There seem to be a lot of people who think there’s a big difference between being enlightened and not being enlightened. There are people who spend their entire lives making an effort to become enlightened, because they think it’s something totally different and particularly special that needs to be attained.
This is incorrect. Enlightenment—the enlightened mind—is something that everyone has. Enlightenment is always there, just like the sun; all human beings have this light within, a light that is bright beyond description. It may be darker when the sun is covered by clouds, and in the same way, people may only look at external phenomena when they can’t see the sun. But that “sun” of enlightenment shines in everyone, whether they’re enlightened or not.
Simply put, love is the divine light that makes every person precious. Love is beautiful and great, and it makes everything possible. This ultimate love comes from the heart of the creator. It’s the actual stuff of enlightenment, a brightness that we could refer to as a “sun,” which generates all life on Earth.
Those people who have seen the sun are said to be enlightened—they have connected with the bright light of divinity within and they know the creator’s ultimate love for all life. For every person, this sun is the source of love. That’s why enlightenment is something anyone can attain.
Ilchi Lee