Alagaddūpama Sutta (MN 22; PTS M i 130) – The Raft Simile:
“Monks, I will teach you the Dhamma compared to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”
“As you say, lord,” the monks responded to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said: “Suppose a man were traveling along a path. He would see a great expanse of water, with the near shore dubious & risky, the further shore secure & free from risk, but with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. The thought would occur to him, ‘Here is this great expanse of water, with the near shore dubious & risky, the further shore secure & free from risk, but with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. What if I were to gather grass, twigs, branches, & leaves and, having bound them together to make a raft, were to cross over to safety on the other shore in dependence on the raft, making an effort with my hands & feet?’ Then the man, having gathered grass, twigs, branches, & leaves, having bound them together to make a raft, would cross over to safety on the other shore in dependence on the raft, making an effort with his hands & feet. Having crossed over to the further shore, he might think, ‘How useful this raft has been to me! For it was in dependence on this raft that, making an effort with my hands & feet, I have crossed over to safety on the further shore. Why don’t I, having hoisted it on my head or carrying on my back, go wherever I like?’ What do you think, monks: Would the man, in doing that, be doing what should be done with the raft?”
“No, lord.”
“And what should the man do in order to be doing what should be done with the raft? There is the case where the man, having crossed over, would think, ‘How useful this raft has been to me! For it was in dependence on this raft that, making an effort with my hands & feet, I have crossed over to safety on the further shore. Why don’t I, having dragged it on dry land or sinking it in the water, go wherever I like?’ In doing this, he would be doing what should be done with the raft. In the same way, monks, I have taught the Dhamma compared to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Understanding the Dhamma as taught compared to a raft, you should let go even of Dhammas, to say nothing of non-Dhammas.”
From Access to Insight, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, copyright 2004-2009
In Pāḷī:
“Kullūpamaṃ vo bhikkhave dhammaṃ desissāmi nittharaṇatthāya no gahaṇatthāya. Taṃ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha. Bhāsissāmīti.”
Evambhanteti ko te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṃ.
Bhagavā etadavoca: “Seyyathāpi bhikkhave puriso addhānamaggapaṭipanno – so passeyya mahantaṃ udakaṇṇavaṃ,orimaṃ tīraṃ sāsaṅkaṃ sappaṭibhayaṃ, pārimaṃ tīraṃ khemaṃ appaṭibhayaṃ, na cassa nāvā santāraṇī uttarasetu vā apārāpāraṃ gamanāya, tassa evamassa: “ayaṃ kho mahā udakaṇṇavo orimaṃ tīraṃ sāsaṅkaṃ sappaṭibhayaṃ. Pārimaṃ tīraṃ khemaṃ appaṭibhayaṃ. Natthi ca nāvā santāraṇī uttarasetu vā apārāpāraṃ gamanāya. Yannūnāhaṃ tiṇakaṭṭhasākhāpalāsaṃ saṅkaḍḍhitvā kullaṃ bandhitvā taṃ kullaṃ nissāya hatthehi ca pādehi ca vāyamamāno sotthinā pāraṃ uttareyyanti. Atha kho so bhikkhave puriso tiṇakaṭṭhasākhāpalāsaṃ saṅkaḍḍhitvā kullaṃ bandhitvā taṃ kullaṃ nissāya hatthehi ca pādehi ca vāyamamāno sotthinā pāraṃ uttareyya. Tassa purisassa uttiṇṇassa pāraṃ gatassa evamassa:’bahukāro kho me ayaṃ kullo. Imāhaṃ kullaṃ nissāya hatthehi ca pādehi ca vāyamamāno sotthinā pāraṃ uttiṇṇo. Yannūnāhaṃ imaṃ kullaṃ sīse vā āropetvā khandhe vā uccāretvā yena kāmaṃ pakkameyya’nti. Taṃ kiṃ maññatha bhikkhave, api nu so puriso evaṃ kārī tasmiṃ kulle kiccakārī assāti?”
“No hetaṃ bhante.”
“Kathaṃkārī ca so bhikkhave puriso tasmiṃ kulle kiccakārī assa? Idha bhikkhave tassa purisassa uttiṇṇassa pāraṃ gatassa evamassa: bahukāro kho me ayaṃ kullo, imāhaṃ kullaṃ nissāya hatthehi ca pādehi ca vāyamamāno sotthinā pāraṃ uttiṇṇo, yannūnāhaṃ imaṃ kullaṃ thale vā ussādetvā udake vā opilāpetvā yena kāmaṃ pakkameyyanti. Evaṃ kārī kho so bhikkhave puriso tasmiṃ kulle kiccakārī assa. Evameva kho bhikkhave kullūpamo mayā dhammo desito nittharaṇatthāya no gahaṇatthāya. Kullūpamaṃ vo bhikkhave dhammaṃ desitaṃ ājānantehi dhammāpi vo pahātabbā, pageva adhammā.”
