- Self-Power and Other-Power
- Ven. Dr. Thich Thien An
- Copyright 1975, Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, California
Zen Buddhism emphasizes man's ability to develop himself through his own inner strength
and states that by his determination and constant practice he can attain the state of
enlightenment and spiritual perfection known as Buddhahood. This reliance upon one's own
effort as the way to enlightenment is known as "self-power," and the philosophy
of self-power forms the basis for practice in both the Rinzai and Soto schools of Zen.
However, Buddhism includes not only the conception of self-power, but also the conception
of an "other-power," the compassionate power radiating from the heart of Amita
Buddha, the glorified Buddha of the Great Vehicle. The philosophy of the
"other-power" provides the central conception of Pure Land Buddhism, a
devotional form of Buddhism which flourished in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. But the
concept of the other-power is not altogether foreign to Zen. In Zen Buddhism there have
been attempts to fuse the concepts of self-power and other-power into a synthetic whole,
and the result of this synthesis has been very fruitful for both theory and practice.
The union of self-power and other-power runs throughout the practice of Zen in China
and Vietnam, and while the two main Japanese Zen sects, Rinzai and Soto, tend to emphasize
self-power exclusively, there is a third sect called Obaku Zen, which takes the fusion of
the two powers as its basic method of cultivation. Some scholars, such as D. T. Suzuki, do
not regard the reliance upon the "other" as authentic Zen, but this author's
viewpoint is different. Any method which leads to the calming and purification of the mind
and the realization of our true nature can be considered as Zen. Zen is the Japanese
equivalent of the Sanskrit word dhyana, "concentration" or
"meditation." If the method of combining self-power and other-power as practiced
in the syncretic Zen schools leads to the attainment of a concentrated mind and the
opening of enlightenment, then that method is legitimate Zen.
The methods of self-power and other-power were both originally taught by Sakyamuni
Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. According to the teaching of the Buddha, every living
being has a Buddha nature. Therefore, it is within the potential of every man to realize
that Buddha nature and to become enlightened. But to reach that state is a tremendously
difficult task, calling for dauntless courage and unflinching will power. Thus, very few
people are capable of reaching enlightenment by themselves; very few have the required
spiritual qualification. For the majority of people it is necessary to rely upon the help
of others, and here we find the germ of the "other-power" schools. It is as if a
boat were wrecked while floating down a river. Those who are good swimmers would be able
to save themselves, but what are they to do who cannot swim as well! They must call for
help and rely upon a better swimmer to bring them to the safety of the riverbank. In other
words, they must rely upon someone else to save them. Similarly, while we all have the
potential to become Buddhas, very few can accomplish Buddhahood through their own unaided
striving. Most must rely upon the help of others to reach the safe shore of enlightenment.
In Obaku Zen and the Pure Land schools, practitioners rely upon the compassionate power
of Amita Buddha. This may sound rather remote from orthodox Zen, but if we consider the
matter carefully, we will find that the difference between Obaku Zen and Pure Land
Buddhism on the one hand, and the Rinzai and Soto Zen schools on the other, is only a
difference of degree, not of kind. Practice in Rinzai and Soto requires the Master to
teach the student how to sit, how to discipline his mind, how to work with the koan or
practice shikantaza, and he depends upon the wisdom and spiritual skill of the Master to
guide him to enlightenment.
Without the constant prodding of the Master, how many people would reach satori! True,
the Zen master cannot give enlightenment, but still he stands as a hand reaching to the
disciple from the "other shore," ever ready to extend to him whatever help he
requires. Now if the Zen master is able to assist in the struggle to reach enlightenment,
then how much more help can we expect from the Master who has reached Perfect
Enlightenment, the Buddha! The Zen master can help because he has realized a certain
amount of wisdom and compassion. And so the Buddha can provide us with inexhaustible help
because he has reached the state of perfect wisdom and infinite compassion. Even the very
existence of the path of self-power is in a sense due to the "other-power" of
the Buddha. For it was the Buddha who in his compassion taught the path to enlightenment
and thereby made that path accessible to mankind. The Buddha is the person who helps us by
showing us the Way, and we are the persons who work and practice it by ourselves. That is
a union of self-power and other-power. If the self-power and other-power work together to
assist each other, then we can go anywhere, reach anywhere we wish. By fusing these two
powers in our daily practice, we can enter the gates of enlightenment and abide in the
city of Nirvana.
According to the Buddha, there were in the past other Buddhas who were his
predecessors, and there will be in the future other Buddhas who will be his successors.
The Buddha who is the primary focus of devotion in the Pure Land schools and in Obaku Zen
is a Buddha of the remote past called Amita Buddha. Many aeons ago, the story told by
Sakyamuni Buddha goes, there lived a Bodhisattva named Dharmakara, who practiced the
meditations of compassion and loving-kindness. In his meditation he saw that all living
beings are subject to suffering, to the sorrows of birth, old age, illness and death.
Witnessing this suffering aroused in him a great compassion, and out of this compassion he
vowed that when he attained Buddhahood he would create a special paradise in the Western
region where there would be no more suffering. Through the power of his vow he would
enable any living being recollecting his name and calling upon his help to be reborn in
the Western paradise. Since the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, after several long aeons of
self-cultivation, did attain Perfect Enlightenment and become the Buddha Amita, this means
that his Great Vow is now a reality. The paradise has been established and is accessible
to all who with a mind of sincere faith take refuge in the compassion and grace of Amita
Buddha.
