Federman, Asaf (2009) Literal means and hidden meanings : a new analysis of skillful means. Philosophy East and West, Vol.59 (No.2). pp. 125-141. doi:10.1353/pew.0.0050 ISSN 0031-8221.

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Abstract

Skillful means is usually used by scholars and Buddhists to denote the following simple
idea: the Buddha skillfully adapted his teaching to the level of his audience.1
This very broad and somewhat oversimplified definition tries to incorporate the
whole range of Buddhist views on the subject. However, it does not help to explain
why there is an extensive use of the term in central Mahayana su tras while
pre-Mahayana texts are almost completely silent on this issue. I suggest that skillful
means has not always been an all-Buddhist concept; rather, it was developed by
Mahayanists as a radical hermeneutic device. As such, skillful means is a provocative
and sophisticated idea that served the purpose of advancing a new religious ideology
in the face of an already established canonical knowledge. The Mahayana use
of the concept exhibits an awareness, not found in pre-Mahayana thought, of a gap
between what texts literally say and their hidden meaning.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BQ Buddhism
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Gautama Buddha -- Teachings, Mahayana Buddhism -- Doctrines
Journal or Publication Title:	Philosophy East and West
Publisher:	University of Hawaii Press
ISSN:	0031-8221
Official Date:	April 2009
Dates:	Date Event April 2009 Published
Volume:	Vol.59
Number:	No.2
Page Range:	pp. 125-141
DOI:	10.1353/pew.0.0050
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)

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