Skilful means is the ability of a buddha or bodhisattva to adapt the teaching to the capacities of the hearer. The Lotus Sūtra makes it a key idea, telling of a father who lures his children from a burning house with promises of toy carts. The Mahāyāna used it to explain the variety of teachings.
Skilful means
Upāya-kauśalya: the art of teaching each person in the way suited to them, central to the Mahāyāna.
Also: upaya, skilful means