One's own strength or effort; doing something by one's own power (often seen as 自力で).
彼は自力で大学に合格した。
He passed the university exam by his own effort.
この問題は自力では解けなかったので先生に聞いた。
I couldn't solve this problem on my own, so I asked the teacher.
自力で生活できるように頑張っている。
I'm working hard to be able to support myself.
In Buddhism, the idea of self-salvation through one's own practice/effort (contrasted with reliance on others or other-power).
仏教の教えでは自力と他力の考え方が論じられることが多い。
Buddhist teachings often discuss the concepts of self-power (jiriki) and other-power (tariki).
師は自力の修行だけでなく、智慧の重要性も説いた。
The master taught not only self-effort in practice but also the importance of wisdom.