Acharya Prashant explains that enlightenment is not an experience, as any experience requires an experiencer, which is always a particular identity or ego. When enlightenment is treated as an experience, the ego uses it as a tool to feel superior, leading to selfishness and a desire for followers or approval. He clarifies that what people often call an enlightenment experience is actually a moment of ordinary attention, which is a basic prerequisite for sanity and occurs naturally throughout the day. True knowing in these moments is not the same as thinking; it is a simple, ordinary state of being alive to the present situation without the interference of past conditioning. He emphasizes the importance of staying with 'step one' of self-inquiry: honestly observing what one is at any given moment, such as being a bundle of desires or a conditioned mind. Moving to further steps, like claiming to be the unthinkable Brahman, is often a deceptive trick of the ego. He asserts that intelligence cannot be outsmarted or predicted by the ego, and one should not try to preempt what will happen in a moment of realization. Every action, including sitting still or meditating, is driven by thought and the ego. He concludes that there is nothing beyond the mind for a human being; even supernatural or unconscious experiences are functions of the mind's vast depository of knowledge. Therefore, the only path to truth is direct and incisive honesty regarding the current state of one's mind.