Within Pure Land Buddhism, the contrast between *tariki* and *jiriki* marks two distinct orientations of the spiritual path. *Jiriki*, or self-power, designates the way of relying on one’s own efforts—meditation, moral discipline, good deeds, study, and the cultivation of wisdom—to move toward awakening. This is the traditional Buddhist approach, grounded in practices such as the Noble Eightfold Path, observance of precepts, and various forms of meditative training. It presumes that, through diligent self-cultivation and the accumulation of merit, one gradually purifies karma and advances toward enlightenment.

*Tariki*, or other-power, represents a different stance: a turning of trust away from one’s limited capacities toward the salvific power and compassion of Amitabha Buddha. In this orientation, faith in Amitabha’s vows becomes central, and liberation is understood as the result of Amitabha’s merit being extended to the practitioner. This trust is expressed most clearly in the sincere recitation of the Buddha’s name—*nembutsu*—as an act of entrusting rather than a technique of self-mastery. Pure Land teaching emphasizes that, especially in a degenerate age where human spiritual capacity is seen as weakened, self-power alone is not sufficient for attaining enlightenment.

From this perspective, the path of *tariki* is not a denial of ethical conduct or practice, but a re-centering of the source of salvation. The practitioner acknowledges the limits of personal effort and leans instead on Amitabha’s boundless compassion, allowing gratitude and humility to shape the heart. Where *jiriki* stresses personal discipline and gradual purification, *tariki* stresses surrender, trust, and reliance on a power beyond the ego’s striving. Thus, the difference between the two is not merely technical but existential: it is the difference between attempting to climb to enlightenment by one’s own strength and allowing oneself to be carried by Amitabha’s vow toward rebirth in the Pure Land, where enlightenment becomes readily attainable.