I would like to share an image that came to mind while I was supposed to be meditating.
The Duke of Bananas is a cartoon-like apparition who looks like a large bunch of bananas, more green than yellow, wearing a Ducal coronet and a magical Cloak of Vagueness. He is my arch-nemesis, a trickster whose job it is to keep me cycling forever in the Dark Night. I only know three things for sure about the Duke: he is constantly changing; he is totally unsatisfactory in every way; and he sure ain't me. Whenever he appears in any of his usual guises, like fear or misery, I have to penetrate his Cloak of Vagueness and discern as many of his banana/sensations as I can before he once again slips away.
This image is so goofy and ridiculous that as soon as I think of it, I can't help but smile. The smile, in turn, reminds me of at least the possibility of the first jhana, mindfulness of breathing, why I am here, and what I am supposed to be doing. The instant I realize that the Duke has been screwing up my practice and my life yet again, he disappears and I am right back on track, smiling.
Such was the image that came to mind while I was supposed to be meditating.
