Since his early religious life, Unjō had been devoted to the Mahāyāna teachings. He had always avoided secular affairs and searched for serene place of residence.

He once wished to visit holy places and headed towards Kumano. Passing through Shima Province, he reached the coast in a remote place near the provincial boundary. By the seaside, he found a large cave in a high cliff where he took shelter for the night. Trees were growing profusely over the cave. The deep ravine was connected to the sea and the atmosphere in the valley around the cave seemed quite mysterious. In particular, the area was filled with a bad odor like rotten fish.

The frightened Unjō waited for daybreak by single-mindedly reciting the Hokekyō. Towards midnight, the wind began to blow, the rain started to fall, and the atmosphere changed. The odor increased as the air became lukewarm. Suddenly a huge poisonous serpent appeared and was about to swallow Unjō in a gulp. Seeing this, Unjō with firm faith concentrated on reciting the Hokekyō and prayed, “My life is about to end. By the power of the Hokekyō, may I be reborn in the Pure Land without falling into the Three Lower Realms.” Suddenly the serpent closed its mouth, became merciful, and disappeared without harming Unjō. The rain soon fell violently, the thunder rolled, and the lightning flashed like sunbeams. The mountain was flooded and the rocks and stones were carried away. After a while, the rain stopped and the sky became clear.

A person dressed in courtly attire of the fifth rank appeared in the opening of the cave, respectfully bowed to Unjō and said, “I am the master of this cave. I have harmed numerous living creatures including human beings. Tonight, I was going to devour you. But as soon as I heard you reciting the Hokekyō, my bad karma was altered, and good seeds germinated in me. Tonight’s great rainfall and lightning with rolling thunder were not real, but were the tears flowing from my eyes as the result of the revelation of my sins. Hereafter, I will conceive no more evil. My tears caused a great rainfall. You cannot imagine how it would be for me to reveal my true self.” As the person finished, he disappeared.

Having escaped the danger, Unjō felt the incident most unusual, affirmed his faith, and further concentrated on the Hokekyō. “Even a poisonous serpent developed a good mind by listening to the Hokekyō recitation. Certainly, the people of later generations will benefit by it. They should know that unless faith is put in the Hokekyō, one will soon fall into the mud of sufferings and be mired in it for a long time,” thought Unjō.

Afterwards, Unjō recommended the recitation of the sūtra to others, cultivated himself and others by practicing the Way and accumulating merits, and passed away forever. (Page 43-44)