Self-Power vs Other-Power on the Path of Enlightenment
Practice and Cultivation — Easy Path vs Difficult Path
Excerpted from Ten Doubts About Pure Land, by Master Zhi-yi
We ordinary people are entirely entangled in heavy evil karma and are full of all kinds of afflictions. Even though we may have some virtues as a result of cultivation, we find it difficult to sever even a fraction of defilement and hindrances. The Land of Ultimate Bliss, on the other hand, is extremely purely adorned, transcending the Three Realms (Desire Realm, Form Realm, Formless Realm). How can corrupted ordinary mortals hope to be reborn there?
The 6th Century T’ien T’ai Chinese Patriarch Master Zhi-yi had once addressed this in the book “Ten Doubts About the Pure Land” with regards to the two conditions: “self-power” and “other-power”, which reveals the inconceivable power of Amitabha’s forty-eight vows and the Pure Land method.
Let’s take a deeper look at the conditions of self vs other power.
SELF-POWER
As far as self-power is concerned, while ordinary beings of this Saha world, totally bound (by their attachments and afflictions), may have some level of cultivation, in reality, they still cannot be reborn in the Pure Land.
The “Peace and Bliss Collection” by Master Daochuo (562–645 AD), the Second Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism, states:
“Those who first develop the Bodhi Mind — starting from the level of completely fettered ordinary beings ignorant of the Three Treasures and the Law of Cause and Effect — should base themselves initially on faith.
“Next, when they have embarked upon the Bodhi path, the precepts should serve as their foundation. If these ordinary beings accept the Bodhisattva precepts and continue to uphold them unfailingly and without interruption for three kalpas, they will reach the First Abode of Bodhisattvahood.
“If they pursue their cultivation in this manner through… the Ten Paramitas as well as countless vows and practices, one after another without interruption, at the end of ten thousand kalpas they will reach the Sixth Abode of Bodhisattvahood.
“Should they continue still further, they will reach the Seventh Abode (Non-Retrogression). They will then have entered the stage of the ‘Seed of Buddhahood’ (i.e., they are assured of eventual Buddhahood). However, even then, they still cannot achieve rebirth in the Pure Land” — that is, if they rely on self-power alone.”
OTHER-POWER
With regard to “other-power”, if anyone believes in the power of Amitabha Buddha’s compassionate vow to rescue sentient beings and then develops the Bodhi Mind, cultivates the Buddha Remembrance (Recitation) Samadhi, grows weary of his temporal, impure body in the Three Realms, practices charity, upholds the precepts, and performs other meritorious deeds — dedicating all the merits and virtues to rebirth in the Western Land — one’s aspirations and the Buddha’s response will be in accord.
Relying thus on the Buddha’s power, one will immediately achieve rebirth. (It should be stressed that, rebirth through other-power is, in effect, rebirth through emphasis on other-power, not exclusively reliant upon it.)
Also, we read in the “Commentary on the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvahood Sutra” that: “There are two paths of cultivation, the Difficult Path and the Easy Path.
DIFFICULT PATH
The Difficult Path refers to the practices of sentient beings in the world of the five turbidities, who, through countless Buddha eras, aspire to reach the stage of Non-Retrogression. The difficulties are truly countless, as numerous as specks of dust or grains of sand, too numerous to imagine. I will summarize the five major ones below:
a) Externalists are legion, creating confusion with respect to the Bodhisattva Dharma
b) Evil beings destroy the practitioner’s good, wholesome virtues
c) Worldly merits and blessings can easily lead the practitioner astray, so much so that he ceases to engage in virtuous practices
d) It is easy to stray onto the Arhat’s Path of self-benefit, which obstructs the Mind of Great Compassion
e) Relying exclusively on self-power, without the aid of the Buddha’s power, makes cultivation very difficult and arduous. It is not unlike the case of a feeble, handicapped person, walking alone, who can only go so far each day regardless of how much effort he expends.
EASY PATH
“The Easy Path of cultivation means that, if sentient beings in this world believe in the Buddha’s words, practice Buddha-name Recitation and vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, they are assisted by the Buddha’s vow-power and assured of rebirth. This is analogous to a person who floats downstream in a boat; although the distance may be many thousands of miles, his destination will be reached in no time.”
The virtues of Buddha-name Recitation are “unconditioned” good roots. Ordinary, impure persons who develop the Bodhi Mind, seek rebirth, and constantly practice Buddha Recitation can subdue and destroy afflictions, achieve rebirth; and depending on their level of cultivation, obtain vision of the rudimentary aspects of the Buddha’s body (the thirty-two marks of greatness, for example). Bodhisattvas, naturally, can achieve rebirth and see the subtle, loftier aspects of the Buddha (i.e., the Dharma body). There can be no doubt about this.
So, as the Avatamsaka Sutra stated:
“All the various Buddha lands are equally purely adorned. Because the karmic practices of sentient beings differ, their perceptions of these lands are different.”
Resources:
Biography of Master Zhi-yi (538–597 CE)
See also: Benefits of Mindful Chanting of Amitabha Buddha
See also: Single-minded Practice of Buddha-name Chanting
