@JevinR Hi Jevin,  To reach what the Vedic traditions call "enlightenment", the baseline requirement is develop our linguistic self concept (aka our "ego") to what the developmental Spiral Dynamics model level of meaning making calls the 2nd Tier "Turquoise" stage, or alternatively parsed "Unitive Self" stage. Once this has happened, it is then possible to make a shift from the Witness Self into a condition where post symbolic representational awareness and direct knowing becomes a permanent reality for us. Meditation or self inquiry are the main tools here.  But true self development toward "post-post conventional" levels of consciousness always follows in the path of cognitive development - we cannot have a smooth transition into 3rd tier awareness without a balanced and well developed self concept, therefore intellectual learning is an absolute must and the ability to take as as many different multifaceted lenses as possible - essential.  Hence the need for exquisite text based forums such as this one! True progress will mostly be apparent to us in the positive forms of better functioning, increased wisdom, increased capacity for compassion and tolerance, clearer and more complex thinking, taking life less personally and a multitude of other benefits (many of which Leo has already kindly delivered in many of his enlightenment videos). The downside is of course that less and less people are going to understand us.  That's because the higher levels of development can transcend, include and organize what came before it, but the lower levels only take what it can "fathom" from above and reduce it back down to it's own level of understanding.   Self-Actualization and realization is indeed a sometimes lonely path to walk, but I hope you agree that despite the effort the rewards are worth the effort. Regards Mal