Upaya (skill in means) as a method of effective communication
“Upaya” is a pali word which literally means “way”, “means” or “resources”. It is usually associated with kusala, i.e. upayakusala which means “clever in resources” or kosalla i.e. upayakosalla which stands for “cleverness in expedient.” (Ref: “Concise Pali-English Dictionary, A P Buddhadatta Mahathera, U Chandradasa De Silva – Publisher, 1968).
To understand the extant of means used by the Buddha to skillfully communicate the Dharma to his audience of various level of understanding, we cannot move away from the discussion of upaya. In fact, there is direct reference between the Buddha’s perfect communicative ability and the application of skillful means in His prescription of advice.
In the Sangiti Sutta of the Digha Nikaya, it is stated that among the “threes” we have “three kinds of skill: Skill in progress, Skill in regress, and Skill in means” (tini kosallani: aya kosallam, apaya kosallam, upaya kosallam; D III 220).
In the Nava Sutta of the Sutta Nipata (Culavaga, Sutta No. 8), there is a direct reference to skill in means. In this sutta, it is stated that the wise man who knows Dhamma is compared to the skillful boatman who has the ability to ferry others across a dangerous river. There are those who do not understand the meaning of Dhamma, and when they find themselves in a strongly flowing river they are swept away, unable to help themselves or others. The good teacher, on one hand is:
The great interest of this occurrence is that skillful knowledge of means here related to bringing across of others, which is also the crux of a successful Enlightened Communicator.
There is one example which illustrates the Buddha’s indirect reference on the need for a variety of methods to share His Enlightenment with other sentient beings.
The story goes that after He obtained Enlightenment, He was at first disinclined to teach, stating that the Dhamma was deep and subtle and that people are too engrossed in their sensual pleasures and steeped in ignorance to recognize any significance. Concerned over the Buddha’s decision, the Brahma Sahampati then miraculously appears and exhorts Him to teach nevertheless, saying that “there are beings with little dust in their eyes, whence not knowing the Dhamma, will fall away.”
Buddha listens to this entreaty and when He surveys the world with a Buddha’s eye perceives the variety of levels, dispositions and faculties of men. These are compared to a pond of lotuses, some of which grow up through the water and rise undefiled above it. Thereupon He decides after all that He will to teach the Dhamma. Even so, it is still important for the Buddha to consider who might be able to understand the Dhamma “quickly” and this is another evidence of the recognition that there is a problem about relative degrees of understanding among different people.
Some examples of Buddha’s application of upaya
As mentioned earlier, when the Buddha experienced Enlightenment at Gaya, He initially despaired of communicating it, but after some weeks of deliberation resolved to teach His Dhamma to the world. However, having taken this decision, the Buddha was faced with the daunting task of rendering the Dhamma accessible to everyone – of devising a teaching strategy which could equally accommodate pupils ‘with keen faculties and with dull faculties.’
His solution to this problem was the practice of ‘skilful means’ (upayakosalla). Starting from the conviction that nibbana was beyond thought and linguistic expression, the Buddha asserted that his spiritual teaching was only a useful ‘pointer’ to the truth – not the truth itself. This meant that the Dhamma – because merely provisional - was neither fixed nor dogmatic. Rather, being an expedient ‘means’ (upaya) to an end, this teaching was – like Socrates’ celebrated dialectical method - dynamic and contextual. This pragmatic philosophical stance gave the Buddha enormous flexibility – it meant he was free to adjust or change his teaching to suit the level of his audience.
Applied to a beginner - the case of Upali
In its basic form, ‘skilful means’ appears in the early Buddhist texts as simply a progressive or ‘gradual instruction’ (anupubbi katha) on the dhamma. When teaching to spiritually mature pupils, the Buddha directly explains complex philosophical aspects of his doctrine. To beginners, however, he offers preparatory lessons on general spiritual virtues before moving to advanced topics. This process is clearly illustrated in the account of his teaching to Upali (https://suttacentral.net/mn56/en/sujato):
"Then the Blessed One gave the householder Upali progressive instruction, that is: talk on giving, talk on virtue, talk on the heavens, he explained the danger, degradation, and defilement in sensual pleasures, and the blessing of renunciation".
When he knew that the householder Upali’s mind was ready, receptive, free from hindrances, elated, and confident, he expounded to him the teaching special to the Buddhas: suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.
Advanced applications - the case of two young brahmins
In its more advanced guise, ‘skilful means’ assumes forms that in other contexts could be construed as contradictory, or even heretical. For example, in the Tevijja sutta (https://suttacentral.net/dn13/en/sujato), two young brahmins (followers of the Vedic or Hindu tradition) cannot decide which Vedic teacher offers the correct path to ‘union’ with the aforementioned god, Brahma. Having heard of the Buddha’s wisdom, they approach him for advice on the matter.
The Buddha, though, does not accept ‘union with Brahma’ as the final goal of salvation - for him salvation is the atheistic ‘extinction’ of nibbana. However, recognizing the brahmins’ sincerity and spiritual potential, he retains their religious terminology and through a progressive question-answer session seeks to wean them from their theism.
Firstly, he points out that because the Vedic sages have not seen Brahma ‘face to face,’ they cannot guarantee Brahma’s ultimate ontological status. He then points out that, unlike Brahma, these sages are ‘encumbered’ by the five hindrances, and therefore lack the moral purity to achieve ‘communion’ with him after death. By contrast, because he is ‘unencumbered’ by the five hindrances, the Buddha claims that he possesses genuine spiritual knowledge. In deference to the spiritual level of the two brahmins, however, he presents this transcendent knowledge using Vedic terminology:
‘…I know Brahma and the world of Brahma, and the way to the world of Brahma, and the path of practice whereby the world of Brahma may be gained.’
The young brahmins, won over by the Buddha’s arguments, now ask him to teach this way to ‘union with Brahma.’ The Buddha, though, changes tack and introduces them to his ‘holy life’ – in particular the purifying meditation on the ‘divine abodes’ (brahma-vihara). Through this exercise, he points out that the practitioner cultivates the moral virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity, and psychically transmits them to the four points of the compass. The Buddha assures them that this is the correct ‘way to union with Brahma’ – a ‘way’ which by now has subtly morphed into a preparatory stage on the path to nibbana. The two brahmins, grateful for this illuminating teaching, praise the Buddha’s ‘gradual instruction’ and its revelatory power:
‘Excellent, reverend Gotama., excellent! It is as if someone were to set up what had been knocked down, or to point out the way to one who had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark place, so that those with eyes could see what was there. Just so the reverend Gotama has expounded the Dhamma in various ways.’
Conclusion - way of the effective communicator
At our human level, to be an effective communicator, we can learn a lot by gleaning over the many examples set by the Buddha. The lesson here is that effective communication starts with critical assessment of the receiver (person whom you are engaging with) and choosing to use the right communication tools. With different people having different mentalities at different times, using the right communication skills and applying it at the right time, the Buddha has proven that effective communication - when wisely used - is penetrative and awakening. It is akin to using a multi-tooled Swiss army knife. It gets the right results every time at the sharp end of everyday life!
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