The 'self' is not an individual because it is birthless because it is formless.

The seeker of truth  should not expect  the spiritual path  to be free  of obstacles. It  is impossible to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman  without getting rid of the hindrances which is blocking his realization of ultimate truth or Brahman. The Seeker  has to investigate what is is blocking his realization and get rid of them. 

One should not wish for the  easy way to search the truth. In the  easy way, there is ignorance. The ignorance is inborn. The ignorance is in the form of 'I'.  The ignorance has been nourished and passed on from one generation to the next. Without getting rid of this inborn ignorance,  it is impossible to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. The man+world are a product of ignorance.   The man+world ceases to exist without the ignorance.   In self-awareness  there is neither the man nor the world because man+world are a mere mirage create out the soul,which is present in the form of consciousness. The soul is the innermost self. On the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self the man+world are mere illusion.


Ignorance is in the form of 'T'. 'I' is in the form of mind. The Mind is in the form of the universe. The universe appears in the form of waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep(non-duality)   

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, because of this inborn samskara or conditioning one has accepted the ‘I’ as ‘self, he is ignorant of the fact that, he has accepted illusion as reality.  The ‘I’ itself is the  illusion.  And whatever is connected to the ‘I’ is bound to be  the illusion.  

The 'self' is not an individual because it is birthless because it is formless.  The self is not limited to waking experience alone because it pervades all the three states.  Thus identifying the self without the form alone is erroneous.   The self is without the form, without the time and without the space

Thought is nothing to do with the innermost self, which is ever formless because without the form, time and space the thought will not be formed.  Thought rises only to the waking entity or dream entity. Without the waking entity or dream entity the thoughts will not rise. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity nor the self is the dream entity but the self is the formless soul or consciousness, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.  The three states are nothing to do with the self because they are mere illusion created out of the soul , the innermost self ,which is present in the form of consciousness.  Thus thoughtless is not wisdom.  the thought ,thinker and the world are one in essence. That essence is consciousness   Thus the thought,thinker and the world are part of the illusion.  

The seeker has to try to get rid of the ignorance by  realizing the fact  that,  the 'self' is neither the waking entity nor the 'self ' is dream entity but the 'self'  the formless soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states,  without the physical apparatus.    One should not hope for realization without obstacles.  An easy way  is lazy way.  

The truth is easy, but, because of the accumulated knowledge and conditioning becomes greatest hindrance in pursuit of truth. When one is conditioned to accept something else as truth, it becomes difficult for him to accept anything other than his accepted truth. Since, he is been involved with his inherited conditioning sentimentally and emotionally for years together, therefore, he will not be receptive to Self-knowledge or Brahman Gnana or Atma Gnana. the seeker has to unlearn what he has learnt and start a fresh in order to understand,assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 


That is why  Sage Sri, Sankara says :- VC-63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman ? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

Whatever have appeared (birth, life, death and world) has appeared on its own and it disappears on its own.  Whether a person takes it as reality or illusion it all depends on his mental and intellectual conditions will determine the phenomenal world observed and experienced. The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. A Gnani viewing the universe (practical life within the practical world) different from the ignorant is viewing the same universe (practical life within the practical world). Each one of them interprets the universe he sees in term of his existing knowledge.   The Gnani sees his body, his ego and his experience of the world as mere mirage created out of consciousness whereas the ignorant sees his body as body, his ego as ego and his experience of the world as world.  


Only when one finds his accumulated knowledge is inadequate and useless, then only it is possible to drop the accumulated dross.   One has to accept the ups and downs of life; by understanding they are mere illusion on the ultimate standpoint.  The illusion, which appears and disappears, is impermanent and whatever is experienced as reality within the illusion is bound to be the  illusion.  The truth has nothing to with the individual experiences with in the illusion. Because it is not an entity or identity within the illusion but it is the formless substance and witness of the illusion. The truth is hidden within the illusion and it is without the illusion. 

A Gnani is one who has become aware of the formless witness, which is within the three states and it is without the three states.  He is a man of perfection is one who learnt to reason on the base of the formless witness. He has delved into and has become aware of the formless true soul, the innermost self  and he transcended consciously all his identification with the physical existence. He has realized his universal identity is without the physical existence (body +world = mind). 

Such a perfect seer has, when once he has realized  the self is not physical but self is  formless soul or consciousness  no longer is in bondage or burden of the physical existence(waking), because  the physical existence(waking or universe)  is mere illusion on the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self.  The perfect seer sees consciousness in everything and everywhere in all the three states. Hence, the three states is mere mirage created out of consciousness  There is no second thing exists, other than the soul, which is present in the form of  consciousness.