İ have been on the path almost 8 years now. İn my 4th year, i have recognize what enlightenment is. All i did was retreat, psychedelic retreats, staying alone and meditating, simply surrendering and just Being. After that i have enlightenment experience.  However, after enlightenment, experience leans down, and new life starts. First couple months are honeymoon, however when everything leans down, you directly face with life. Because, you are not the same person as before. Every aspect of life evoke the enlightenment not the self, and learning the life from perspective of awake person is very difficult (this is where real surrendering starts), because most people are programmed to materialistic duality view.  Surrendering is easy while you are alone, however it is the most difficult when you are in life and while around people. Therefore, meditating while you argue with people, hearing your boss while he/she yelling at you etc...  İn the beggining of the path, you learn to meditate, during the enlightenment you learn how to completely surrender, but in life you will surrender within the fire. And when you do that, all is done, there is no self is left, no suffering, no more gaining or loosing. You are free. Life turns Love, self turns emptiness, death turns to the life, life turns to death and world turns to the Source / Now.