The Way to the Beyond (Raft Sutra)

Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net via Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew; Alagaddupama Sutra: "The Snake and Raft Similes" (MN 22), Ven. Thanissaro (trans.), edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

I need my sensual pleasures!

“Looking to nothingness, and being mindful, depending on nothing, cross over the flood.

“Having laid aside [craving and clinging to] sense pleasures [as one's only source of happiness], abstaining from talk, day and night one must seek the end of suffering.”

“As a flame overthrown by the force of the wind goes to rest and can no longer be discerned, just so the sage free from the mental body goes to rest and can no longer be discerned.”

“There is no measure of the one who has come to rest. There is nothing by which they may speak of one. When everything has been completely removed, all the pathways for speech are also completely removed.” More

The Raft Simile

"Meditators, I will teach you the Dharma -- comparing it to a raft, used for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of clinging to. Listen, pay close attention, and I will speak."

"As you say, venerable sir," the monastics responded to the Blessed One (the Buddha).

The Blessed One said: "Suppose a person were traveling along a path. That person might see a great expanse of water, with a near shore that is dangerous and risky and a further shore that is safe and risk-free, but with neither a ferry nor a bridge to go over from this shore to the other.

"The thought might occur, 'Here is this great expanse of water, with a near and further shore but with neither a ferry nor a bridge to go from one shore to the other. So what if I were to gather branches, grass, twigs, and leaves and, having bound them together to make a raft, were to cross over to safety on the other shore depending on the raft, making a vigorous effort with my own hands and feet?'

"Then that person, having gathered branchesm grass, twigs, and leaves, having bound them together to make a raft, would cross over to safety on the further shore depending on that raft, making a vigorous effort with one's own hands and feet.

• [Note 7: According to SN 35.197, "The great expanse of water stands for the Fourfold Flood: the flood of sensuality, the flood of becoming, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance. The near shore, dangerous and risky, stands for self-identity (self-view). The further shore, safe and risk-free, stands for nirvana. The raft stands for the Noble Eightfold Path: right view...right concentration. Making an effort with one's own hands and feet stands for the arousing of persistent effort."]

There is a beyond the beyond. Ahhh.

"Having crossed over to the further shore, one might think, 'How useful this raft has been! For it was by depending on this raft that, making an effort with my own hands and feet, I have crossed over to safety on the further shore. Why don't I, hoisting it up and carrying it on my head or back, go wherever I like?'

"What do you think, meditators? Would that person in doing so be doing what ought to be done with that raft?"

"No, venerable sir."

"What should that person do in order to do what ought to be done with that raft?

"There is the case of a person, having crossed over, thinking: 'How useful this raft has been! For it was by depending on it that, making an effort with my own hands and feet, I have crossed over to safety on this further shore.

"'So why don't I, having dragged this raft onto land or sinking it in the water, go wherever I like?' In doing so, that person would be doing what ought to be done with that raft.

"In the same way, meditators, I have taught the Dharma comparing it to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of clinging to.

"Understanding the Dharma as taught comparing it to a raft, [a wise person] would let go even of beneficial things (dharmas), to say nothing of harmful ones (non-dharmas)." More