Buddhism claims among other things that the path of enlightenment is the way out of suffering. It leaves me feeling I am either not getting it right or not doing enough to free myself from suffering in this life. How do you feel about this proposition by Buddhism?
The people who have attained liberation say that the state cannot be described, hence each must experience it for themselves. I've known many people who have had satori experiences (that is, short-lived enlightenment experiences). In fact, probably most people within Advaita and similar communities have had least had glimpses. Such glimpses have also occurred to people in moments of extreme trauma, in NDEs or even some very profound psychedelic experiences. I am somewhat bitterly not among those who has had the experience, but I've researched the topic over decades, such that I can easily guide other people.
What is very rare is achieving that state permanently. A small number do so very easily, which is usually attributed to work done in past lifetimes. We are not all evolved to the same degree (this should be fairly obvious just from looking at the world). Questions of karma, future lifetimes, mortality of the body or decision-making are all permanently extinct for one who is enlightened, and it is ultimately everyone's destiny. Most of the well-documented examples of enlightened
jnanis are from India.
Talking about meditation, etc., as a means of improving mental health or making life better is a very different beast to pursuing the permanent destruction of the individual sense of 'I'. Yes, permanent death of the personal self is the goal of sincere seekers, not self-improvement. Best not to conflate the two.
If you or anyone else is genuinely serious about this topic, send me a PM as I can definitely help.