September 24, 2021

WHY IS STINGINESS A BLOCK TO IMMEASURABLE METTĀ (LOVING KINDNESS)? - Dhamma Q&A

30 minutes

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

A question received in relation to our recent poya Dhamma session on The First Doorway to Nibbāna:

"Why is stinginess a block for the development of immeasurable mettā? And can you explain how to examine and overcome stinginess?"

The short answer relates to stinginess linking to craving contact as nutriment with consciousness steadying on feeling leading to greed, hatred and delusion (with an emphasis on the hate path). This goes against the Buddha's path the liberation, which is based on non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion. To overcome stinginess, we need to cultivate giving, generosity and renunciation. This leans towards abandoning craving, which leads towards the cessation of suffering.

To answer this question we look into :

— the five kinds of stinginess, taking it further than what we previously looked at in the Vatthūpama Sutta

— the link between stinginess and feelings

— how stinginess leads to the Hate Path (via Contact as Nutriment)

— revisiting the importance of being "easy to instruct" (suvaco) in the Karaṇīyametta Sutta meditation (i.e. "Metta School")

— Buddha's words on abandoning stinginess to access and realise the mental absorptions (jhāna) and higher attainments

Some of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to:

— Vatthūpama Sutta (MN 7)

— Pañcamacchariya Sutta (AN 5.254)

— Suttavebhaṅgiya (Pe 9)

— Ādittapariyāya Sutta (SN 35.28)

— Puttamaṁsa Sutta (SN 12.63)

— Tayodhamma Sutta (AN 10.76)

— Karaṇīyametta Sutta (Snp 1.8)

— Anumāna Sutta (MN 15)

— Asubha Sutta (AN 4.163)

— Paṭhamajhāna Sutta (AN 5.256)

— Dutiyajhānasuttādisattaka (AN 5.257-263)

— Thapati Sutta (SN 55.6)

Bohoma pin to the people who asked this question.

A VIDEO of this DHAMMA Q&A with presentation slides has been published to the Sutta Meditation Series YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUDVNCN-ndE AND on Spotify as a video podcast

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

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