I recently learned that there are 3 historical views in the Indian tradition about this.
1. The Vedas say that you climb the ladder to enlightenment and then you kick it down. As someone said, you just sort of disappear because you're way beyond the mundane "illusory" world the rest of us are in. This is the ascetic in the cave.
2. Advaita Vedanta introduced the concept that you climb the ladder to the top, then you come back down to help show others how to get up there. This is also the "boddhisattva" in buddhism.
3. The Tantras introduced the idea that enlightenment is not a ladder, sideways... it's a balance. All of it is available at all times. You don't have to climb up to it, you just have to remember it, and it can happen spontaneously. But, it's also the concept that enlightenment is not a fixed point. If it was, you'd get there and then 'go back to sleep' because you 'got there.' So enlightenment is a process, not an endpoint.
I like the 3rd one the best. It's the most evolved idea I think. It reminds me of a quote from Steve P where he wrote: "Fulfillment will never come from a fixed point on your path, it always comes from motion, progress on the path." That is enlightenment.
So in my opinion, the answer is BOTH one and zero.
