as far as i've been able to discover so far, no one says it better than tony:

www.youtube.com/watch

I think the first thing to keep in mind is that these are all made-up words, and we're not talking about something with a widespread shared experience like "apple" or "pink" or "running", etc. In fact, all words and descriptions of awakening and enlightenment are very subjective (even as they try to break the subject-object barrier), so you will constantly have to clarify what you as an individual mean by these words.

That being said, for myself there is a difference between "awakening", "liberation", "oneness realization", "self realization", and "enlightenment". Here is my understanding of each of these terms:

~ "Awakening": The basic loss of the sense of "I"; the death of the ego. Egoic consciousness remains, but it has no center, and is not seen as real anymore.
~ "Liberation": Loss of the sense of the personal. Although the "I" has already died, there is still a story and a sense that the story is a personal one, even though there is no "person" for it to be about. Liberation ends this illusion. It is much more "empty" than simple Awakening.
~ "Oneness Realization": All experience is seen as an expression of Oneness. There is no me and you, just experience arising of, to, from, and for the same Oneness or Consciousness.
~ "Self Realization": This is where a sense of "Self" meets "Oneness Realization". Having an internal sense of Self means that even as you may be confused by the illusion of separation, some part of you still feels connected to Self. Depending on the individual, this can be there even pre-Awakening, or it may very well not be there even after Oneness Realization. However, if you have a sense of Self while in a state of Realization, then you would be in Self Realization, and then all experience is seen as an expression of Self. Self is seen in all beings, all manifestation, all experience.
~ "Enlightenment": Whereas before this point the separate sense of self has died and one has come to see the oneness of all experience, in Enlightenment, this isn't just *seen* as the truth, it is *lived* as the truth. You *are* all of life arising in this moment. This is the beginning of true Non-Duality.

Obviously all of these terms and definitions are open to interpretation and debate, but this is my basic understanding. I'm sure there's more beyond even Enlightenment, but I can't even begin to guess what that is. Anyway, thanks for the interesting conversation starter! :)

insofar as observed and experienced, self-realization is the attainment of a set or series of traits or outcomes that support the idea of ego/self as the primary ingredient. whereas enlightenment is the release of the idea of ego/self that 'is' without effort or thought.

not that such a ignorant, foolish thing as i am enlightened, except in entirely too swift and fleeting moments.

Your experience of this moment, right now, is the realization of what you experience as your self - and the next and the next. Enlightenment is the fantasy there's something more.

Buddha Shakyamuni taught that there is liberation, enlightenment, and the full enlightenment of a Buddha.

Liberation (Nirvaṇa) is the realization of the inherent emptiness of all objects and phenomena, including 'self', which forms the basis for ending samsaric rebirth.

In the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra it is explained that when we become fully enlightened we attain the four bodies of a Buddha; the Truth Body which is of two types - the Wisdom Truth Body and the Nature Body - and the Form Body which is composed of the Enjoyment Body and the Emanation Body. The Wisdom Truth Body is the omniscient mind of Buddha and the Nature Body is the mind which is free from the two obstructions - delusion and karmic imprints of delusion (doubt) - which he taught can only be attained on the basis of great compassion.

In my experience what is conventionally called 'self', or the 'I' that cognizes, is a very subtle mind, or mental continuum, that experiences countless samsaric rebirths, in various realms of existence, until it purifies all karmic obstructions (and attains the Truth Body of a Buddha).

Secularly these might be explained as knowledge (intellectual), realization (experiential) and abiding (maintaining) -- or intention, action, and follow through.

See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmakaya