The Simile of the Raft (sutra)

Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (trans.), Alagaddupama Sutra: The Snake [and Raft] Simile (MN 22); Dhr. Seven, Ellie Askew, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I must make it to the further shore of safety using my own body to get there!

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13. "I shall show you, meditators, Buddhism's (the Buddha's Teaching's) similarity to a raft: It has the purpose of crossing over, not the purpose of clinging to.

"Listen, meditators, and heed well what is said." — "Yes, venerable sir," replied the monastics. And the Blessed One said:

"Suppose, meditators, there were a person journeying on a road and that person sees a vast expanse of water of which this shore is dangerous and fearful, while the other shore is safe and free of fear. But there is no boat for crossing over, nor is there a bridge for going over from this side to that.

"So the person thinks: 'This is a vast expanse of water, and this shore is dangerous and fearful, while the other shore is safe and free of fear. However, there is no boat here for crossing over, nor a bridge for going over from this side to that. Suppose I were to gather branches, reeds, sticks, and foliage to bind them into a raft.'

"Now that person collects branches, reeds, sticks, and foliage and binds them into a raft. Carried by that raft, laboring with one's own hands and feet, that person safely crosses over to the further shore.

"Having crossed over and arrived at the further shore, that person thinks: 'Indeed, this raft has been very helpful! Carried by it, laboring with my own hands and feet, I made it safely across to this further shore. Should I not lift this raft atop my head or put it on my shoulders and go wherever I like?'

"What do you think, O meditators? Will this person acting thus do what ought to be done with a raft?" — "No, venerable sir!" — "How then, meditators, would one be doing what ought to be done with a raft?

"Here, meditators, having made it across and arrived at the furher shore, the person thinks: 'Indeed, this raft has been very helpful! Carried by it, laboring with my own hands and feet, I made it safely across to this further shore.

"Therefore, should I not strand it on dry land or let it float away into the water, and then go as I please?' By acting thus, meditators, would that person do what ought to be done with a raft.

"In the same way, meditators, have I shown to you Buddhism's (this Teaching's) similarity to a raft: It has the purpose of crossing over, not the purpose of clinging to.

14. "You, O meditators, who understand Buddhism's similarity to a raft should let go even of Dharmas (good teachings),* how much more of non-Dharmas (false teachings)!

Commentary to this sutra

 
*COMMENTARY: "The Teachings" (Dharmas) are serenity (samatha) and insight (vipassana). The Buddha, indeed, enjoins us to abandon craving and clinging (chanda-raga) concerning serenity and insight. Where, then, has he enjoined the abandonment of craving and clinging in the case of serenity? He did so in the following saying:

"Therefore, Udayi, do I teach the abandoning even of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Do you see , Udayi, any fetter, fine or coarse, that I did not tell you to let go of and discard?" (MN 66).

And in the case of insight (vipassana), the abandoning was enjoined by the Buddha as follows: "And to that view thus purified and cleansed, you should not be attached, should not be enamored of it, should not treasure it."

But here, in this present text, he enjoined the abandoning of craving and attachment concerning both (serenity and insight), by saying: "You should let go even of Dharmas [good teachings], how much more of non-Dharmas [false teachings]!"

The meaning is this: "I teach, O meditators, the abandoning of craving and clinging even for such peaceful and sublime states (as serenity and insight). How much more so in regard to that ignoble, low, contemptible, coarse, and impure thing in which this foolish person Arittha does not see any harm, saying that craving and clinging (desire and attachment) for the five sense-objects is not necessarily an obstruction!

"But you, O meditators, unlike that Arittha, should not fling mud and refuse into my dispensation [Teaching, Dharma]!" In this way, the Blessed One again rebuked Arittha by this admonition.