If we delight in a single verse or a single word of the Lotus Sutra by a single thought but become no better than we were before, it is of no use. The assurance of our becoming buddhas is conditional on the result of practice over a long period of time. Why then did the Buddha say that he would predict Perfect Enlightenment for anyone who by a single thought delights in a single verse or a single word of the Lotus Sutra? This is because the mind that one raises through delighting in the Lotus Sutra by a single thought will become the seed of his attaining buddhahood. One must incessantly nurture this seed, making it bud by watering it diligently, making it grow, flower, and bear fruit. However, when we understand that we are assured of becoming buddhas if we hear a single verse or a single word of the Lotus Sutra and by a single thought delight in it, we should be inspired with redoubled courage. Such an understanding is a great encouragement to us in this corrupt age. The Buddha referred to this as follows: “Moreover, after the extinction of the Tathāgata, if there be any people who hear even a single verse or a single word of the Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra, and by a single thought delight in it, I also predict them to Perfect Enlightenment.”