<p>The raft is in <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.nypo.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 22</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>I shall show you, monks, the Teaching's similitude to a raft: as having the purpose of crossing over, not the purpose of being clung
  to.</em></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-29T21:21:25.743Z
I'm not sure what to give as a reference for "it is the result of direct experience" ... perhaps [*Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi* ("to be experienced individually by the wise"), or *Sanditthiko* ("apparent here and now")](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/18643/254).
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-29T21:29:38.283Z
Or the paragraph before the one you quoted: which says e.g., "... They do not study the Teaching for the sake of criticizing nor for refuting others in disputation. They experience the purpose for which they study the Teaching ..."
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-30T00:52:16.953Z
Okay but is Buddhism a philosophy?
Akila Hettiarachchi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-30T01:03:02.623Z
Because some people consider it as philosophy. Philosophy is a taern for academic research. But I don't think using philosophy for Buddhism is a good idea since Buddhism itself is a result of direct experience rather than sepculation and academic research.
Akila Hettiarachchi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-29T20:24:01.983Z
2017-07-29T20:24:01.983Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>I am looking for the proper Suttra/Dhammapada in which the Buddha states the following.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>My teaching is not a philosophy. It is the result of direct
  experience...  My teaching is a means of practice, not something to
  hold onto or worship.  My teaching is like a raft used to cross the
  river.  Only a fool would carry the raft around after he had already
  reached the other shore of liberation.</p>
</blockquote>

<reference-request><pali-canon>
Sutta Reference of Buddhism Not being a Philosophy
# Sutta Reference of Buddhism Not being a Philosophy

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-29)

I am looking for the proper Suttra/Dhammapada in which the Buddha states the following.

> My teaching is not a philosophy. It is the result of direct
> experience... My teaching is a means of practice, not something to
> hold onto or worship. My teaching is like a raft used to cross the
> river. Only a fool would carry the raft around after he had already
> reached the other shore of liberation.

**Tags:** reference-request, pali-canon


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-07-29. Score: 2

The raft is in [MN 22](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.nypo.html).

> *I shall show you, monks, the Teaching's similitude to a raft: as having the purpose of crossing over, not the purpose of being clung
> to.*

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I'm not sure what to give as a reference for "it is the result of direct experience" ... perhaps [*Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi* ("to be experienced individually by the wise"), or *Sanditthiko* ("apparent here and now")](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/18643/254).  
> **username_2**: Or the paragraph before the one you quoted: which says e.g., "... They do not study the Teaching for the sake of criticizing nor for refuting others in disputation. They experience the purpose for which they study the Teaching ..."  
> **username_0**: Okay but is Buddhism a philosophy?  
> **username_0**: Because some people consider it as philosophy. Philosophy is a taern for academic research. But I don't think using philosophy for Buddhism is a good idea since Buddhism itself is a result of direct experience rather than sepculation and academic research.  

---

