Conversations with a sceptic (4): How do we recognize an enlightened being?

Q:
You assert 'there are scores who have attained this mastery...and are alive today', when the correct statement would be...'there are people who CLAIM to have attained...'.

So how does one really know? Not by how many books, nor by how many claims. The answer is we don't know...and this includes you and others making such claims, not just us nasty atheists. Anyone can make any claim about anything...doesn't make it so, without some way to demonstrate their 'mastery' of said mystery. 

A:

First off, I would say that with almost 100% certainty, a spiritual master or enlightened individual will never proclaim to be be more or better than anyone else, nor would he/she claim to hold the ultimate truth. If one does say he's higher than others or has reached enlightenment, then that means his ego is talking, which makes his claim worthless.

Second, when you come across an enlightened individual, you may not see any difference in the look, but you will feel a difference within yourself. A master is someone who has transcended his ego and attained complete stillness inside. He is like a perfectly polished mirror where you can see yourself without being judged and with unconditional love. You won't be able to resist that and be attracted like a moth to the light. Your consciousness will be elated without the need to meditate or take psychedelic substances, just by the mere fact that you are close to him.

You can not put the degree of spiritual realization in numbers, but you can see it by its symptoms. The way a person acts and how others react to that person. The amount of compassion and love this person emanates are compelling indicators of his realization. 

How do we know a quantum physicist doesn't just talk BS. I wouldn't know, nor would you I believe. But there are other physicists who have studied the same field who will be able to verify his claims or discoveries. Check out the Schoen scandal! He was a scientist who briefly rose to prominence after a series of apparent breakthroughs with semiconductors that were later discovered to be fraudulent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schön_scandal 

Peer reviews are key!

In the same way, others who are high up the realization ladder, will be better suited to spot a fake from the real thing pretty easily.

The same way I could easily spot if a student had studied for an exam or not when I was a teacher. Following this example, a primary student will not be able to judge the knowledge of a secondary student, because they simply don't have the tools or the framework for that.

So, you are correct in saying that you or I are not suited to judge a master's level, yet there are ways to identify mastery.

The best way for anyone's level of mastery is the level of compassion they are able to embody.