The spirit of Buddhist offering: "offering in actuality" and "offering in principle"

The Buddha, being truly worthy of respect, never judges by the size of one's offerings. In the past, the boy Virtue Victorious offered a mud pie to the Buddha, and was reborn as King Ashoka and ruled over all of Jambudvipa. A poor woman cut off her hair and sold it to buy oil [for the Buddha], and not even the winds sweeping down from Mount Sumeru could extinguish the flame of the lamp fed by this oil. Accordingly, your offerings of two and three strings of coins are far greater even than those of the ruler of Japan, who may offer the nation and build a pagoda adorned with the seven kinds of treasures that reaches to the heaven of the thirty-three gods.

Reply to Onichi-nyo, WND, 1089

Written to Onichi-nyo in 1280 from Minobu

Stop and ponder! How rare is the faith that moves one to give alms to the priest who knows the heart of the Lotus Sutra! One will not stray into the evil paths if one does so even once. Still greater are the benefits arising from ten or twenty contributions, or from five years, ten years, or a lifetime of contributions. They are beyond even the measure of the Buddhas' wisdom. The Buddha taught that the blessings of a single offering to the votary of this sutra are a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater than those of offering countless treasures to Shakyamuni Buddha for eighty million kalpas.

Letter to Niike, WND, 1026-27

Written to Niike Saemon-no-jo in February of 1280 from Minobu

The most dreadful things in the world are the pain of fire, the flashing of swords, and the shadow of death. Even horses and cattle fear being killed; no wonder human beings are afraid of death. Even a leper clings to life; how much more so a healthy person. The Buddha teaches that even filling the entire major world system with the seven kinds of treasures does not match offering one's little finger to the Buddha and the [Lotus] sutra. The boy Snow Mountains gave his own body, and the ascetic Aspiration for the Law peeled off his own skin [in order to record the Buddha's teachings]. Since nothing is more precious than life itself, one who dedicates one's life to Buddhist practice is certain to attain Buddhahood. If one is prepared to offer one's life, why should one begrudge any other treasure for the sake of Buddhism? On the other hand, if one is loath to part with one's wealth, how can one possibly offer one's life, which is far more valuable?

The way of the world dictates that one should repay a great obligation to another, even at the cost of one's life. Many warriors die for their lords, perhaps many more than one would imagine. A man will die to defend his honor; a woman will die for a man. Fish want to survive; they deplore their pond's shallowness and dig holes in the bottom to hide in, yet tricked by bait, they take the hook. Birds in a tree fear that they are too low and perch in the top branches, yet bewitched by bait, they too are caught in snares. Human beings are equally vulnerable. They give their lives for shallow, worldly matters but rarely for the Buddha's precious teachings. Small wonder they do not attain Buddhahood.

Letter from Sado, WND, 301

Written to Toki Jonin on March 20, 1272 from Tsukahara on Sado

In the first place, is says, "far and wide they offer alms to my relics." This should not be taken as encouragement to make offerings to relics in a literal sense. Rather, it teaches the importance of having a direct connection in faith with the Buddha. The highest offering to the Buddha is not to worship something reminiscent of the Buddha. Rather, it is to inherit the Buddha's spirit. In other words, the highest offering lies in struggling to manifest, as one's own way of life, even a part of the spirit of the Buddha. For us today, this means chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon and developing activities for kosen-rufu.

Lectures on the Expedient Means & Life Span Chapters, Vol. 3, pg. 116

The pulse of the Buddha's constant thought can be found only in the life-to-life bonds of mentor and disciple. That's why the Daishonin called upon his disciples to cherish the same great desire he did. "My disciples," he urges them, "dedicate your lives to accomplishing the Buddha's great vow. Maintain the spirit of oneness of mentor and disciple."

He encourages us to dedicate our lives to the Lotus Sutra, saying, "Think of this offering as a drop of dew rejoining the ocean, or a speck of dust returning to the earth" (WND, 1003 [MW-1, 251]). When we base ourselves on this great wish, our own lives, which might seem as light and insubstantial as a drop of dew or speck of dust, become in actuality one with the eternal life of the Buddha, as immense and formidable as the ocean or earth.

The path of oneness of mentor and disciple, which in practice means basing ourselves on the same wish as the Buddha, is the very essence of Buddhism.

