Acharya Prashant discusses a Zen koan about a monk who practiced zazen for ten kalpas but failed to realize the highest truth. He explains that while people often seek causes and reasons for their lack of enlightenment, being a Buddha has no cause or reason. The belief that one is not a Buddha is based on false causes and the persistent habit of saying 'no' to one's true nature. He emphasizes that the only reason the monk did not attain Buddhahood is simply because he did not; it is a matter of saying 'yes' or 'no' to the reality of one's being. Acharya Prashant points out that even the reasons people give for their resistance to truth are ultimately baseless. When probed deeply, all excuses fall away to reveal a primitive ego tendency that simply does not feel like saying 'yes'. Therefore, enlightenment is not a result of long-term effort or external factors, but a reason-less acceptance of what is already the case. One is enlightened because they are, and one is not enlightened because they choose not to be.