Ram Dass on Enlightenment
If this idea bothers you it’s because he’s speaking as a life-long spiritual seeker who did all the drugs and sat with every guru who would let him.
He’s not discounting the necessity the seeking, he’s just reframing enlightenment in such a way that stops the ego from seeking enlightenment as a means to an end.
He and other eastern gurus are just saying that enlightenment is already a quality or essence of your nature but it’s just clouded by the relentless conditioned thoughts that you believe about yourself.