Skillful Means

by John W. Schroeder and Foreword by Thomas P. Kasulis

This book provides a new way of understanding Buddhist thought. He argues that Buddhism is best understood as a philosophy of practice-or a metapraxis-and that terms such as emptiness non self, and nirvana refer less to metaphysical principles than to skillful teachings that help people cultivate compassion and mindfulness. Each section of the book focuses on a debate over philosophical justification and the problem of trying to establish a fixed doctrine in Buddhist and reveals an on-going debate. JOHN SCHROEDER was born is Los Angles and received his Ph.D. from the University Of Oregon in 1996. He held the Purna Rao Raju Chair of East-West Philosophy at the College of Wooster in 1995, and is currently an assistant professor of philosophy at St. Mary`s College of Maryland where he teaches South Asian philosophies and religions, comparative philosophy, and Buddhist thought.