People often talk about “receiving blessings”; the buddhas certainly have the power to confer blessings, which are not without benefit. Sakyamuni Buddha once said, “We are our own protector.” That is to say we are our own savior. If we don’t help ourselves, and expect others to come to our rescue, liberation is not possible. Some say the buddhas are compassionate and will lift us out of cyclic existence. This is wishful thinking!

In the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, there is this story of a monk who was responsible for logistics in the monastic community where he lived. Once, a benefactor handed him a gem as an offering to the monastics in the community, but he kept it for himself. Later when the monastics found out about it, they told the monk to either sell the gem and buy food for everyone or return it to them, but he refused. With every cause, there is a corresponding result. Due to this transgression, the monk had to endure immense and prolonged suffering in hell and in the animal realm. During the lifetime of Sakyamuni Buddha, the monk took rebirth as a fish with four legs and lived in a pond. One day, the Buddha took his disciples to the edge of the pond to tell them the causes and conditions that led to the monk’s rebirth as a fish; moreover, he said the three buddhas before him had also taken their disciples to the edge of the pond to tell them this story; the Buddha then said the buddhas after him will also bring their disciples to this place and recount the same story. Nonetheless, the thousand buddhas of the Fortunate Aeon will not be able to save the fish. This is all due to the monk’s own karma.

We can protect ourselves only by aspiring to attain liberation and practicing the right way, no one else can help us.

- Quote from The Logic of Emptiness,"The Madhyamaka View of Emptiness"