[shareaholic app=”share_buttons” id=”5111567″]The Parable of the Raft is the Parable of… how did the Buddha put it? “For getting across, not for retaining”.

Essentially in this story we are talking about is the story of the active action of doing something, and living in the moment. See, in the moment that you are doing something, you do it with the tools and ingredients that you have around you. You act with the principle of getting the thing done, and if you’re thorough – getting it done in the most optimal, functional way. “The right way, the way it aught to be done”.

In this Parable, the man ponders whether he should carry the raft with him, should he need it again later. It’s heavy to carry a whole raft by yourself, especially when you don’t know where or when the next river will come across, and if he’ll even need a raft to cross it safely.

This buddhist philosophy describes a sort of “going with the flow” through our actions. If you don’t need the raft once you’ve crossed the river, you don’t need to bring it with you. What are you really giving up by letting it go? The possibility that maybe you’ll need it eventually?

It’s the same principle as to why most people wouldn’t bring their living room couch with them to work. There are already chairs at work, why would you bring your couch?

Perhaps in another version of the story, there are many men crossing the river together. They could all carry the raft or boat with them if size permitted, taking turns to rest if they knew that it was imperative that they take that raft. Alternatively, they could dismantle it to turn it into firewood for the night, or shelter.

Use the resources that you have available at any given moment, and don’t worry – you are not your external environment. You are not giving up who you are by giving up a material possession.

You are the awareness of the internal, and the external, together.

With love,
Jordan

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Made with Love by~
Jordan Pearce and Vanessa Cuccia
Audio Recording by VISION
Logo by Lee VanPelt
Intro Music by Seb Skelly
Credits Music by Super Junior
-Happiness-
Background music by Iwasaki Taku

Special thanks to Andrew Golden, for without him this could not have been made!

Thank you so much for everyone who provided their time, energy, and Love into helping create this project!