After leaving his parents’ home, Myōren lived in the Hōryūji Temple. He read the Hokekyō and liked to recite it. He wished to learn the complete text. He memorized the passages from the first to the seventh roll and could recite them at will without missing a single word. However, he could not learn the eighth roll, no matter how many years he spent. He read the roll many times but became more forgetful as the years passed.

Lamenting, Myōren thought, “If I were a fool, I would not have learned the first seven rolls. And if I were smart, I should be able to learn the eighth roll. Why could I memorize the first seven rolls in a year while I cannot memorize the eighth roll even after spending several years? I should pray to the Buddhas and gods to discover the reason.”

Myōren confined himself in an Inari Shrine and prayed to the god for one hundred days, but he obtained no response. Myōren visited the Hatsusedera Temple and Mt. Mitake and went on a summer retreat at each place in vain. He continued his prayers at Mount Kumano for another hundred days, and the god of Mount Kumano appeared in a dream saying, “Your request is beyond my ability. You should ask for the help of the god of Sumiyoshi Shrine.”

Following the instruction of the god of Mt. Kumano, Myōren went to the Sumiyoshi Shrine and spent a hundred days in prayer. Finally, the Sumiyoshi god said that Myōren should go to Mount Daisen of Hahaki.

So Myōren visited Mt. Daisen and went on a summer retreat there. Finally, the Bodhisattva Daichimyō responded to Myōren in a dream, “I will tell you the reason. Believe me without a single doubt. Once in your former life, a man from Mimasaka visited this mountain leading a cow with a load of rice on its back. The man left the cow in the priests quarter while he visited the main hall. A Hokekyō reciter in the priests’ quarter began to recite the sūtra at night. The cow listened to all the seven rolls until daybreak. The cow developed a pious mind while listening to the recitation but had to accompany its master home in the morning without hearing the eighth roll.

You were the cow. Since you had listened to the recitation of the Hokekyō, you left the state of an animal, and were reborn as a human being in this life. You came to learn the Law and the seven rolls of the sūtra. Since you had not heard the eighth roll, you were unable to learn it in this life. Now refrain from the evils caused by your mouth, body, and will, and recite the Hokekyō. You will be able to enter the Tosotsu Heaven in the future.”

Waking from his dream, Myōren clearly understood the karmic cause and sincerely prayed with his palms joined, saying, “Having listened to the Hokekyō recitation, the ignorant cow could leave its animal state, was reborn as a human being, and is able to recite the sūtra. How could one fail to accumulate virtue if one practices the Way as a human being? Buddhas will certainly know about it. I hope that I will see various Buddhas in my successive lives, listen to the Hokekyō for generation after generation, always engage in the devout practices of the bodhisattvas, and finally attain the supreme Buddhahood.” Thus vowing Myōren paid his respects to the god and left the mountain.

It is difficult to listen to The Lotus;
It is difficult to make comments, copy, and recite it;
It is difficult to meet those who venerate it.
Those who see, hear, praise or slander it Will equally become Buddhas.
(Page 99-100)

Priest Jin’yū, commonly called Shōdaitoku of Koshi, had many names which need not be mentioned here. He was of the Koshi District of Echigo Province. He recited the Hokekyō and was devoted to his incomparably strict ascetic practices. Demon deities obeyed his orders, the lord of the region revered him from afar, and all those in the vicinity paid homage to him.

Now there was a mountain called Mount Kukami in the province, and wishing to do some good deed, a pious patron built a jeweled pagoda there. When he was about to offer a service of dedication for the pagoda, the thunder rolled and lightning struck and shattered the building. The sad patron grieved and lamented tearfully. He reconstructed the pagoda, but when he tried to offer the dedicatory service for it, just as before, the thunder rolled down with lightning and broke it into rubble. His pagoda was destroyed in this way three times. The patron grieved over his unaccomplished vow; he desired once more to reconstruct the pagoda and wished it to be safe from the thunder’s destruction.

Priest Jin’yū told the devout man, “Don’t lament any longer. With the power of the Hokekyō, I will protect the pagoda from destruction so that you may fulfill your vow.”

