under special circumstances, they have experienced their own inner reality. The majority of people are so divorced from their own states of pure consciousness that they do not recognize them when they experience them, because they identify with their lower ego states. A negative self-image blots out the joyous brilliance that is the true essence of their identities, which therefore goes unrecognized. That this joyous, peaceful, fulfilling state is in reality one’s own inner essence has been the basic tenet of every great spiritual teacher (for example, “the kingdom of God is within you”).
