Sentient beings are innumerable; 

I vow to help them all.  

This aspiration to help all beings is the first of the four great vows of Buddhas. With much enthusiasm to learn and practice the teachings, many people become enthralled with the abundance of Buddhist teachings. But in the vows, we see that mastering boundless Dharma doors, the methods of learning and practice, is the third vow.

The first is to give rise to the vow to help all beings.

All beings? Can’t I just help myself?

If we practice to solely help ourselves, our mind will remain narrow and biased. A broad and impartial mind, like that of an awakened being, is what we strive for. With our firm holding of the first great vow—the aspiration to help all sentient beings—our great compassion will be generated and compel us to be diligent on the path.

Without compassion and diligence, we will give up in the face of obstacles. So the first vow inspires and encourages us, and serves as our fundamental vow. The other three vows serve to help us fulfill this first vow.