Lectures on the Expedient Means & Life Span Chapters, Vol. 3, pg. 178-79

Besides the almsgiving of material goods, there is also the almsgiving of the Law. Today, in the Latter Day of the Law, this means offering the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws to others. Those who receive this Gohonzon and maintain a consistent practice with strong faith in it will gain a dynamic, refreshing life-force, as the sutra clearly indicates, and will start a new life in every respect - including at work and in the realm of health. And from those who tap and bring forth this powerful life force, such benefits as money, food and good health will well forth ceaselessly like water gushing from the ground. No material offering, which provides only temporary, limited benefit, can compare to this in its magnificence.

Living Buddhism, Feb. 2000, pg. 7

By working for kosen-rufu, we implant good causes in our lives. The actions one takes for the sake of the SGI are transformed into good fortune. Everything has meaning in Buddhism; nothing is wasted. ...

In March of 1277, a female follower traveled all the way to the mountainous recesses of Minobu to visit the Daishonin. Munenaga Ikegami and his wife lent this fellow believer their valuable horse to make the journey. The Daishonin praises their kindness. ... Nichiren Daishonin also indicates that, based on the law of causality, the benefit that accrues from sincere efforts made for our fellow members in faith and for the Law, enables us to enjoy great fortune in this lifetime as well as happiness throughout eternity.

The Daishonin explains this very simply by saying that the horse upon which Munenaga and his wife allowed their fellow believer to ride will become the horse that carries them on their journey to the pure land of Eagle Peak when they reach the end of their lives. This fundamental principle holds true for all things. For example, those who sincerely adorn the palaces of kosen-rufu - our community centers - with flowers will surely come to enjoy a state of life where they are surrounded by beautiful flower gardens in lifetime after lifetime. All the efforts and hard work you put into SGI activities become the source of eternal good fortune for both yourselves and your families.

Seikyo Times, April 1993, pg. 44-45

True faith lies in the actuality of believing wholeheartedly in, and praying single-mindedly to, the Gohonzon - this is what Nichijun Shonin teaches us. Regardless of the objective of one's prayers, whether they are for the cause of kosen-rufu, for personal desires or to change one's destiny, faith exists in the actual act of offering fervent prayers with devoted faith in the Gohonzon. Only through this practice will all our prayers and desires be fulfilled. All other practices and considerations are extraneous.

Further, Nichijun Shonin points out, "Faith and practice are facts, actual realities. Therefore, benefit is also an actual reality." In other words, when you wholeheartedly believe in the Gohonzon and devote yourselves to prayer and to your practice for yourselves and for others, you are accumulating boundless fortune and virtue in your eternal life. Consequently, all your desires will be fulfilled throughout eternity. This is the actual and supreme benefit to be stored within your life.

Buddhism In Action, Vol. 4, Pg. 37

"Offerings should always express our sincerity based on faith. For that reason, we mustn't pressure people to make contributions. Also, even if we take the trouble to give an offering, if we do so merely because everyone else is, lacking a genuine sense of joy, then our benefit will be far less than those who make offerings joyously, of their own initiative.

"I hope that all the leaders here today will thoroughly explain the significance and correct spirit of making offerings to their members. Then everyone can participate proudly and joyfully. Helping people truly understand the importance of offerings through individual, heart-to-heart dialogue will spur them to joyful action. Let's join forces and resolve to write a fresh page in the history of kosen-rufu."

The New Human Revolution, Volume 4, Pg. 124

President Toda often said: "Someone who is too exemplary from the outset cannot go among the people. To spread Buddhism, we intentionally chose to be born as people who are poor or sick." "Life is like appearing in a play," he would say.

He also said, "I lost my wife, and my daughter died. My business failed. Because I have known such suffering, I could become president of the Soka Gakkai." People who have not experienced painful struggles or suffering cannot understand the hearts of others. Only if one has tasted life's bitterness can one lead people to happiness.

To simply view your sufferings as "karma" is backward-looking. We should have the attitude: "These are sufferings I took on for the sake of my mission. I vowed to overcome these problems through faith."

When we understand this principle of "deliberately creating the appropriate karma," our frame of mind is transformed; what we had previously viewed as destiny, we come to see as mission. There is absolutely no way we cannot overcome sufferings that are the result of a vow that we ourselves made.

The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 2, pp. 208-9