Like Shariputra in an earlier story, in this story Ananda recollects his original vow to teach and transform countless beings into bodhisattvas. This is basically the vow of buddhas and especially of bodhisattvas to save all living beings. Much earlier, in Chapter 2 of the Sutra, the Buddha said:

You should know, Shariputra,
I originally took a vow,
Wanting to enable all living beings to be equal to me,
Without any distinctions.

In Mahayana Buddhism there is a distinction between two kinds of vows, special vows (betsugan in Japanese) and general vows (sogan). Special vows, which might better be termed “resolutions,” are relative to time and circumstance, individual ability, and so on. They may change. Here, however, we are talking of the Buddha’s original general vow, a vow that is said to be taken by all buddhas and to be good for all. It is sometimes taken to be a four-part vow: to save everyone, to remove all hindrances to awakening, to study all the teachings, and to attain the Buddha Way of supreme awakening. These four are sometimes known as the four great vows of followers of the bodhisattva way.

The idea of making a vow that will last for uncountable eons, a vow that is to be the very basis of one’s life, stresses the importance of perseverance, persistence, or diligence. It is a fundamental teaching of the Dharma Flower Sutra that we should set goals for ourselves, such as saving all the living, or world peace, goals that we know very well may never be fully realized. Having set such a goal, we should be devoted to pursuing it. This is why perseverance in the face of difficulties is one of the six transcendental practices or perfections of bodhisattvas. Following this way, we will not easily become discouraged, want to give up, or turn back. Defeats and losses can be expected, but even small victories in the struggle for world peace and human happiness can be a cause for great joy.