Background and Summary（Short Story）
The letter was sent to the lay priest Dōmyō, whose background is unclear. Dōmyō asked the lay nun Myōichi to deliver a letter to the Daishonin, requesting prayers for his ill father. The Daishonin explains the relationship between prayer and its outcome, distinguishing between “conspicuous prayer” with a specific purpose and “inconspicuous prayer” like continuous chanting. He also mentions “conspicuous response” as immediate results and “inconspicuous response” as gradual benefits over time. The Daishonin emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong faith in the Gohonzon.
Main Text
But the only essential point is that, if you believe in this sutra, all your desires will be fulfilled in both the present and the future. The third volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “Although the devil and the devil’s people will be there, they will all protect the Law of the Buddha.”And the seventh volume states, “[If a person who has an illness is able to hear this sutra, then] his illness will be wiped out and he will know neither old age nor death.”