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The road to nirvana illustrated

This illustrated the winding course of meditating on the path to nirvana. The monkey represents the excitement (agitation), while the elephant represents the spirit (which is initially opaque). The monk slowly tames these two aspects of himself through attention and recall to itself (symbolized by two tools he holds in his hands). At first, he ran behind the elephant and monkey. This shows his lack of control over himself. We see the elephant that changes color, symbolizing the cleansing or clarifying the mind. Fire roadside decreases in intensity, which represents the degree of effort required to achieve results. Towards the end of the course, the monkey disappears.

The six levels of the path represent six levels which are achieved through exercises: listening to instructions, their assimilation, their memory, vigilance, perseverance and the perfect habit.

Finally the elephant (spirit) bears the monk to nirvana.

To see the animated version, click here .