I'm not sure, but I think you're thinking of enlightenment as in "the age of enlightenment", whereas the quote is about the zen/buddhist idea of "enlightenment

I'm not sure, but I think you're thinking of enlightenment as in "the age of enlightenment", whereas the quote is about the zen/buddhist idea of "enlightenment (as in, even after reaching enlightenment, nothing much changes materially).