This Truth is to be found everywhere and always— in the past, the present, and the future ; it exists in every part of space, above and below, to the right and to the left, in front and behind. Look up – there are the sun, the moon, and millions of stars; look down – there are mountains, rivers, plants, trees, and minerals; between these there are human beings, animals, birds, reptiles and insects. Well, all these things are nothing but subjective phases in consciousness of each man’s individual Self. They are all contained in a single act of thought; in fact, there is no distinction between the individual Self and the whole external world. When once this Truth is apprehended, we are said to have attained to the Great Self, that is, the summit of all enlightenment. This attainment is referred to in the words of Buddha as found in the [Lotus Sutra]: “I have been the Buddha of Original Enlightenment from all eternity.”