SELF-RELIANCE VS. DIVINE HELP by TTC on 04 May 2009, 03:18, translated by Horangi

Question: What are the necessary steps for a religious practitioner to reach spiritual destinations such as Heaven or Nirvana? Does Old_Guru Secret Teaching exclusively depend on the Buddha’s power to free individuals from the cycle of sin and suffering?

Answer: According to Buddhist scriptures, individuals are encouraged to pursue salvation, Nirvana, enlightenment, and realization through self-reliance rather than relying on divine intervention (such as from Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods, or devas). However, practitioners of Mật Tông (Old_Guru Secret Teaching) adopt a different approach, seeking salvation through a combination of self-effort and the assistance of external saviors.
The self-help practice consists mainly of the three exercises and the four virtues. The external help comes from the support of the Divinities, empowering the practitioners, consolidating their faith, and helping them to sensitize others to the Divinities. Thus the practice of self-reliance is limited while the Divinities’ power is limitless. Without external help, the religious practitioner could only achieve at most a few abilities.
All religious individuals pray to the Highest Being and cultivate virtues in pursuit of blessings and salvation. In Buddhism, practices such as meditation, observing precepts, and developing wisdom are viewed as efforts through which individuals demonstrate their devotion to the Divinities, thereby receiving their compassion and salvation.
Similarly, religious practitioners aiming to reach the realms of Heaven must fulfill basic procedures such as praying, observing precepts, and accumulating merits. They then await the guidance of the Divinities to lead them there. Just as someone in Vietnam seeking to travel to the US must complete all necessary documentation and obtain approval from both governments before boarding a plane, individuals can’t reach Nirvana or attain salvation solely through their efforts.”

Contrary to Buddhism’s heavy emphasis on self-effort through various meditation techniques, Catholicism advises adherence to God’s commandments and seeking His blessings through prayer. Similarly, other theistic religions assert that achieving enlightenment, liberation, salvation, or unity with the universe through one’s efforts is impossible. Instead, human salvation is believed to depend solely on God’s grace and in alignment with His will.