Hahaha, yes, in a way. It is the biggest joke you will ever play on yourself, the mother of all jokes. In the end, yes, it was all a scam. Separation was a scam, non-separation was a scam, and enlightenment was a scam, also.

So ultimately, no, enlightenment doesn’t exist. But the ego doesn’t exist either. Suffering doesn’t exist. Even consciousness doesn’t exist. Only trees and squirrels exist.

Is it possible to realize this? Not in an instant, but yes. Is it going to be painful? You bet. You can call this process “enlightenment”, if you wish, and it’s a very real, very tangible process of healing yourself from all your trauma and all your illusions about life until you end up in the absolute reality of trees and squirrels. Then there will be no doubt in you left about what exists and what doesn’t. With that there will be no more suffering.