The Other Power in Shin Buddhism (Bloom)

People misunderstand when they think tariki, or Other Power, is a power that somehow comes in from the outside. The Shin point of view is that the Other Power/self power dichotomy is a delusion. Actually, all of existence is Other Power. Whatever we do is possible through Other Power. If I run a race, I am only able to do it, to put my effort into it, because the world is constructed in such a way that it supports me and makes my running possible. If, for example, there were no gravity, I wouldn't be able to run. If there were no Other Power, in the sense of there being an interdependent reality within which I undertake my efforts, I wouldn't be able to do anything.
Other Power is really interdependence, and interdependence is really the totality of the relationships we have with everything we deal with. Other Power isn't an external power. It's not an isolated power located someplace that zaps us from the outside. It's power through others. We can't deal with our life unless we have other people involved with us. Other Power involves power with others, which leads us to act out of a sense of reciprocal relationship with them. I am benefited by Other Power and I benefit others, and so on. It is from the web of relationships that is our reality. (Rev.
Dr. Alfred Bloom, in Tricycle, Fall 2009)