Although shaped like a raft or a fish trap, it is neither a raft nor a trap; instead, it is more like a small house resting on the waterfront or a secret childhood base lying in the wilderness.
Not until one would take the fish and leave the fish trap behind can a sharing of thoughts become possible (The Biographies of Eminent Monks). “Ye Bhiksus should know that the Dharma I expound is likened to a raft,” said the Tathagata frequently. “Even the Dharma should be cast aside, how much more so the not-Dharma?” (The Diamond Sutra).