4. The stage of meditation
This stage is composed of the remaining nine of the ten bodhisattvabhumis. During this stage, one develops a closer acquaintance with God, which is like living with a person so as to come to know him well enough to be benefitted by him.
In the beginning the grossest remaining delusions are combatted by the weakest mental force. Then, as one progresses during this stage the more subtle delusions are dispelled by an ever stronger force of mind. Step-by-step one abandons the delusions of the realms of desire, the realms of form, and the formless realms.
By the time one reaches the seventh of the ten bhumis, all habitual delusions have been abandoned, and one begins to tackle the instinctive, or subtle delusions. At this stage one moves far from the Hinayana motivation as one directly assaults the innermost core of the ego. One becomes skilled in means, and by the eighth bhumi one is unshakable. This is the level of irreversibility, and backwards slipping becomes impossible. During the ninth and tenth bhumis one becomes nearly perfect in all ways, including one's ability to teach others.