ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 22, 2015
Ethical Implications of Upāya-Kauśalya:
Helping Without Imposing
Kin Cheung
Temple University
Upāya-kauśalya
has been examined as a hermeneutical device, a Mahāyānic innovation, and a
philosophy of practice. Although the paternalism of upāya-kauśalya
employed in the Lotus
Sūtra has been analyzed, there is little attention paid to
bringing these ethical implications into a practical context. There is a
tension between the motivation, even obligation, to help, and the potential
dangers of projecting or imposing one’s conception of what is best for
others or how best to help. I examine this issue through various parables.
I argue that ordinary people can use upāya-kauśalya
and that the ethical implications of upāya-kauśalya
involve closing two different gaps in knowledge. This has potential
applications not just for individuals, but also for organizations like NPOs
or NGOs that try to assist large communities.
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