Svetmoscow. Yogani explained it all very well.
There are those here that experience the divine flow. You know this.
Many have in the past as well.
There’s nothing more to it than that, we can talk about it all day but we will never nail it down. Nothing is static.
One more thing: consider taking yoganis advice to let your question go in silence.
Probably none. 
(I can only speak for myself)
Love! 
Dear Sveta,
AYP has been around some 10 yrs, I believe. It generally takes longer than that for the regular John Doe to reach higher states of samadhis such as those described by Kriya Masters whose lineages have been around for a very long time.
So ask us again in another 20 years
I presume this is what you mean by “reaching enlightment” - disregard if not.
Not enlightened but all lit-up !
Radiance… 
Sey
hi “cosmic”, i have the feeling that there are some actually…
hi SeySorciere, I personally do not agree with you because it seems from it that people work towards enlightenment only when take to some sort of spiritual practice, while the rest are just wasting time in the endless samsara doing nothing towards enlightenment (which i personally consider to be a very inaccurate misunderstanding coming from modern version of hinduism). in addition you count the years of practice of the poor Joe only in this lifetime which i find rather cruel because I am sure he did something in his numerous other lives as well. let me explain why I speak so confidently about these things. Many Thousands of people have done past life regressions under hypnosis and the information they get access to seems to be very accurate and has been verified by historic records. so it is not just a fantasy. so besides their other lives people often get memories of their inbetween-lifes experiences and many thousands of them have provided a very consistent info about how exactly the law of karma functions and how exactly do we get free eventually because inbetween lives souls seem to be aware of the mechanics of these things. I highly recommend the books of dr brian weis and dr michael newton.
A little something from Yogani that has been helpful for me re: contemplating past lives and things of that nature…
“Should we be spending our precious time looking back into the murky realms of past lives to understand reasons for what is happening in our lives today? If we work at it long enough, we may find some clarity. But, for the most part, it will be unfathomable, like gazing at star charts, or pondering the effects of stones thrown in ponds, or the whisperings of butterfly wings traveling across the universe.
Our destiny may be hidden in the stars, but the rest will be up to us through the choices we make each day to forward our spiritual progress through practices. We can watch for the lingering effects of ancient events, taking the role of spectator, or we can act in ways that directly influence all outcomes in the here and now, taking the role of participant. In these lessons, we take an active role in moving through the karmic maze, transcending and transforming its manifestations to serve our chosen ideal through bhakti and our daily yoga practices.
In doing so, we will be cultivating abiding inner silence, ecstatic conductivity and stillness in action, leading to the natural ability to transform karmic consequences at their source.” [http://www.aypsite.org/343.html]
Strong stuff. Profound implications. 
hi bodytree, thanks for turning this tread to a different topic, also an interesting one.
my personal opinion on your points - yes, sentimental endless analysis and digging of the past is one of the stupidest way to waste time. and yet a past life regression under hypnosis when done the proper way can in some cases speed up one’s evolution to even 200 km per hour! not everybody can use that tool, but thousands have done it, so there is chance.
and yes, reading highly questionable newspaper horoscopes and feeling shackled to a pre written destiny is far worst that time wasting, it is the fast road to depression and dis-empowering one’s own self. that is why simple people are often advised that destiny does not exist so that they do not get confused. however those who can handle a bit more complex concepts can actually go beyond the simplified version and understand that most of the actual events in this particular lifetime are indeed pre destined and the "active role in moving through the karmic maze, transcending and transforming its manifestations” will not result so much in changing the actual events, but other things, for example how we perceive them.
Some people start pulling at the knot in different ways in order to unravel the rope. That there will seem to failed experimental tugging is totally natural, yet each inevitably leads to a better method or new discovery. Any effort should never be discouraged and failure seen to be part of a natural process of learning and building.
If standing on ones head in a bath of baked beans seems to offer a way forward then it should be tried 
hypnotism, regression, time line therapy, crystal healing, angels, water spirits, living in a cave are all of value to discovery.
Ultimately man is a lazy creature but a most practical one. False progression can be quickly analysed in the same way drinking ‘dream’ or the ‘mirage’ of water will not quench thirst. The method with the greatest progression for the least effort is the preferred option. This is economic spiritual effort and no less practical and enduring than the physical kind.
LOL. Now that’s radical. 
