The Raft is a special bi-weekly series, assembled by the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, Plum Village Monastery, Parallax Press, and the Plum Village App team to help keep you grounded and connected during these challenging times, and to inspire your mindfulness practice.
The Raft Of The Medusa
The Raft was designed to be easy to 1) access, 2) consume content and 3) interact with the community. If you know how to visit a web site (which I know you do since you’re here), you will have no trouble participating — and thus benefitting from the content! The Raft has also played a role in Marvel’s small-screen projects. In the second season of Jessica Jones, the Raft is a consistent presence and viewed as the worst place for a person to be.
Each issue includes a Dharma talk, guided meditation, upcoming online events, and other resources for your mindfulness practice, such as toolkits for kids, reflections by monastics, poetry and visual art, and more.
The Meaning of “The Raft”
The Buddha compared his teachings to a raft that helps us cross over to the other shore - the shore of peace, freedom, and well-being. Similarly, The Raft series is a body of teachings and practices crested to uplift us as we cross this difficult moment in our collective history.
“We should use the teaching like a raft to bring us across the river. And then when we've crossed the river, we can leave the raft there for someone else to use.”
As Thich Nhat Hanh has taught, once we have benefitted from the raft of the Dharma, we should make it available to others. If you’ve enjoyed The Raft series, please share it with your fellow Sangha members, friends, and loved ones.
