Enlightenment cannot be fabricated

Yeah, I saw the rock opera "Tommy," as well. "You know where to put the cork..."

I tend to think that there are many paths to enlightenment. Sometimes you're lucky enough to have an epiphany out of nowhere; when the pink-purple beam comes out of the sky and lays it on you. On the other hand, monks and priests and all kinds of people who practice years of prayer or self-mortification sometimes find it, also.

I think a lot of it has to do with modifying the dopamine levels in your brain so it can perceive and recognize patterns in reality that you ordinarily don't see. You can do this naturally or "unnaturally," however you want to define it. Certain mind-expanding drugs can help those who don't want to spend years wearing a hair shirt and kneeling in a sealed room.

Some people can't handle the truth about existence and reality.

originally posted by: ancientthunder
Metaphor is best to reply to the question.
Let us imagine, that for humans on birth we all have access to Olives. But, the olive oil is not available to those who care not to discover it.
a reply to: Woodcarver

Metaphor is never the best way to describe anything.

The metaphor is best for me, especially with certain topics. a reply to: Woodcarver

a reply to: Blue Shift

As far as an organic explanation for enlightenment goes..

The Buddha fasted during the final meditation at the foot of the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya until he was just hours away from death.
The legend suggests that although he was resigned to his death he was saved by a young woman named Sujàtà who saw him there and offered him a bowl of milk rice before he lost consciousness.
The eastern mystics required Pythagoras to fast for 40 days before entering their school, which adds further support to the idea of near starvation being used as a training tool.

Drinking coffee can cause the mind to give more weight to weak potential links that would otherwise have been perceived as merely coincidence.

There could be an objective world that is beyond our experience due to subjective bias. Removal of bias requires time and perceptive flexibility. Drugs that freeze you with your initial perceptions are not going to help.