Question: Is the state of liberation usually reached abruptly or progressively?

Sri Chinmoy: Usually it is step by step. First we make one dollar, then two dollars, then one million dollars. But again, God, being omnipotent, can give someone liberation all at once if He wants to. There is no hard and fast rule, but in ninety-nine per cent of the cases you have to do it step by step. First you get partial liberation and then full liberation.

If God wants, He can give liberation all at once. Usually God does not want to break His cosmic Law by giving liberation to someone who has not worked for it. But if God wants to have that experience through a particular individual, He can make the person receptive.