Discarding the Raft

Lostie

There will come a time when I have to discard the raft that gets me this far. It's of no use keeping it if it no longer serves any purpose for me and becomes a hindrance.

There are no shortcuts. I have to work for it but the time has come to be wise and discerning to know I am ready to take the leap (of faith).

Just penning my thoughts here into words and then into action.

Now-Is-reality

What leap of faith? To let go of your raft? Hmm.

Epicurus

The only raft I use is my "self".

zenff

There will come a time when I have to discard the raft...

The sooner the better.

GuyC

Hi Lostie,

In the Suttas, the simile of the raft is a simile for the Buddha's Teachings. According to this simile, once we get to the "safe shore" (i.e. Nibbana) we can discard the raft. But we should not discard the raft mid-stream (here the stream represents craving) nor should we discard it while on dangerous shore (i.e. Samsara).

Given the context of your post, it doesn't appear that this is what you meant when you used this simile...could you please clarify for me the following:

Lostie, what does the raft represent in your simile? Where are you trying to get to? Where do you think you are you now?

Metta,

Guy

DhammaDhatu

I am ready to take the leap (of faith)...

Yep...comes a time to take that leap into the river...taking refuge only in consciousness

:om:

Jeffrey

:om: :om: :om: :om: :om: :om: :om: :om: :om:

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas welcoming you

Whoknows

Hi @Lostie , as long as correct view is still there for guidance then all will be well. Though discarding the raft occurs many times in practise as one raft is discarded a new raft is constructed. The trick is to know when to ditch the old and make the new, and when to ditch all of them..... That's part of what my tradition call certainty in the path, or something like that. With certainty comes transition.

Lostie

Hi GuyC & all,

To answer your qns, the raft represents my outdated mode of thinking which does not reflect the growth I have made.

I want to get to where I see things as they are, without getting clouded by any pre-conception or post-conception.

I am at a point where I realise my thinking was outpaced by my growth hence I'd felt stuck. Growth must be paced by your mode of thinking.

I see ppl in this forum posting about their issues and problems. It certainly helps to hear useful advice from fellow newbuddhists. But there must come a time when you finally resolve to help yourself upon self-reflection. I stop short of using the term "self-fulfilling prophesy" but it's worth a mention still.

Buddhism is all about saving yourself first, then helping others.

Daozen

Buddhism is all about saving yourself first, then helping others.

Sometimes, helping others is a great way to save yourself. Compassion has its own rewards.

Namaste

lightwithin

I've only read different versions of the raft analogy, but I know what you're saying Lostie. At some point we all have to let go and keep on moving, even if that raft was very helpful and the only reason we got across the shore in the first place.

federica

You've realised the difference between "idiot Compassion" (like a crutch dependency) and Wise Compassion (enabling not disabling).
Compassion does begin with yourself - but you have to do something with it.
Self-Compassion isn't "Poor little me, I'm a victim, isn't that a shame?" it's more along the lines of "Ok, you're in a bad place right now, so let's look after you and get you out of it; Now - whatcha gonna do?"

Self-Compassion is taking a good long look at yourself, taking responsibility and taking a leap and avoiding the hole in the pavement.

"Autobiography in Five Chapters"

1) I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost . . . I am hopeless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

2) I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

3) I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in . . . it's a habit
My eyes are open
I know where I am
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

4) I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I walk around it

5) I walk down another street.

(From 'The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying' by Sogyal Rinpoche.

GuyC

Hi Lostie,

I am at a point where I realise my thinking was outpaced by my growth hence I'd felt stuck. Growth must be paced by your mode of thinking.

I see ppl in this forum posting about their issues and problems. It certainly helps to hear useful advice from fellow newbuddhists. But there must come a time when you finally resolve to help yourself upon self-reflection.

May you continue to grow in the Dhamma!

Metta,

Guy

Simonthepilgrim

@federica,

Thank you for quoting Portia Nelson's poem Autobiography in Five Short Chapters. It has been quoted in many places and I first came across it while training in Transactional Analysis. I still have the textbook that my late wife gave me for Christmas in 1987. She wrote in it: "For you Pizza Man, with whom the transactions are the greatest pleasure", and having bookmarked page 269 where I found the poem.

Investigating Portia Nelson, I discovered that she had been a many-coloured person, had lived a life with texture, and had played my favourite character in The Sound of Music, grumpy Sister Berthe who saves the von Trapps. And she wrote a wonderful book, There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery which helped keep me (relatively) sane while my wife was dying and has supported thousands through their recovery from addiction.

If anyone wants to know what it is like to try to keep your balance on the raft as it careered through white water, not a 'Buddhist' book and all the more valuable for it, this is the one.

There are real dangers in deluding ourselves that we have "reached the Other Shore": we risk stepping off the raft into water over our head.