History of Philosophy Commons^™

Kuiji’S Analysis Of Individual Capacities For Enlightenment: Philosophical Foundations Of His Chinese Yogācāra Buddhist Tradition, Ronald S. Green

Philosophy and Religious Studies

According to Mahāyāna Buddhism as seen in the Lotus Sūtra and many other Buddhist texts revered in Chinese and other East Asian traditions, the Buddha used his insight into each individual’s capacity for understanding, to tailor his teachings about how they should proceed toward overcoming suffering. For this reason, the Buddha is sometimes called the Great Physician, having the ability to diagnose an individual’s case and prescribe a specific remedy. This is the Buddha’s skillful means or skill-in-means (upāya), his expertise in crafting a personal plan for liberation. Thus, the overall ethical imperative is the same regardless of an individual’s …