Sveta, I think there’s real merit in karma yoga. I’ve had plenty of results in the negative when I acted in ways that weren’t so congruent with the divine flow, so I find it best to keep checking myself in terms of behavior, or else the universe will certainly keep me in check, which I am still learning, sometimes the hard way. Might as well try to capitalize and maximize on the dividends of “As you sow, so shall you reap.”
Unity.
I had the fortuitous opportunity, in my late teens and early 20s, 40+ years ago, to study with two “Fully Realized”. “awakened”, or, if you will, enlightened beings. The first was an ancient Japanese Zen master named Nippo Sayaku. Being only 18 during the year I spent with him, I had the nerve to ask him, “What is the difference between life before and after enlightenment?” He told me, “Nothing at all, everything just the same, still we chop wood, carry water… Only difference is, after, is harder to keep from laughing…”, at which point he began to giggle, then chuckle, then guffaw, and then roar hilariously until tears rolled down his cheeks. I must say, it took me over 30 years to get the joke. I also studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for 2 years. They didn’t call him the “Giggling Guru” for nothing, and that tended to confirm what master Nippo had told me. However, I also got to work with Maharishi (I was a TM video cameraman for over a year), and that was a real eye-opening experience, because I’d always assumed that an enlightened guru (which Maharishi most certainly was) would be without faults, perfect in every way. That’s just not correct–Maharishi had a real, emotional, intellectual personality–he had odd behaviors, he made errors, he inconvenienced others, he sometimes acted impulsively, and sometimes we had to tell him things he didn’t wish to hear, and he’d get annoyed with us. But he also cut thru all bullshit, was kind, caring and he tried always to give us as honest and complete an answer to our questions as he could. He was NOT perfect–that’s not what enlightenment is about–but he was wonderfully perfect at being Himself. I think that’s what it’s about. And, having now been doing this for 45 years, I can also see that “Enlightenment” is not a place we arrive at, a door we pass thru, a goal we reach. The “Awakening” which the Buddha spoke of is a continuum, and at the end of our long path, as that one door does finally open and light pours in on us, we do not sit and stop our spiritual evolution, sitting contentedly on our enlightened duffs! Instead, what we see ahead, is a further path unfolding, and another door…
namaste,
Michael
excllent post mikkiji
Very nice post mikkiji
As for the original question, it’s phrased in such a way that you’re not going to get an answer, because there probably is none. I can ask senior practitioners however, what is your daily experience like. Do you experience the bliss and ecstasy described in the lessons 24/7? In general how do you view people around you, rising emotions etc. Perhaps this will yield a more fruitful answer. I have to add that I have no idea why you’re asking this question or what you mean to achieve with the answer.
thanks for sharing mikkiji!
i see no reason for an answer not to exist? maybe somebody else also thought about it and does have some sort of a guess. as i clarified already, i am not looking for an accurate number, i though that would be self evident so that is why i did not include this clarification in the very first message of this thread, but somewhat later.
It is absolutely normal to ask few things and sensible details about the destination one has embarked upon achieving. indeed i find it more strange that such a curiosity of mine would be viewed as strange.
svetamoscow–yes, good point–if we have departed for a destination, it’s only natural that we have some idea what that destination is like–maybe there should be Trip Adviser reviews of Enlightenment, people’s commentary regarding their experiences! But seriously, when I first started on this spiritual path, I too asked these questions, assuming that such an intellectual inquiry should have a logical response. Not so with this particular destination, however–that’s just the nature of subjective personal experience. Although this IS a universal phenomenon, we each reflect it in a unique manner. And so, instead, we tend to read those special writings by a few people who have taken this journey and had the wherewithal to write cogently about it. Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi” is a classic example of the genre, but there are many other authors–Gopi Krishna, Ram Dass, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, among others, who have given us a peek behind the curtain. As for who and how many of us here at AYP have “arrived”, you’ll never get an answer. A better question to ask is the one posed by ak33–“I can ask senior practitioners however, what is your daily experience like. Do you experience the bliss and ecstasy described in the lessons 24/7? In general how do you view people around you, rising emotions etc. Perhaps this will yield a more fruitful answer.” And yes, it WILL yield a more fruitful answer. It’s less a poll like, “Everybody who got an “A” on the test, raise your hand” and more open-ended; “What was the test like, how did taking it make you feel, what changes in your life did it bring about?” Let me consider THAT question and compose a good response when I get more time… Stay tuned. Oh, and btw–I am in no way claiming any specific state of consciousness myself, only that I have been on this path for over 40 years, have taken some very advanced training during that time, and can relate interesting (and perhaps illuminating) aspects of my personal journey. That’s all.
namaste,
Michael
Why is illumination so important? We don’t know in advance the mysterious and remote country we so much want to explore. It is the journey itself which is interesting and fascinating; the challenge is to discover the unknown. When the country is discovered, if it is, the game is over. No more fun!
