The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is cause of ignorance. Ignorance is physical prison.+

An object exists because of the subject. The thinker, thoughts, and the world are an object to the subject. In the realm of truth, the object and subject are one in essence. That essence is consciousness.  Consciousness alone is. There is neither an object nor the subject in Nondualistic reality.

'I' is an object to the 'I'-less subject. those who hold the 'I' as the subject because some sage has said it in the past or it is generally held or it is written in some book or someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true after deeper verification through reasoning.

The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the cause of ignorance. Ignorance is physical prison.

If ‘I’ is neither the waking entity nor the ‘I’ is a dream entity, then what is ‘I’ without waking or dream?

‘I’ is not limited to ego or physical self because ‘I’ is the whole physical existence or universe. Limiting the ‘I’ to the physical self is erroneous. Without realizing this truth it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

Since the sense of ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present and it disappears along with the mind. The seeker will come to conclusion after thoroughly verifying this fact through deeper self-search and then come to a firm conviction that ‘I’ is mind.

 ‘I’ is mind.  The mind is present in the form of the universe.  And the universe appears as a waking or dream. Thus ‘I’, Mind, universe, waking, and dreams are one and the same thing. 

Remember:~

It is wrong to identify the Self as he or she because it refers to physicality. The Self is genderless because it is formless. Identifying “Self” as he or she leads to all sorts of doubts and confusion.  When the Self is identified as 'he or she becomes a physical self or ego.  The ego exists only when the mind exists. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe is a product of ignorance. When ignorance vanishes through wisdom the unreal nature of the universe is exposed.

When the ego is not the Self, it is erroneous to judge the truth on the base of the ego or physical Self and pass the judgment. Judging the truth on a physical base (ego) is erroneous because the truth is the prior appearance of the physical existence (universe). Thus, the truth has to be judged from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, not on the base of what appeared later on.

Man has been conditioned to think and be and behave and believe and live as an individual separate from the world. Therefore, the Self has been identified with the physical body with the name within the waking experience.

The ‘mind’ is the Waking or dream experience. The waking or dream is not the experience of the physical body but of the Soul, the Self. The man and his world are within the mind; therefore the mind is not within the brain. This has to be understood to assimilate Self-knowledge. Without understanding, this fact assimilation is an impossibility.  

Remember:~

The nature of the Self is formless non-dual.  The nature of the mind is duality or diversity. The self is the formless substance of the mind (duality /diversity). Therefore, the whole experience of diversity is created out of single stuff.  There is no division in the ultimate standpoint is the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. Viewing the three states on the base of the physical self is the cause of division and separation.  

When the seekers become aware of the fact that the true Self is not physical but the formless soul, he becomes aware of the fact that the mind is merely an illusion.   The one who is ignorant of the true self experiences the duality as reality.

A person perceives the world within the mind. Absent of mind is absent of waking or dream. Thus waking or dream is the mind.

One thinks he is an individual separate from the world within the mind. He is unaware of the fact that the mind is not within his brain, but he and his experience of the world are within the mind.  

Thus, he thinks he is born in this world and the world that existed prior to him. Thus this conviction makes him believe that birth, life, and death are a reality.  Until this conviction is there he will view and judges the three states on the physical base, which is the cause of ignorance of the fact that, the Soul, the Self.

Remember:~

This ignorance of the true Self is the main hurdle in the pursuit of truth. Therefore, it is very much necessary to rectify the seeking base from physical (form) to spirit (formless) before proceeding further in pursuit of truth.

If the seeking base is not rectified it will lead one towards hallucination. When the mind itself is a myth than the man and his experience of the world, are bound to be a myth. Therefore a perfect understanding of the mind will help one to unfold the mystery of the mind.  

It is impossible to unfold the truth on the base of the false self within the false experience because the truth is prior to the appearance of the falsehood.  And falsehood creates ignorance.

Seeker has to burn down the ignorance by rectifying the base of reasoning by realizing the fact that the Self is not physical but it is formless consciousness.

 ‘I’ OR ‘I AM’ IS THE CAUSE OF IGNORANCE. One has to get rid of ignorance by overcoming the intoxication of ‘I’ or I AM which intoxication stuff, which is the cause of experiencing the illusion (duality) as reality. 

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ VC 61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

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.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

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.

People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it through intellectualism. Intellectual truth is individual truth. Love implies duality and love is individual feelings within the falsehood. 

Love is necessary and valuable in the state of ignorance but it is not the means to acquire wisdom.  Love is a religious tool to lead a life in the practical world.  And Religious truth is individual truth and it is not universal truth because religion is based on individuality. :~Santhosh Kumaar