There are a lot of traditional paths to life cultivation that have a greater weight of evidence behind them than anything tested by 20th or 21st century science. Sure, it hard to know what of that evidence is real, but please let me know when modern-day science has solved that problem. Scientific processes today are far worse than one might realize.

Yes, I'm somewhat defending my own particular branch (which I doubt is innately superior to many others, fwiw). But it was the LARPing enlightenment comment that caught my eye: it is absolutely a thing, and it shows up plenty in both traditional and "science-based" methods.

But my personal experience is that once you get far enough into something to start to understand what enlightenment would actually require, it becomes a lot less appealing of a target. I'm sure it would be great, but boy howdy it requires a lot of uncomfortable work. I just want to live better and feel better, dammit.

You can often sort out the posers from the real life cultivators by enthusiastically bringing up enlightenment. The real people will be the ones who (figuratively) roll their eyes. If they're further along, it will be done in a very polite, understanding, and non-judgemental sort of way.

"I was once like you, grasshopper. And I still am."