Should a claim that one deity is the only savior be believed completely?

We still need to exercise our own judgment. We cannot completely accept a claim simply because it includes the words ‘the only saviour.’ I do not doubt that the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool can help many beings. But if someone says that she alone in the whole world can save people and that no other deity or Buddha has that ability, we should think more carefully about it.

We can consider the story of the Three Dragon-Flower Assemblies in this light. The story says that humanity lost its original pure nature. The Jade Emperor asked the immortals who would take on the task, but no one accepted on the first two occasions. On the third occasion, Guanyin Bodhisattva and Shakyamuni Buddha together urged the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool to come forward, and she decided to descend to the human world. The story uses the bond between a mother and her children to explain the Mother’s care for living beings. That meaning within the faith is understandable.

But it is also worth thinking about why the story was understood and recorded in this way. I read this account in scriptures belonging to the Cihui Hall tradition. Could human ideas have entered into it? For example, someone wishing to emphasise their own school might write that other deities and Buddhas cannot help and only their own deity can. Raising this question does not mean that the story has no value. It means that we should retain our judgment while reading it.

I believe that every deity and Buddha has the ability to help people. The key is still whether we ourselves are willing to accept the principles and change our behaviour. Even if a deity or Buddha were right before us explaining the best principles, it would be difficult for us to benefit if we refused to listen or act. Drawing close to a faith does not remove the need for our own thinking and practice.

If someone claims to be the sole saint jointly chosen by all religions, yet does not even understand what those religions teach or value, I do not believe that claim. We cannot accept everything merely because someone presents their identity as exceptionally exalted or miraculous. We still need to examine whether their statements make sense together and whether they actually understand the beliefs they claim to represent.

From my experience of encountering deities and following a spiritual path, deities do their best to help living beings from their respective positions. They do not constantly compare who is highest or most powerful. This is my understanding, and others are free to question it. When sharing a faith, we must still leave people room to think, rather than use an exalted identity to demand everyone’s acceptance.