Hi svetamoscow:
No one can answer your question for sure. Everyone has their own opinion about what enlightenment is, and who may or may not have reached it, whatever it is seen to be. So there is no exact answer to your question.
What we can say with confidence is that many are finding steady improvement in the quality of their life with deep meditation and other yoga practices. It has been documented here and elsewhere many times over the years.
Is it perfect? No. But something is happening. If we can't say exactly what enlightenment is or who has it, we can say for sure that many are moving toward something more in life.
As for pinning any single person down on what their enlightenment status is, it is rather a personal question, and the person may not know the answer themselves. If they think they know, they could be projecting something inaccurate that could distract and mislead themselves and others. It happens all the time, sometimes with terrible consequences, and that is why the caution is there about making proclamations of enlightenment, or trusting them. It is not a taboo (anyone can claim whatever they want), just a suggestion to help avoid unnecessary confusion. A practitioner (even an advanced one) could much more easily tell you how much money they have in the bank, or how many times they had sex in the past month. But is any of that your business?
As several have pointed out already, enlightenment is not about anyone else but you, and what you may or may not be doing about it. One thing is for sure, you will never find it in another person. You can only find it in yourself. The system of practices we discuss here is for aiding sincere seekers in that. Whether the practices work or not is less about some ultimate outcome than about what they are contributing to the quality of life along the way. That is the real deal -- results in daily activity -- more peace, energy, creativity, a rising sense of unity and spontaneous service to others. You don't have to take anyone's word on those things. Just practice and find out for yourself.
None of that is going to answer your question about how many enlightened people there are around here, because there is no answer really, other than "Who knows?" It is a perfectly okay answer, because it is the truth. There is just practice and the resulting experience in daily life. The journey is the destination.
As it says in the Bible:
"You will know the tree by its fruit."
(by its conduct, not by what it tells you it is)
So maybe the question needs some work. Try letting it go in abiding inner silence, and in time you will know ... but will not be able to say, because the truth transcends the fickle mind. It is acts in the divine flow that come up instead.
As the ancient Taoist saying about enlightenment goes:
"Those who say do not know. Those who know do not say."
All the best on your path. Practice wisely, and enjoy!
The guru is in you.
PS: If you are interested in end stage development and milestones (as best I could express them) it is suggested to read the later AYP lessons. These have been discussed extensively in the forums as well. But you will not find the precise certification of "enlightenment" you are looking for. Only an honest sharing of practices and experiences at various stages of development (with no ultimate end point), which is the best we can do. How can any of us claim enlightenment when there are so many others suffering and longing for liberation? They are us.