Priest Jin’yū stayed at the foot of the newly built pagoda and recited the sūtra. Suddenly the thunder began to roll through the clouds, a light rain fell, and lightning flashed. The devotee once more grieved for he was afraid that this was the sign that the thunder was trying to destroy the pagoda. Priest Jin’yū made a vow and continuously recited the sūtra in a loud voice.

At that moment, a boy fell from the sky. He seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen years old; he had unkempt hair and a furious look. He was bound in five places, including his body, knees, and head, and he cried loudly and tearfully.

Bowing and prostrating himself before Jin’yū, the boy said, “Have mercy and forgive me. I will never destroy the pagoda hereafter.”

When Jin’yū asked him why he had destroyed the pagoda, the boy replied, “The Earth Deity of this mountain is a close friend of mine. The deity told me, ‘A pagoda has been built on top of me and I have lost my place. Destroy the pagoda!’ So I have destroyed the pagoda each time for the deity. However, the mysterious power of the sūtra has subjugated everything, and the Earth Deity has moved elsewhere. I am also frightened and awestruck by such power as this.”

The patron now realized that his vow had been fulfilled and that the priest’s words were true. Priest Jin’yū said to the boy, the incarnation of the Thunder, “Since you follow the Law of the Buddha and do nothing contrary to it and are also developing a good mind without destroying the pagoda, you will be truly benefited by your virtue.

“Now when I look at the temple here, I see that it has no water. The priests have to go down to the valley and climb up here to fetch water. You, Thunder, must cause a spring to appear at this temple for the sake of the resident priests. If you don’t create the spring, I will bind you and won’t release you for months and even years. Also, you must not make any rolling noise within forty ri in the four directions about this temple.”

The prostrated Thunder respectfully received the priest’s orders and said, “I will produce the water as you said. Moreover, how could I dare make any rolling noise or even appear within forty ri about this mountain!”

The Thunder then poured a few drops of water from a container onto his palms. As soon as he had made a hole in the top of a rock with his fingers, the Thunder made a quick movement, and leaped up into the sky and disappeared. Clear and abundant water suddenly gushed from the hole in the rock. It was cold in summer to reduce the heat and warm in winter to prevent freezing.

The jeweled pagoda remained undamaged for several hundred years. Although the thunder rolled in all other places, it was never heard within forty ri in the four directions around Mount Kukami.

Truly the power of the Law is unusual and mysterious. Many priests gathered there and lived in the temple; they propagated the Law and benefited others. Owing to the power of the Hokekyō, Priest Jin’yū displayed marvelous virtue to the people and attained enlightenment. He expired during the era of Jingokeiun. (Page 101-102)

In the reign of Emperor Shōmu, a good man whose name is unknown lived in the Sagaraka District of Yamashiro Province. To repay the four kinds of obligations, he copied the Hokekyō. He also paid one hundred kan of money for purple and white sandalwood, hired a craftsman, and had him make a wooden casket to store the roll of the sūtra which he had copied.

The man examined the casket which was too short for the roll. Lamenting, the man wished to have another casket made, but could not obtain more of the valuable wood. Distressed, although strong in his faith, the man invited many priests and had them recite the Hokekyō for thirty-seven days, paying for more valuable wood for a new casket.

Twenty-seven days had passed and the man tried to place the roll in the casket. Although the roll did not quite fit well, the casket appeared to be somewhat larger. Thinking this extraordinary, yet rejoicing, the man encouraged the priests to continue their prayers.

On the thirty-seventh day, the man tried to place the roll in the casket. This time it fitted into the casket perfectly. Seeing this, the people were marveling greatly. Wondering if the roll had become shorter or the casket had become larger, they compared the roll with the original copy of the sūtra. Both the new and the old rolls were of the same length.

However when they tried to put both copies together in the casket, they could easily insert the new one, but not the old one. Again the people were impressed and knew that this marvelous happening was in response to the miraculous power of the Mahāyāna scriptures and to the man’s deep faith. The story appears in the Ryōiki. (Page 124-125)