How is the four-foundation remedy presented in this discourse?
Correct: B. Continuing this chapter's sustained compression.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare doctrinal teaching, matching this whole chapter's method.
