is the
Japanese Buddhist
Buddhism has been practiced in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while exten ...
term for self power, the ability to achieve
liberation
Liberation or liberate may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War
* "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode
* "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode
Gaming
* '' Liberati ...
or
enlightenment (in other words, to reach
nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
) through one's own efforts. Jiriki and tariki (他力 meaning "other power", "outside help") are two terms in Japanese Buddhist schools that classify how one becomes spiritually enlightened. Jiriki is commonly practiced in
Zen Buddhism
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
. In
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...
, tariki often refers to the power of
Amitābha Buddha
Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana, Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, Vijñāna, discernment, Saṃjñ ...
.
[Bloom, Alfred (1964)]
Shinran's Philosophy of Salvation By Absolute Other Power
Contemporary Religions in Japan 5 (2), 119-142
These two terms describe the strands of practice that followers of every religion throughout the world develop. In most religions you can find popular expressions of faith which rely on the worship of external powers such as an idol of some kind that is expected to bestow favor after being given offerings of faith from a believer. Some believers of Pure Land Buddhism accept that through faith and reliance on Amitabha Buddha one will be led to enlightenment. These are examples of tariki, reliance on a power outside of oneself for salvation.
Jiriki is seeking spiritual enlightenment through one's own efforts. An example of jiriki in Buddhism is the practice of meditation. In meditation, one observes the body (most often in the form of following the breath and mind to directly experience the principles of impermanence and dependent arising or "emptiness") of all phenomena. Such principles are formally discussed in the Buddhist scriptures, but jiriki implies experiencing them for oneself.
References
Further reading
* Bein, Steve. (2008, January). Self Power, Other Power, and Non-dualism in Japanese Buddhism. In Proceedings of the XXII World Congress of Philosophy (Vol. 6, pp. 7-13).
* Ford, James L. (2002)
Jōkei and the Rhetoric of "Other-Power" and "Easy Practice" in Medieval Japanese Buddhism Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 29 (1-2), 67-106
* Furuta, Shokin. (1990). jiriki (Self-power) and tariki (Other-power). ''Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies'' (Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu), 39(1), 170-178.
*
* Ingram, Paul O. (1973)
The Zen Critique of Pure Land Buddhism ''Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 41''(2), 184-200.
* Ingram, Paul O. (1968)
Hōnen's and Shinran's Justification for Their Doctrine of Salvation by Faith through "Other Power" ''Contemporary Religions in Japan 9''(3), 233-251
Buddhism in Japan
Faith in Buddhism
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