The Buddha is said to have become enlightened under the Bodhi tree around 2500 years ago. To be enlightened is highly emphasized in Buddhism, especially in the Ch'an School. Ch'an practitioners claimed that they followed the quintessence of the Buddha's teachings. The so-called quintessence of the Buddha's teaching, according to them, is beyond expression of words and symbolism. This claim is to be examined. There are not any words in the Buddhist canon indicating the genuine state of Enlightenment. Therefore, Enlightenment is a puzzle to the beginners of the Buddhist studies. In order to understand the authenticity of the enlightenment as understood by the ch'an practitioners, the author has tried to analyse the epistemological point of view, and has tried to find the possibility of interpreting the state of enlightenment through different approaches.
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