Already Buddha Mind & Not
When we awaken as the Absolute, we have a taste of this present awareness as the awareness of Buddha Mind, and this becomes clearer when we awaken (to various degrees) as Big Mind.
We see that this present awareness is that of Buddha Mind, whatever its identification is - whether it sees itself as a small self or finds itself as space & awareness in which this small self arises, or something else.
In this sense, this present awareness - whether it is expressed through cats, dogs, worms?, any human being - is already the awareness of Buddha Mind. It is God temporarily mistaking itself for being only a cat, dog, worm or human being.
And at the same time, it is not Buddha Mind to itself - because it does not recognize itself as such.
We are all already Buddhas, and we are not - not in our own awareness. Until we are.