Most of what we are told about awakening sounds like an argument to sell us enlightenment. When they try to sell us something, they only tell us the positive aspects, and they may even tell us things that are not true. In an attempt to sell us on awakening, we are told that enlightenment is about love and ecstasy, compassion and togetherness, and other positive experiences. It is usually wrapped in fantastic stories, so that we come to believe that awakening has to do with miracles and mystical powers. One of the most common sales pitches is the description of enlightenment as an experience of bliss. Consequently, people think: "When I awaken spiritually, when I feel the union with God, I will enter a state of constant ecstasy." Of course, this is a wrong understanding of awakening.
Awakening can be accompanied by bliss, because bliss is a by-product of awakening, but it is not the awakening itself. As we go looking for the by-products of awakening, we lose sight of the essence. This is a problem, because many spiritual practices attempt to reproduce the byproducts of awakening without achieving awakening itself. We can learn certain meditative techniques—repeating mantras or singing bhajans, for example—and certain positive experiences will follow. Human consciousness is extremely flexible, and by engaging in certain spiritual practices, techniques, and disciplines, it can generate many of the byproducts of awakening: states of bliss, openness, and so on. But what usually happens is that you finish only with them, without the awakening itself.