Page 168 - Basic Writings of Sriramchandra

Basic Writings of Sri Ramchandra
difficult to grasp them, and the final phase cannot even be conceived of in any way. Oneness prevails there in full swing. Prayer comes before this state is entered into. These three stages, or two and a half as one might say - because after that ‘awareness’ is lost - may for the sake of understanding be taken as the entire space from the beginning to the end. The intermediate state is also implied in it. This, which I have termed as the beginning, is in fact the real abode. Perhaps there may be some difficulty in accepting it as the beginning or the first stage of prayer. The idea is analogous with that of child who starts learning the alphabet with a view to secure higher approaches, so that subsequently he may start tackling higher problems and deeper thoughts. That means the ideal was before him, though at the time he was entangled only in the structure of words and letters. This preliminary stage may appear to be a superfluity in comparison with its final phase. This first state exists in every man who starts prayer, but if the final point is in view it will influence the grosser thing too, and by and by he will attain a state where the main point alone will be before him and he will have his stay on it. When this preliminary state is attained one must then try to get it expanded. Expanding does not mean swelling it up like a balloon but to develop it by introducing into it the real substance or power. When it develops to the extent that grossness begins to be converted into lightness almost up to the point of extinction, then he must understand that he has entered the sphere where only
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