Looking at the historical development of Buddhism, it is evident that Skillful means is a necessity for dharma propagation. Buddhism from Early Buddhism to Sectarian Buddhism and ultimately Mahayana Buddhism, if the application of skillful means was absent in this development, the prevalence of Mahayana Buddhism would have been Hinayana Buddhism instead. Secondly, entering China as a foreign religion, Buddhism are met with difficulties in geographical and cultural differences. If there was no merging of Buddhism with the local religious elements, we will not witness the vibrancy of Chinese Buddhism today. Furthermore, due to the changing of times and societal challenges, there is a need for Buddhism to make appropriate changes to keep up with times. Therefore this paper aims to study on the Chapter of the “Upāya-kauśalya in Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra” to understand the characteristics and the essence of Skillful means which play vital and essential roles in propagation of Dharma. Through Skillful means, Humanistic Buddhism innovates and enhances the ways of Dharma propagation to suit the needs and interests of today’s communities. This assured the transformation and modernization of traditional Buddhism which focused merely on Buddhist Chanting and Prayers for the deaths into Humanistic Buddhism that embraces life and resolves human concerns. The importance of Skillful means is also seen in its role of upholding the original intents of The Buddha to teach, instruct , benefit and bring happiness to the human world.
