Why Skillful Means Still Matter

This episode of The Deep Dive argues against the popular nondual spiritual belief that one should "let go of all methods" in pursuit of awakening. Herrick, drawing heavily on Mahayana Buddhist concepts like upāya (skillful means) and the Lotus Sutra's One Vehicle (Ekayāna), contends that while ultimate liberation may be methodless, methods are essential scaffolds for the untrained mind to achieve stability and insight. The author frames the rejection of methods as naïve and exclusionary spiritual elitism, stressing that upāya is compassion made visible, adapting teachings to differing capacities and guiding practitioners toward integration. Ultimately, the essay concludes that method and no-method meet when form is entered so fully that it reveals its emptiness, honoring practice as the bridge between aspiration and full realization.