Other power (Chinese: tālì 他力, Japanese: tariki, Sanskrit: *para-bala) is an East Asian Mahayana Buddhist concept which is discussed in Pure Land Buddhism and other forms of East Asian Buddhism. It generally refers to the power of a Buddha which can inspire someone, and take them to the Pure Land where they may easily become a Buddha. Other power is often contrasted with "self power" or , that is, attempting to achieve enlightenment through one's own efforts.Takamaro Shigaraki. Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path: A Life of Awakening, pp. 91-84. Simon and Schuster, Mar 26, 2013. According to Mark L. Blum, other power can be described as "something 'received' or 'influenced' from the sacred world beyond the self".Blum, Mark L. The Origins and Development of Pure Land Buddhism: A Study and Translation of Gyonen's Jodo Homon Genrusho, p. 8. Oxford University Press, Mar 21, 2002 Other power is also commonly called "Buddha-power" or "vow power" (願力, Chinese: yuànlì, Japanese: ganriki, Skt. praṇidhāna-vaśa), the latter referring to a Buddha's past bodhisattva vows (purvapraṇidhāna) which have a certain power to influence sentient beings.本願力 power of the past vow, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism.
While the term "other power" was coined in Chinese sources, Indian Mahayana literature contains numerous similar ideas that relate to the Buddha's power to influence living beings, such as anubhāva (influence or inspiration provided by the Buddha) and adhiṣṭhāna (the sustaining power of the Buddha). These ideas can be understood as the Buddha's "supernatural power," "grace," "empowerment," "divine blessings," and "divine protection".
Pure Land Buddhism considers itself the "easy path" because it relies on other power, while other Buddhist paths are seen as self power paths, also called "the path of sages".Bloom, Alfred (1964). Shinran's Philosophy of Salvation By Absolute Other Power, Contemporary Religions in Japan 5 (2), 119-142 While all Mahayana Buddhists agree that the Buddha's power has some effect on Buddhist practitioners, different Mahayana traditions have different accounts of how the other power of the Buddha works and how one's own practice interacts with it. Some Pure Land Buddhists hold that we must abandon all "self power" practices (such as ascetic practices, repentance, various kinds of meditation) and all self effort, and rely only on Amitabha Buddha's other power. Others hold that one's own "self power" becomes linked with the power of the Buddha through "sympathetic resonance" (gǎnyìng 感應). This view of the cooperation of self power and other power is more common in Chinese Pure Land thought.Jones, Charles B. (2021). Pure Land: History, Tradition, and Practice, pp. 165-188. Shambhala Publications, .
Tibetan Buddhism also affirms that there are multiple causes to rebirth in a Pure Land, and that both the Buddha's power and the power of one's own karmic force are contributing causes.Halkias, Georgios T. (2012). Luminous Bliss: A Religious History of Pure Land Literature in Tibet, p. 123. University of Hawaii Press.
Indian precedents
Early Buddhism Among the early Buddhist schools, there were different opinions about the powers of the Buddha. All the schools accepted that the Buddha had various magical and psychic powers and that he could perform miracles. Some schools had a much more exalted view of the Buddha, while others still held that his powers were limited by his physical and impure human body.Xing, Guang (2005). The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikāya Theory, pp. 104-105. Psychology Press. The Mahāsāṃghika schools saw the Buddha's powers as being transcendent (lokottara) and immense. Thus, the Lokānuvartanā sūtra, one of the few surviving Mahāsāṃghika sources, states that "the wisdom, the merits and the power of the Buddha are immeasurable."Xing, Guang (2005). The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikāya Theory, p. 103. Psychology Press. This sutra also states that the strength of the Buddha is "irresistible", "inexhaustible", "immeasurable" and "incomparable", and is able to shake all Buddhalands with one finger.Xing, Guang (2005). The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikāya Theory, p. 114. Psychology Press.
Likewise, Vasumitra's Wheel of the Formation of Doctrinal Divisions (translated by Xuanzang) states that a central tenet of the Mahāsāṃghikas was that "the material body (rūpakāya), supernatural power (prabhāva) and lifespan (āyus) of a Buddha is unlimited (ananta)."Andre Bareau, Les sectes bouddhiques du Petit Véhicule (Ecole Fransaise d'Extreme-Orient, 1955), Chapitre I 'Les Mahasanghika', pp. 55-74.Willemen, Charles; Tsukamoto Keisho (2004). Treatise on the Elucidation of the Knowable, The Cycle of the Formation of the Schismatic Doctrines, pp. 97-101. Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. The Mahāsāṃghika also held that the Buddha was always in samadhi, and that all the speech of the Buddha was completely perfect since all of it was actually one single divine sound.Xing, Guang (2005). The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikāya Theory, p. 105. Psychology Press.