The Western paradise is not, however, the final goal for the Pure Land Buddhist, not
even for those who seek rebirth there. Rather, it is an intermediary abode where the most
favorable conditions for self-cultivation have been set up and secured. While there are
some men who by practicing can reach enlightenment in this world, many find difficult
obstacles confronting them along the path. The necessity for work, the attractions of the
senses, the threat of illness and infirmity and the gross entanglements of materiality all
stand as barriers across our path. In the Western Paradise none of these barriers are
present. Everything there is radiant, peaceful and beautiful. No defilements can be found,
for all shines with purity. Therefore, the country of Amita Buddha is called the Pure
Land. Those who are reborn into the Pure Land dwell in the midst of lotus flowers. They
are always in the presence of Amita Buddha and the assemblies of Bodhisattvas presided
over by the Bodhisattva Kwan-Yin, the embodiment of universal compassion. In the midst of
these pure conditions it is easy to develop concentration and wisdom and attain Perfect
Enlightenment.
The way to attain rebirth in the Western Paradise is by devotion to Amita Buddha. This
devotion is expressed by reciting the sutras that teach about Amita, by chanting His Name,
by meditating upon His Image and by calling to mind His Wisdom, Virtue and Compassion.
Those who are capable of placing single-minded faith in the Great Vow of Amita will enter
the Pure Land where they will meet all favorable conditions for practice and never again
fall into this world of suffering. This way is called the "easy path" (Jap.
igyo) in contrast to the "difficult path" (nangyo) of self-power. The practice
of the "easy path" is very popular in China, Vietnam, Korea and Mongolia, and
also in the Pure Land schools of Japan, the Jodoshu and the Jodoshinshu. Belief in the
"otherpower" of the Buddha also helps us to develop our selfpower. Therefore, in
the Far East a form of practice was developed by Mahayana Buddhists which combines formal
meditation with the chanting of the Buddha's name.
In this method the practitioners sit before an image of the Buddha and chant the
Buddha's name, quietly and calmly, while at the same time meditating upon the Buddha image
or an internalized visualization of the Buddha. As the mind deepens in meditation, a point
is reached where subject and object become one. No longer is the Buddha the object and the
meditator the subject, but the meditator becomes one with the Buddha. When this happens,
this is the state of "One Mind Samadhi," and here there is no longer any
distinction between Zen and Pure Land, self-power or other-power, wisdom or compassion,
for all has become merged into the brightness of the Infinite Light.
According to a popular Buddhist belief, whenever a person aspires to become a Buddhist,
a lotus-flower blossoms in the Pure Land. When a person becomes a Buddhist, this means
that he is beginning to practice the way of wisdom, compassion and virtue, so by the
operation of the law of cause and effect, in the perfect world created by the compassion
of Amita Buddha, a lotus flower, the symbol of inner spiritual awakening, awaits his
rebirth into the realm of spiritual perfection. The Western paradise is called the Pure
Land because it is the land of purity, and all who are reborn there are pure. Everything
in the Pure Land teaches the Dharma. Even the birds sing the songs of the Dharma, the
rivers hum sutras as they go flowing by and flowers blossom in harmony with the blossoming
of wisdom. In the Pure Land everything is a stepping stone on the way to Perfect
Enlightenment.
This concept is similar to the teaching of Zen. In Zen we do not learn only from a book
or teacher, but from everything, and we do not learn only in a temple or a meditation
center, but everywhere. For Zen is experience itself, the truth of life as it is ever
flowing by and encompassing us on all sides. So if we approach life with an open mind,
everything can be our teacher. The way of Zen is not a withdrawal from life, but the
realization of truth in all the activities of everyday life. We can learn from our fellow
men, from the arts. This is why Zen developed the cultivation of such arts as gardening,
poetry, painting, tea ceremony and flower arrangement -- as expressions of and keys to the
attainment of enlightenment. Zen has even found a vehicle in the martial arts. The first
supporters of Zen when it was introduced from China to Japan were the samurai, the warrior
class, who found in Zen's emphasis on self-control and equanimity of mind a method of
discipline conducive to their own ends. Zen has also influenced the development of
techniques of self-defense like judo and karate. The principle underlying these different
applications of Zen is that any field of activity can serve as a means for realizing the
truth of Zen. In the same way, according to the Pure Land teaching, everything in the
Paradise of Amita Buddha is a teacher of the Dharma.
There are three methods of meditation practiced in the combined Zen-Pure Land schools.
The first is the chanting of the Buddha's name. The second method is the meditation upon
the form of the Buddha. The follower chooses a particularly appealing image of the Buddha
and begins by focusing upon that image until he can picture it clearly for himself; then
he closes his eyes and tries to visualize the form of the Buddha internally. The third
method is to meditate upon the virtues of the Buddha. The Buddha is the embodiment of
perfect wisdom and infinite compassion. Either one or both of these virtues together may
be taken as the subject of practice. If we choose the compassion of the Buddha, we reflect
that the Buddha's compassion makes no distinction between subject and object or between
enemies and friends, but pours down upon all equally.
This compassion is different from ordinary love. Ordinary love works according to
various discriminations: we love ourselves, but not others; our relatives, but not
strangers; our friends, but not enemies. However, the compassion of the Buddha extends
equally to everyone. Like the Buddha, we should extend our love and compassion outward to
all alike, to everyone everywhere, without making any distinctions. Again, if we choose to
meditate on the Buddha's wisdom, we imagine the light of wisdom radiating from the figure
of the Buddha and growing larger and larger and brighter and brighter until it merges with
our own inner light. At this point we and the Buddha become one. When this stage is
reached, then this world will become transformed into the Pure Land, this Samsara become
Nirvana, and all the bliss and purity of the Western paradise become realized in the here
and now of everyday life. Here the Zen and Pure Land schools meet in that common center
from which they both emanate, the One Mind of Buddha, which is our own true and permanent
Essence of Mind.
Sincere thanks to Bhikkhu Le^. Tho.. for providing
us with this article