The word “awakening” is closer to me rather than “enlightenment” or “self-realization”. “Awakening” reminds, at least, of the need to awaken from something.
Death
Death is the only indisputable fact that is known to every person. As a rule, we learn in childhood that a person is mortal, witnessing the death of grandmothers, grandfathers, and other relatives.
Man’s Being
The existence of a living organism means that it has a kind of being. If there is being, then there must be different levels of being. There is the existence of plants, animals, humans. We can see that human being differs from the animal world, at least in terms of its mental and functional capabilities.