[Advaita-l] Is enlightenment a myth?

[Suresh]

Friends,

I am not attacking any teacher, just a general doubt.

People often say 'this man is enlightened' or 'she became enlightened after doing this sadhana' etc. etc. Basically, they're referring to some 'big experience' that the person concerned has had - they don't refer to book knowledge such as tat twam asi or aham brahmasmi. When they use the word 'enlightenment', they go way beyond knowledge and point to some sort of radical experience. 


But isn't this misleading? There couldn't possibly be an experience of the nondual Brahman - there is no subject or object. Whatever we experience is going to be reduced to the three states like waking etc. The 4th is not a state but more like a basis of three states, so that isn't something one can experience, especially not in our current state with body/mind. 


So what exactly is this enlightenment, and why do people speak of it in terms of experience (which implies duality)?

Thanks.
Suresh