GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA
wealth. When the mind dwells in the purified heart, spiritual light is perceived by the soul, At that time the soul exclaims : "What is this ! What is this!" When it rises near the throat and remains there, the devotee loves to hear and speak of God. When the mind rises still higher, near the space between the eyebrows, it beholds the vision of the Infinite Being, whose nature is absolute Existence-Intelli- gence-Bliss. The soul then desires to touch and embrace that Being, but fails. As a light within a lantern can be seen but can- not be touched from outside, so the soul beholds the vision but cannot lay hold on it. cannot enter into it, cannot become one with it. In the seventh stage, however, the mind is bereft of the sense of "I," enters into God-consciousness and realizes its oneness with the Infinite. Devotee: Bhagavan, what happens after reaching the seventh stage when Divine wisdom comes? What does the man see? Ramakrishna: It cannot be described by words. In the seventh stage when the mind goes into its causal form, Samadhi comes and what happens then no one can tell. This sense of "I" which makes one worldly
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