Question: How do we know that we are nearing our goal of liberation?

Sri Chinmoy: When one is a student, one studies at the elementary school, high school, college and university. When one enters the university, one knows that he will soon be completing his course. In the spiritual life also, it is the same. When one starts the spiritual life, one knows how much peace he has. He grows into more peace, abundant peace, infinite peace. When one is a beginner in the spiritual life, one knows how much suffering he has, how difficult it is for him to meditate even for five minutes. Then gradually he gets the capacity to meditate for hours at a time. It happens in the same way that a student goes from first grade to a higher class and to the highest class. He knows when he goes to the highest class that his course is complete.