In early stages, the meditator sharpens their powers of concentration/mindfulness. In later stages, the meditator no longer has scattered attention (i.e., “monkey brain”) and can focus effortlessly. So the monkey disappears. Excerpt from “The Mind Illuminated”:
The Ten Stages of Meditation: The monk is the meditator. The rope he holds represents vigilant, alert mindfulness. The goad in his other hand represents strong intention and firm resolve. The elephant represents the mind. The black color of the elephant represents the Five Hindrances and the Seven Problems they give rise to. The monkey represents scattering of attention, and the black color represents subtle and gross distraction, forgetting, and mind-wandering. The rabbit represents subtle dullness. The flames represent vigilance and effort, and when effort is no longer required, the flames disappear. The length of the road between successive Stages indicates the relative time required to progress from one Stage to the next. The Stages come closer together until Stage Seven, then they begin to stretch out again. Because the road folds back, it is possible to jump up to higher Stages or fall back to lower ones.
This man is on stage 9 of the 10 stage path
edit: Source: The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness
That’s a wild picture
Is that from Wat Rong Khun?
Why does the monkey disappear?
In early stages, the meditator sharpens their powers of concentration/mindfulness. In later stages, the meditator no longer has scattered attention (i.e., “monkey brain”) and can focus effortlessly. So the monkey disappears. Excerpt from “The Mind Illuminated”:
The Ten Stages of Meditation: The monk is the meditator. The rope he holds represents vigilant, alert mindfulness. The goad in his other hand represents strong intention and firm resolve. The elephant represents the mind. The black color of the elephant represents the Five Hindrances and the Seven Problems they give rise to. The monkey represents scattering of attention, and the black color represents subtle and gross distraction, forgetting, and mind-wandering. The rabbit represents subtle dullness. The flames represent vigilance and effort, and when effort is no longer required, the flames disappear. The length of the road between successive Stages indicates the relative time required to progress from one Stage to the next. The Stages come closer together until Stage Seven, then they begin to stretch out again. Because the road folds back, it is possible to jump up to higher Stages or fall back to lower ones.