Priest Chōen of Tsukushi Province was of the Tendai Sect. He had entered into the Buddha’s Way in his youth and continued to recite the Hokekyō and worship Acala. After many years of ascetic practices, he acquired miraculous powers.

On one occasion, when Chōen was fasting for twenty-seven days and reciting the Hokekyō on Mount Katsuragi, he dreamed that the Eight Followers of Acala, all equipped with weapons, including swords and three- and five-pronged iron vajra, listened to his recitation and said admiringly, “The ascetics who serve the Buddha are the same as the Buddha and will attain the supreme enlightenment just as other bodhisattvas!”

At another time, Chōen wished to cross an ice-covered river. Unable to locate the shallow places for fording, Chōen was lamenting by the river bank. A large cow appeared from the mountain, and crossed the river several times, breaking the ice to make a passage, and vanished. Chōen safely crossed the river following the path of the cow. He clearly knew that a guardian of the Law had become a cow to assist him in crossing.

On another occasion, when crossing Mount Ōmine from Mount Kumano in the direction of Mount Mitake, Chōen lost his way. While he was fervently reciting the Hokekyō, a boy appeared in his dream and indicated the correct route, just as the verses of the Hokekyō say, “Guardians of the Law will help and show the correct path and remove the devotee’s weariness.” After waking up, Chōen took the correct route to Mount Mitake.

On another occasion, when Chōen was reciting the sūtra through the night, an old man of unusual virtue appeared before Chōen and gave his name card as he said, “I am King Uten, related to Mañjuśrī of Wu-t’ai-shan. I offer you this card on account of your great virtues and merits acquired by reciting the Hokekyō. With Mañjuśrī, I will guard you in present and future generations.”

Chōen once visited the Kiyomizu Temple and was reciting the Hokekyō through the night. A beautiful woman of noble appearance, and decorated with beads and necklaces, appeared before him with her palms together and said in praise, “Those who are in the samādhi meditation will hear the sound of the hora instrument which resounds throughout the entire universe. The voice reciting the Hokekyō will never tire the listeners.”

Unusual events happening to Chōen were numerous. This truly must have been due to power of the marvelous Law and the assistance of Acala. Who would doubt and mistrust this sūtra? Shōen passed away during the Chōkyü era. (Page 114-115)

Long ago, when a man of Yamashiro Province was playing a go game with a priest, a Hokekyō reciter came by and begged for food while reciting the Hokekyō. Hearing the recitation, the priest sneered at and scorned the reciter. Immediately, the priest’s mouth became twisted; he was losing his voice and became useless.

Seeing and hearing about the priest, people were all frightened and awestruck saying, “Since he scorned the Hokekyō reciter, he was punished right in his present life.”

The annoyed priest went to an herbalist who tried to give the priest some medicinal treatment, but all was of no avail. The priest’s mouth became more twisted, his voice became fainter, and he was unable to speak.

Since retribution in one’s present life can be like this, the suffering and pain in one’s future life cannot be calculated, just as can be noted in the Hiyu Chapter of the Hokekyō. This story appears in the Ryōiki. (Page 118)

Ezō was a priest of the Daigoji Temple. Since taking the tonsure, he had a close relationship to the Hokekyō. He only recited the Hokekyō. He neither read other sūtras, nor studied secular writings. He did not maintain the Shingon teachings, nor learn the Tendai doctrines. But he fervently recited and memorized the Hokekyō. Yet he could not memorize two characters in the Verse of the Priest in the sūtra’s Chapter of Skillfulness. For several years, Ezō tried to learn these characters in vain. While looking at the text, he knew and understood the characters very clearly, but as soon as he left the text and tried to recite from memory, he could not remember the characters. He mourned over his past sins which might cause this hardship, and wished to know the reason.

Finally, he visited the Hatsusedera Temple, sequestered himself for seven days and prayed, “Great Merciful Kannon, please let me learn these two characters in the sūtra!” Seven days had passed and Ezō dreamed that an old priest appeared behind the sacred hanging in front of the altar and said to Ezō, “Priest, I will let you learn the two characters with the Buddha’s expedience and explain why you have not remembered these characters.

“You were born as a human being both in this and your past lives. In your former existence, you were born in the Kamo District of Harima Province, where your parents still live. In the past of your former life, you recited the Hokekyō, facing a fire whose flames burned the two characters in the text. You had not written and supplied these burned characters in the text at that time. Due to this mistake, you are not able to learn them in this life, no matter how hard you have tried. Your old text is still extant in Harima. You should go there, pay your respects to the old text, write the missing characters in the text, and atone for your past sins.”

The awakened Ezō recited the sūtra. This time, he recalled the two characters with no difficulty. To learn the truth, he went to the Kamo District of Harima Province. As the master of the house came out and saw Ezō and heard his voice, the master said to his wife, “Our child has returned! His face and voice are no different than those of our child.”

Hearing this, Ezō explained to the couple why he had come. The parents were tearfully overjoyed. As Ezō read the old text of the sūtra, he saw that the two characters were missing. He added them to the text and kept it for a long time. Thus, in his present life, Ezō had four parents whom he served well and treated with filial piety. Ezō devoted himself to the Way and was never negligent in practicing good deeds. (Page 57-58)