Perhaps at the end of the road, the entire universe, this marvelous and extraordinary universe will disappear and what will remain, nobody can tell!
Didier
hi didier, my personal prospective is very VERY different. the liberation that I am asking about in particular, is just one of the exams on the way, the long way of self discovery to which I cannot even see if there is any end ever. it is so important to some people because of its importance in terms of the terminology of the spiritual teaching of the east. flowery language is typical for the old scriptures of the east, every single yoga posture, every spiritual path, each and every meditation technique, mudra or anything at all is the ultimate and the topmost and the best of all all. and so the liberation as well is “ultimate achievement” and there is nothing to be learn after that. in the east people use such language for everything, but western people (who are accustomed to much more precise use of language) take things literally and so get confused. for example shamans in other cultures can pass the point of liberation and continue further in their development and will not even bother to put a name for this particular milestone on the way.
Also I personally simply do not believe that once we graduate from the material form of existence the fun will be over and once we reach the point of liberation there will be nothing. Earlier in this post I refereed to some reading that will explain the source of my confidence in this matter. also, not all people find the journey such a great fun as you, i know many that find it very very difficult and fun at all. I personally enjoy the results, I did not enjoy many parts of the road to those results. If I believed that it is just traveling for the sake if travel I would personally see no point to continue and would rather spend my time gardening for example, which gives me instant peace immediately.
dear mikkiji, i answered very similar posts like yours earlier, in my previews posts. thanks for answering.
as far as this being a question for beginners only, as you imply, i personally see no reason to think so. as far as getting more meaningful answers, actually sometimes one can get meaningful info JUST from the reaction to a question…
by the way i actually closed this discussion after Yogani himself did not wish to share his guess on the subject. i thought it would be rude to continue digging into it after that, but actually you put it again in the spotlight…
[edited by moderators for formatting only]
If you are happy you are enlightened…learn how to be happy…everyone has a different method.
I’m happy a lot …but not 100%…so I’m not enlightened…but I think I at least know what to strive for.
This is interesting jonesboy, in other words before asking how many are enlightened, are we even sure that they are AWARE that they enlightened.
my personal opinion is that most them will be aware, in case they are familiar with the term at all, as i said i think some shamans actually pass by the milestone and do not give it name even. others could not be aware simply because they had no specific reason to sit and ponder one day if they have reached the stage or not. but i think that people who reach it by following a clearly charted path of yoga like in the case of ayp, then they will very well know where they have reached. the passage above is just too poetic, i would not take it literally. if one starts taking all yoga and Buddhist scriptures literally one will be greatly confused because they contradict each other and themselves at every step. this opinion is based on logic and literature sources (mentioned earlier in the post), not on my experience because i have not passed the graduation point (really that is so, i am not just bewildered about it because i am enlightened…). IF SOMEBODY HAS A MORE RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFO ON THIS SUBJECT PLEASE SHARE, I am very opened to changing my opinions, indeed that is why visit this forum to do change some of them. i just wish i knew which ones need to go…
[edited by moderators for formatting only]
Does the ocean know it’s called the ocean? Does a mountain know it’s called a mountain? Would you know your own name unless it had been told to you? Discern and discriminate between the label and the object. “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
Try to hold silence in your hand. Try to grasp infinity with your intellectual mind. Can’t be done.
Here’s a great lesson on enlightenment milestones:
http://www.aypsite.org/35.html
Another stellar Yogani quote (one to get tattooed on the chest):
“I never met an end state that was not a plateau.”
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10611#90958
So just relax, and stop trying to put a ceiling on it. That’s all that’s required. Just give up trying to cap it, or put a stamp on it, or proclaim that someone has attained it.
I’ve had the privilege to encounter some higher beings that were not of human body-form (though they resembled humans), and they were beaming bliss, purity, love, inner silence, etc. “In my Father’s house, there are many mansions.” (John 14:2) So don’t think humanity is at the peak of existence, or enlightenment. It keeps going…ad infinitum. ¿Comprende?