- The trigger for enlightenment realization : Leo recognized enlightenment as significant upon realizing the self could potentially be an illusion, not defined by the body or mind.
- Enlightenment's challenge to personal identity : Leo was struck by the possibility that all aspects of his identity might be illusory, as enlightenment suggests we are not simply biological organisms.
- Ralston's self-perception post-enlightenment : Despite identification as a human, Ralston insists that at the core, there is "nothing," a concept beyond human understanding.
- Concept of 'nothing' in enlightenment : Ralston clarifies that the 'nothing' he refers to is incomprehensible and fundamentally different from absence or emptiness as typically understood.