Stinginess (Maccharisutta)
First published: April 29, 2026
What you learn
This sutta presents a graduated teaching on generosity (dāna) through a dialogue between the Buddha and multiple deities from the Satullapa host. The core teaching addresses the psychological paradox of stinginess: the very deprivation that misers fear—hunger, thirst, and lack—befalls them precisely because of their unwillingness to give. The deities progressively develop the theme, establishing that even small gifts given from limited means have great merit, that the path of generosity distinguishes the good from the bad in their future destinations, and that giving from little while supporting dependents surpasses even grand sacrifices performed a hundred thousand times. The Buddha's culminating teaching introduces a crucial ethical dimension to generosity: the quality and intention behind giving matters more than quantity. Offerings made while 'established in wrongdoing'—through violence, exploitation, or causing suffering—lack the merit of gifts given virtuously, even if those virtuous gifts are materially smaller. This establishes the principle that dāna must be grounded in sīla (ethical conduct) to bear full fruit. The sutta thus integrates generosity into the broader Buddhist path, showing that merit-making cannot be separated from the ethical foundation of non-harming and right livelihood.
Where it sits
This discourse appears in the Sagāthāvagga of the Saṃyutta Nikāya (SN 1.32), specifically within the Devatā-saṃyutta, the first collection of suttas featuring dialogues with deities. The Devatā-saṃyutta contains fifty suttas where celestial beings approach the Buddha with questions, verses, or teachings, often at night in Jeta's Grove. This sutta follows the pattern common to this collection: deities initiate discussion through verse, and the Buddha provides the definitive teaching. The Satullapa deities appear elsewhere in the early texts as a class of celestial beings associated with the sensual realm. Thematically, this sutta connects with the broader Pāli Canon's extensive treatment of dāna as the first step in the gradual training (anupubbikathā). The teaching on giving from little resonates with the Widow's Mite theme found in various traditions. The critique of violent sacrifice connects to suttas like the Kūṭadanta Sutta (DN 5), where the Buddha redirects a brahmin from animal sacrifice toward ethical giving. The principle that ethical conduct must accompany generosity appears throughout the Canon, particularly in discussions of the three bases of meritorious action (puññakiriyavatthu): giving, virtue, and mental development. The sutta's emphasis on intention and purity of offering prefigures later Abhidhamma analysis of kusala (wholesome) and akusala (unwholesome) volition.
Suggested use
This sutta serves as essential reflection material when practitioners struggle with feelings of inadequacy about their capacity to give. Those with limited financial means often feel their contributions are insignificant compared to wealthy donors; this teaching directly addresses that concern by establishing that small gifts given from little, especially when supporting dependents, have extraordinary merit. It can provide encouragement to those practicing right livelihood on modest incomes, affirming that their ethical generosity surpasses materially grand but morally compromised offerings. The sutta is particularly relevant when examining the relationship between wealth acquisition and generosity. Practitioners involved in business, investment, or wealth management can use this teaching to reflect on whether their means of generating resources involves harm, exploitation, or 'cutting down and slaying.' It challenges the notion that one should first accumulate wealth through any means and then give generously later, establishing instead that the ethical quality of both acquisition and giving determines spiritual merit. The teaching also serves communities discussing dana practices, helping to create cultures where all members feel their contributions matter regardless of amount, while maintaining high ethical standards for how resources are obtained.
Guidance
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- Stinginess is self-defeating: The very suffering that misers fear—hunger, thirst, and deprivation—becomes their reality both in this life and the next because of their unwillingness to give. The fear that prevents generosity actually creates the conditions for that fear to manifest.
- Quality over quantity in giving: A small gift given from limited resources by someone who practices Dhamma and supports their family ethically is worth more than a hundred thousand elaborate sacrifices. The value of generosity lies not in the amount but in the purity of intention and ethical foundation.
- Giving from little has special merit: Those who give even when they have little demonstrate exceptional virtue. The teaching explicitly states that such offerings are "measured as equal to a thousand," indicating that generosity amid scarcity carries profound spiritual weight.
- Merits are portable across death: Unlike material possessions or relationships that dissolve at death, the merits from generous actions "do not perish among the dead" and serve as "support for living beings" in future existence—they are the only true companions on the journey beyond this life.
- Violence taints offerings: Gifts obtained through harming others—"having cut down, slain, and caused sorrow"—lack spiritual value regardless of their material abundance. Generosity must arise from ethical conduct to bear genuine fruit.
- "I should wait until I have more to give": This misses the sutta's central point that giving from little has exceptional value. The deities explicitly praise those who "give from little" while "many with much do not wish to give." Waiting for abundance often means never giving at all, as stinginess becomes habitual. Start giving from whatever you have now, even if modest.
- "Large donations are always better": The Buddha directly refutes this by stating that a hundred thousand elaborate sacrifices don't equal a fraction of what a virtuous person gives from their small means. What matters is the ethical foundation, the sacrifice involved relative to one's resources, and the purity of intention—not the absolute amount or impressiveness of the gift.
- "Any giving is equally meritorious": The final exchange clarifies that offerings "accompanied by tears and violence"—gained through exploitation, theft, or harm—have no spiritual value. Generosity must be rooted in right livelihood and ethical conduct. You cannot purify ill-gotten gains through donation; the means matter as much as the act.
- Practice proportional giving: Examine your actual financial situation and commit to giving a specific percentage regularly, even if small. If you earn little, giving 5% is more spiritually significant than a wealthy person giving 1%. Track this to overcome the tendency to wait for "enough"—the practice is in giving despite limitation, not after achieving abundance.
- Audit the source of your generosity: Before making donations, honestly assess whether your resources come from ethical livelihood. If your income involves deception, exploitation, or harm to others, address this first. Consider: Would this gift cause tears to anyone in the chain of how it was acquired? Purify your means of living before focusing on the amount you give.
- Support those who practice Dhamma: The Buddha specifically values supporting "one who practices the Dhamma, even one who wanders for gleanings." Prioritize giving to those who maintain ethical conduct and spiritual practice, including monastics, ethical teachers, and practitioners in need. This creates a virtuous cycle where your generosity enables others' practice, which benefits the wider community.
- AN 5.148 (Givers of What): Expands on different types of giving and their results, explaining what specific qualities of generosity lead to specific outcomes, complementing this sutta's teaching on the quality versus quantity of offerings.
- Dhp 118-119 (Thousands Chapter): Reinforces that "better than a thousand sacrifices for a hundred years is a single moment's homage to one who has developed themselves," paralleling the teaching that ethical quality surpasses ritual quantity.
- SN 3.20 (Aparihāniya Sutta): King Pasenadi learns about non-decline through generosity and virtue, demonstrating how giving combined with ethical conduct creates lasting benefit, directly connecting to this sutta's teaching that merits support beings across lifetimes.