Yet despite my ordeal, let me emphasize that this awareness does not require any kind of physical trauma or test. It is simply (as I found out later!) a matter of surrender, which can be achieved any number of ways. It is at the moment of absolute surrender of everyday consciousness that one encounters a world of non-consciousness that is, paradoxically, a dimension of new awareness.
It is a paradox. It involves entering a world of nonconscious-ness while being more fully conscious than ever before, Enlightenment is becoming one with that consciousness. It is the ultimate human experience. In such a state you will realize who you truly are. Furthermore, I am wholly convinced that this state of enlightenment is a function of the brain. It is stunningly physical and spiritual at the same time.
Enlightenment is the experience of the integration of the body, mind, and soul. It is the experience of congruence, It is the melding of All That Is, manifested in your personal experience as one integrated expression of the Essential Self.
Not too many people will last twenty-one days without sleeping. And as Il chi Lee have said, it is not even necessary. Even if you did endure such an ordeal, there is no guarantee that your experience would bring you the answers you seek.