Furthermore, the Mahāsāṃghika school seems to have promoted devotional practice and bhakti to a high status and to have anchored this practice in the purity and radiance of the Buddha.Pas, Julian F. (1995). Visions of Sukhavati: Shan-Tao's Commentary on the Kuan Wu-liang- Shou-Fo Ching, pp. 26-30. Albany, State University of New York Press, The Mahāvastu, one of the few surviving Mahāsāṃghika texts, states:The purity of the Buddha is so great that the worship of the Exalted One is sufficient for the attainment of Nirvāna, and that one already acquires endless merit by merely walking round a stupa and worshipping it by means of floral offerings...from the Buddha’s smile, there radiate beams which illuminate the entire buddhafields.Pas, Julian F. (1995). Visions of Sukhavati: Shan-Tao's Commentary on the Kuan Wu-liang- Shou-Fo Ching, pp. 26-30. Albany, State University of New York Press,
Mahāyāna sūtras There are various Sanskrit concepts found in the Mahāyāna sūtras that are precedents to the East Asian concept of "other power", including:
Buddhānubhāva - This term refers to the "majesty", "authority, or "causal power" (anubhāva) of the Buddha which can influence others. In numerous Mahayana Sutras (e.g. Prajñaparamita sutra), the Buddha's disciples are often depicted as speaking or teaching "through the Buddha's power".Jackson, Roger. Makransky, John. Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars, p. 114. Routledge, Dec 16, 2013.Sharf, Robert H. Coming to Terms With Chinese Buddhism: A Reading of the Treasure Store Treatise, pp. 118-119. University of Hawaii Press, Jan 1, 2002 Buddhādhiṣṭhāna - Refers to the "sustaining power" or "supporting force" (ādhiṣṭhāna, Chinese: jiachi 加持) of the Buddha, often associated with his ability to inspire or bless beings.Osto, Douglas. Power, Wealth and Women in Indian Mahayana Buddhism: The Gandavyuha-sutra, chapter 4: Power. Routledge, Nov 19, 2008. Buddha-bala - This term literally means "the strength of the Buddha," where *bala* refers to the Buddha's strength or power, or more specifically, to special supranormal powers the Buddha has which he uses to perform miracles, such as the famous Twin Miracle.Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön. Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra, Act 5.7: The shaking of the earth in the universes of the ten directions. 2001. There are various lists of the Buddha's powers, such as the "ten powers" (daśabala), as well as lists which make use of other terms for magical power, such as ṛddhi and abhijñā. Pariṇāmana - The idea that the Buddha performs a "transference of merit" (puṇya-pariṇāmanā), that he can infuse living beings with his measureless spiritual goodness, or "merit" (puṇya). Praṇidhāna - The bodhisattva vows made by a Buddha when they were a bodhisattva is considered to have generated vast spiritual power and merit. This power, called "the power of the [Buddha's] past vows" (pūrva-praṇidhāna-vaśa), can help living beings who call on the Buddha's aid. Buddhāvabhāsa (Buddha's "radiance" or "light") and Buddhajñāna (Buddha-knowledge). The light of the Buddha is sometimes used to signify his illuminating power or his knowledge, which in various Mahayana sources, like the Avatamsaka Sutra, is said to be all pervasive and omnipresent.Lamotte, Etienne. Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra: The Concentration of Heroic Progress : an Early Mahāyāna Buddhist Scripture, p. 147. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2003. According to sutras like the Avatamsaka, the Buddha's light and knowledge is said to be always influencing living beings throughout the cosmos.Hamar, Imre (2007). "The Manifestation of the Absolute in the Phenomenal World: Nature Origination in Huayan Exegesis". Bulletin de l'École Française d'Extrême-Orient. 94: 229–250. doi:10.3406/befeo.2007.6070. According to Robert H. Sharf, terms like buddhādhiṣṭhāna and buddhānubhāva "are ubiquitous in Buddhist materials, where they denote the incursion of the divine into the mundane realm". Sharf also writes that these terms:refer to the power of a tathāgata to come to the assistance of the supplicant, making possible the transposition of the supplicant into the realm of the buddha without the aid of supernormal powers acquired through one's own meditative accomplishment. Depending on context, these terms can be rendered in English as "supernatural power," "grace," "empowerment," "divine blessings," "divine protection," and so on. Such power or grace is not only directly toward sentient beings, but also toward sacred enclosures, religious implements, scriptures.Sharf, Robert H. Coming to Terms With Chinese Buddhism: A Reading of the Treasure Store Treatise, p. 119. University of Hawaii Press, Jan 1, 2002 Douglas Osto meanwhile explains adhiṣṭhāna as "the ability to generate, manipulate and control reality", as well as "the power to induce visions in others and inspire them to speak the Dharma" as well as the power to radiate rays of light in all directions which teach Dharma. It also refers to the ability to enter samadhi, attain liberations (vimoksa), and the Dharma gateways (dharmamukha). In Mahayana sutras, the Buddhas are seen the ultimate source of this spiritual power.
The ten powers There are several expositions of the power of the Buddha in the Early Buddhist Texts. Some sutras contain explanation of miracles and great feats performed by the Buddha. Other sutras outline his various amazing magical and wisdom powers. One common listing is the ten powers (daśabala), which are discussed in sources like the Mahāsīhanāda-sutta (Majjhima-nikāya) which also has a Chinese parallel in the Foshuo shenmao xishu jing 佛説身毛喜豎經 (T 17 592c–593b).Toshiichi Endo. The Buddha in the Pāli Exegetical Literature. Centre of Buddhist Studies, pp. 111-112. HKU, 2023. 978-988-76424-1-1
These powers are also discussed in Mahayana sutras and in Pali exegetical literature as well. The ten powers as listed in the Dà zhìdù lùn (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa) are:
Knowledge of what is possible and what is impossible (Sanskrit: sthānāsthāna-jñānabala) Knowledge of the results of all actions in all times (karmavipāka-jñānabala) Knowledge of the dhyānas, samadhis, liberations, absorptions, equilibriums, afflictions, purifications, and abidings (dhyānavimokṣasamādhisamāpattisaṃkleśavyavadānavyutthānajñānabala). Knowledge of the degree of the moral faculties of beings (indriya-parāpara-jñānabala) Knowledge of the aspirations of beings (nānādhimukti-jñānabala) Knowledge of worlds (loka) and their acquired dispositions or dhātus (dhātu-jñānabala) Knowledge of the way leading to the various [rebirth] destinies (sarvatragāminīpratipajñānabala) The knowledge of former abodes [past lives] (pūrvanivāsa-jñānabala)