DiscoverANAN 5AN 5.255

The Buddha teaches that stinginess with dwellings, families, material things, praise, and the teachings obstructs higher attainments and must be given up to realize the fruits of the path.

AN 5.255 Giving Up Stinginess

“Pañcannaṁ, bhikkhave, macchariyānaṁ pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati. Katamesaṁ pañcannaṁ? Āvāsamacchariyassa pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati; kulamacchariyassa … lābhamacchariyassa … vaṇṇamacchariyassa … dhammamacchariyassa pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati. Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ macchariyānaṁ pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussatī”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Pañcannaṁ, bhikkhave, macchariyānaṁ pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati.

“Mendicants, the spiritual life is lived to give up and cut out these five kinds of stinginess.

Katamesaṁ pañcannaṁ?

What five?

Āvāsamacchariyassa pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati;

Stinginess with dwellings, families, material things, praise, and the teachings.

kulamacchariyassa … lābhamacchariyassa … vaṇṇamacchariyassa … dhammamacchariyassa pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussati.

Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ macchariyānaṁ pahānāya samucchedāya brahmacariyaṁ vussatī”ti.

The spiritual life is lived to give up and cut out these five kinds of stinginess.”

Pañcamaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Giving

Giving

topic
☀️ bright quality

The act of generosity, sharing, or offering to others without expecting anything in return. Giving is considered a foundational virtue in Buddhist practice, fostering selflessness and compassion.

Also known as: generosity, charity, donation, almsgiving, donating, philanthropy, providing with, gift with
Pāli: dāna
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Giving up

Giving up

☀️ bright quality

The mental quality of renunciation and release from attachment. It delights in simplicity and freedom rather than in sensual pleasure. Giving up is not loss but the joyful abandoning of burden, opening the way to peace and insight.

Also known as: renunciation, relinquishment, letting go, abandonment
Pāli: nekkhamma
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Spiritual life

Spiritual life

☀️ bright quality

A life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures

Also known as: abstinence, celibacy, chastity, holy life, sexual restraint
Pāli: brahmacariya
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Stinginess

Stinginess

☁️ dark quality

A contracted, possessive refusal to share what one has—whether material goods, knowledge, or status. It clings tightly to what is “mine,” fearing loss and closing the hand against generosity.

Also known as: miserliness, meanness, tight-fistedness
Pāli: macchariya
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Last updated on July 27, 2026

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