OFFERING GRATITUDE TO THE THREE TREASURES
Gokuyo is the offering of donations of various kinds (such as financial offerings or food offerings) to the Three Treasures of the Buddha, the Law, and the Priesthood. These offerings come from our sincerity and reverence.
It has been stated in the Gosho that:
As a layman, the most important thing for you is to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo single-mindedly and to provide support for the priests. And if we go by the words of the Lotus Sutra, you should also teach Buddhism to the best of your ability.
(MW, Vol. 3, p. 216; Gosho, p. 1051)
Thus, for a believer, Gokuyo is an important part of Buddhist practice along with Gongyo and shakubuku.
Primarily, Gokuyo is offered to the Buddha as a manifestation of a believer’s reverent faith. The Buddha, on the other hand, accepts the Gokuyo as acknowledgment of the sincerity of that believer. Therefore, in Nichiren Shoshu, we do not accept Gokuyo from those who have not yet taken faith in this Buddhism, nor from those who do not have correct faith in the True Law. In other words, Gokuyo must be offered from a pure spirit based on faith.
In order to give us the opportunity to attain enlightenment, the Buddha made His appearance in this world and preached the Law. Also, the priesthood, which has correctly learned, protected and handed down this Law, exists in order to teach us this very Law. Only with the existence of the Buddha, the Law and the Priesthood are we able to take faith in the True Law, practice correctly, and attain enlightenment. Therefore, we should protect and support the existence of the Buddha, the Law, and the Priesthood with our offerings of Gokuyo. This is our duty as believers, and the correct attitude towards repaying our debt of gratitude to the Three Treasures. There can be no greater misfortune than, out of lack of awareness of the merit we have received, to forget to offer Gokuyo and allow this Buddhism to decline.
It cannot be emphasized enough that we must possess faith that devoutly reveres the Three Treasures, and must not neglect our obligation to offer Gokuyo with the full realization of our mission as lay believers.
THE BENEFIT AND THE SPIRIT OF GOKUYO
Nichiren Daishonin stated:
Whether you chant the Buddha’s name, recite the sutra or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits and good fortune in your life. With this conviction you should put your faith into practice.
(MW, Vol. 1, p.4; Gosho, p. 46)
He teaches us that the offerings placed on the altar are Gokuyo to the Buddha. Everything pertaining to Gokuyo should be based upon our own self-motivation. It is part of our Buddhist practice and enables us to accumulate benefit.
He also stated about the benefit of Gokuyo:
Whether one has wealth or not, life is still the most precious treasure. This is why the sages of ancient times offered their lives to the Buddha, and were themselves able to attain Buddhahood….Yet even common mortals can attain Buddhahood if they cherish one thing: earnest faith. In the deepest sense, earnest faith is the will to understand and live up to the spirit, not the words, of the sutras. What does this mean? In one sense, it means that offering one’s only robe to the Lotus Sutra is equivalent to tearing off one’s own skin, and in a time of famine, offering the Buddha the single bowl of rice on which one’s life depends is to dedicate one’s life to the Buddha.
(MW, Vol. 1, p. 267; Gosho, p. 1544)
Life is the most important treasure in the universe. To offer this greatest of treasures as Gokuyo for the sake of Buddhism will bring forth the great benefit which can eradicate any kind of heavy, negative karma and cause the attainment of Buddhahood in our lifetime. The Daishonin further stated:
Therefore, sages consecrated themselves by offering their own bodies, whereas common mortals may consecrate themselves by the sincerity with which they give.
(MW, Vol. 1 p. 268)
In terms of our own daily practice of Buddhism, we sincerely make financial and food offerings in place of our own lives. People offer whatever Gokuyo they can to the best of their ability and according to their economic circumstances. In short, such offerings of the precious treasures that keep us alive, presented with pure faith for the sake of Buddhism, will bring forth great benefit that equals the benefit of actually offering one’s life for this Buddhism.
If we offer Gokuyo of a great sum without the sincere desire to do so then not only will the benefit of Gokuyo disappear, but we will become arrogant and lose faith itself. Nichiren Daishonin stated:
The Buddha, being truly worthy of respect, never judges by the size of one’s offerings. In the past, Tokusho Doji offered a mud pie to the Buddha, and was reborn as King Ashoka and ruled over all of Jambudvipa.
(MW, Vol. 7, p. 259)
and The amount of one’s offerings is not what determines the roots of good fortune. The merit differs depending upon the country, the person and the time.
(Gosho, p. 1581)
Great benefit is brought forth when Gokuyo is offered to the best of one’s ability according to one’s circumstances, and arises from pure faith.
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