Man and his experience of the world cannot exist without waking experience. Whatever we are discussing, we are discussing within the waking experience. One has to know: whether physical body and the world are within the mind or the mind is within the physical body? The mind, physical body, ego and the world are present only, when the waking or dream is present. Mind is absent, when the waking or dream experience is absent. Thus one has to conclude the mind as the whole waking or dream experience. Thus the mind appears and disappears as waking or dream experience. All your arguments are truth only on the base of the ego, which is the false self, within the false experience (waking). The individual experiences within the waking are as real as dream.
Suppose the same subject, if we are discussing in the dream and you asked me the same questions in the dream, then whatever you said in dream becomes unreal, when the waking takes place. Whatever one saying now, he is saying within the waking experience. The waking is unreal on the base of the formless witness, which is Atman. Atman is in the form consciousness.
How does one see various objects, scenes and persons during dreams? If the dream is experienced without the physical body, then what is it that experiences the dream? Therefore, there must be an invisible (formless) experincer (witness or knower) of the dream world. This invisible [formless] experincer (witness or knower)is the same experincer that is experiencing this Waking experience. Therefore the Waking experience and dream both are experienced by one and only invisible (formless)experiencer of which the seeker is not aware of. Since he considers the physical body (ego or waking entity) is the self(witness or knower) and views and judges the worldview on the standpoint of false self , within the false experience. The formless experincer (witness or knower) can exist with or without the waking or dream. But waking or dream cease to exist, without the formless witness.
The gross Waking experience is merged into the mental experience in the sense that, when it is analyzed, it is found to exist inseparably in and as the mind alone. All "spiritual" planes are really mental: those who regard them as different or higher are deceiving themselves. The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place; similarly the waking becomes unreal when the wisdom dawns. Therefore everything has to be grasped mentally, not argued on the intellectual point of view, which is limited to the false physical entity within the false experience.
The unreal is created out of real, and when one views and judges on the standpoint unreal (ego) then there is duality. When one is able to view and judge on the standpoint of real (Atman or soul) then there is only non -duality. Therefore, when the wisdom dawns then there is neither duality, nor non duality, only reality. This is my views and conviction.
All theses confusion will go on, until man thinks, he is an individual and apart from the world, and the world existed prior to him and he is born in it afterwards. Therefore, it is necessary to know the fact the true self is not ego, but the true self is the soul, and stop viewing and judging the worldview on the standpoint of the physical self (waking entity or ego), and one has to view and judge on the true self (soul or Atman) to realize the fact that, the world along with man is illusion. The formless substance from which the illusion is created is Atman. Thus Atman is Brahman or ultimate reality. Thus no second thing exists on the standpoint of Atman or consciousness as self.