The Gurus who think the Self is within the body are propagating half baked knowledge.+

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).  

The ‘Self’ is not you.  Your nature is not the formless, the timeless, and the spaceless existence, because ‘you’ exist only in the realm of the form, time, and space. The Soul is the  Self. 

The nature of the Soul is ‘I-LESS’.  The Soul is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  By simply saying: ‘I AM’ Sat-Chit-Ananda, without realizing the Self is not the ‘I’, but the Self is the  ‘I –less’ keeps you in the prison of the duality.  

All the doubts and confusion are only from the dualistic perspective. There are no doubts or confusion on the nondualistic perspective. In Self-awareness, there is unity in diversity in consciousness. 

In physical awareness, there is diversity in consciousness.  The seeker has to be always aware of this truth! Everything within the dualistic illusion is merely an illusory division created within consciousness.

The error is in observing the worldview.  Egocentric observation yields objective awareness.  Soulcentric observation leads to Advaitic awareness in the midst of diversity. Thus Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana leads to Advaitic awareness. 

Sage Sankara says:~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works,  nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) VivekaChudamani v 56, pg 25

But how does one have that realization? That is where Advaita and Advaita Vedanta diverge.

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have experienced Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by perverted arguments. 

The ignorance will not vanish without Advaitic wisdom. It is not you who has to get rid of ignorance because you and you and your experience of the world are the product of ignorance. 

The Soul, the Self is in ignorance of its own true nature. Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the Soul, the Self, awake from the sleep of ignorance.  When the Soul remains in its own awareness of its own true nature, there is no division in the Soul or consciousness, there is unity in diversity.

 The Gurus who advise getting rid of ignorance first must realize the fact that it is not the man who is in ignorance, but it is the Soul, which is in ignorance. Thus, it is necessary to realize ‘what is what’ to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. 

The Gurus who think the Self is within the body are propagating half-baked knowledge. Their views and judgment of Advaita or nonduality are based on the dualistic perspective. Only those who can view and judge the three states from the non-dualistic perspective are perfected knowledge. 

All accumulated Advaitic knowledge accumulated from different Gurus will not yield truth because they are not the verified truth.  The seeker has to do his homework to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. 

Some Gurus declare that  “Just by sitting quiet and knowing Self is without the words, nothing else has to be done,  and shortly one arrives at his natural state”.

Such a declaration does not lead one to Advaitic Self-awareness. Such acts will not destroy ignorance. 

Without getting rid of ignorance, wisdom will not dawn. Only Advaitc wisdom leads to Self-awareness,  in the midst of the duality. Only perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what leads to Advaitic  Self-awareness. :~Santthsh Kumaar