The Buddha teaches the simile of the raft, illustrating the Dhamma’s purpose for crossing over, not holding onto.

I will teach you, bhikkhus, the Dhamma by means of a simile of a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Listen to it and pay close attention, I will speak.

“Yes, venerable sir,” those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:

"Just as, bhikkhus, a man traveling on a long journey would see a great expanse of water, with a near shore that is dangerous and fearful, and a far shore that is safe and free from fear; but there would be no boat or bridge for him to cross to the far shore. It would occur to him: ‘This is indeed a great expanse of water, with a near shore that is dangerous and fearful, and a far shore that is safe and free from fear; but there is no boat or bridge to cross to the far shore. What if I were to gather grass, sticks, branches, and leaves, tie them together into a raft, and relying on that raft, with hands and feet, strive to safely cross to the far shore?’

Then, bhikkhus, that man, having gathered grass, sticks, branches, and leaves, tied them together into a raft, and relying on that raft, with hands and feet, striving, would safely cross to the far shore. For that man, having crossed over and reached the far shore, it would occur to him: ‘This raft has been very beneficial to me; relying on this raft, with hands and feet, striving, I have safely crossed to the far shore. What if I were to carry this raft on my head or on my shoulder and go wherever I wish?’

What do you think, bhikkhus, would that man be acting properly by doing so with that raft?"

“No, Venerable Sir.”

"And how, bhikkhus, would that man be acting properly with that raft? Here, bhikkhus, for that man, having crossed over and reached the far shore, it would occur to him: ‘This raft has been very beneficial to me; relying on this raft, with hands and feet, striving, I have safely crossed to the far shore. What if I were to set this raft on the land or sink it in the water and then go wherever I wish?’ By acting thus, bhikkhus, that man would be acting properly with that raft.

In the same way, bhikkhus, the Dhamma has been taught by me with the simile of a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. When you understand the Dhamma taught by me as similar to a raft, even the teachings should be let go, how much more so that which is contrary to the teachings.

There are these six views, bhikkhus. What are the six?

Here, bhikkhus, an uninstructed ordinary person, who has not seen the noble ones, is unskilled in the Dhamma of the noble ones, untrained in the Dhamma of the noble ones, who has not seen the virtuous persons, is unskilled in the Dhamma of the virtuous persons, untrained in the Dhamma of the virtuous persons, perceives:

  1. form as ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’;

  2. feeling as ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’;

  3. perception as ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’;

  4. formations as ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’; and

  5. whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought, and pondered by the mind, he perceives it as ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’; and

  6. he perceives the view: ‘This world is the self, after death I shall be permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change; I shall endure as long as eternity,’ he perceives it as ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’

But the learned disciple of the noble ones, bhikkhus, who has seen the noble ones, is skilled in the Dhamma of the noble ones, trained in the Dhamma of the noble ones, who has seen the virtuous persons, is skilled in the Dhamma of the virtuous persons, trained in the Dhamma of the virtuous persons, perceives:

  1. form as ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’;

  2. feeling as ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’;

  3. perception as ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’;

  4. formations as ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’; and

  5. whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought, and pondered by the mind, he perceives it as ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’; and

  6. he perceives the view: ‘This world is the self, after death I shall be permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change; I shall endure as long as eternity,’ he perceives it as ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’

Perceiving thus, he does not get agitated in what is not present.

When this was said, a certain bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “Venerable Sir, could there be agitation about something external that is not present?”

“There could be, bhikkhu,” the Blessed One said. “Here, bhikkhu, it happens to some: ‘I had it once, but I no longer have it; I want it, but I cannot obtain it.’ They grieve, lament, weep, beat their breast, and become confused. Thus, bhikkhu, there is agitation about something external that is not present.”

“But, Venerable Sir, could there be non-agitation about something external that is not present?”

“There could be, bhikkhu,” the Blessed One said. “Here, bhikkhu, it does not happen to some: ‘I had it once, but I no longer have it; I want it, but I cannot obtain it.’ They do not grieve, do not lament, do not weep, do not beat their breast, and do not become confused. Thus, bhikkhu, there is non-agitation about something external that is not present.”

“Venerable Sir, could there be agitation about something internal that is not present?”

“There could be, bhikkhu,” the Blessed One said. “Here, bhikkhu, it happens to some: ‘This world is the self, I shall be after death, permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change; I shall endure as long as eternity.’ They hear a Tathāgata or a disciple of a Tathāgata teaching for the letting go of all standpoints for views, for the pacification of all formations, for the relinquishing of all acquisitions, for the wearing away of craving, for dispassion, for cessation, for Nibbāna. It occurs to them: ‘I shall be annihilated, I shall be destroyed, I shall not exist anymore.’ They grieve, lament, weep, beat their breast, and become confused. Thus, bhikkhus, there is agitation about something internal that is not present.”

“But, Venerable Sir, could there be non-agitation about something internal that in not present?”

“There could be, bhikkhus,” the Blessed One replied. "Here, bhikkhus, it does not happen to some: ‘This world is the self, I shall be after death, permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change; I shall endure as long as eternity.’ They hear a Tathāgata or a disciple of a Tathāgata teaching for the letting go of all standpoints for views, for the pacification of all formations, for the relinquishing of all acquisitions, for the wearing away of craving, for dispassion, for cessation, for Nibbāna. It does not occur to them: ‘I shall be annihilated, I shall be destroyed, I shall not exist anymore.’ They do not grieve, do not lament, do not weep, do not beat their breast, and do not become confused. Thus, bhikkhus, there is non-agitation about something internal that is not present.

The Buddha shares the simile of the raft, on the appropriate way to hold on to his teachings, and shares a contrast in how an instructed ordinary person perceives with how a disciple of the noble ones is training to perceive.

Related Teachings:

Teachings on Living Beings and the Five Aggregates - A series of teachings that the Buddha shared on living beings and the five aggregates. The five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitions (choices) and consciousness, when fully understood, lead to freedom from strong feelings, to wisdom, to liberation.

Buddha answers 10 questions on the aggregates (SN 22.82) - On a full moon night with the Sangha at Sāvatthi, the Buddha answers a series of ten questions on the aggregates.

The Blind Men and the Elephant | The Ten Undeclared Teachings (Ud 6.4) - The Buddha shares the 10 undeclared teachings that relate to views one may be holding onto.