First, make sure the Self is not ‘I’. Make sure what this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality.+

When the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance the world in which you exist is merely an illusion. 

When the Soul remains in its own awareness, then the world in which you exist becomes one with the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If the ‘I’ is there, then only the mind is present. If the mind is there, then only the universe is present. And the universe is present only when the waking or the dream is present.

One sees differences between things because of ignorance; all these differences would vanish when one gets wisdom and the various thoughts arise, because, one considers the ‘I’ as the Self.

Holding the ‘Self as ‘I’ blocks you from realizing the Self, which is free from the illusory form, time, and space.

First, make sure the Self is not ‘I’. Make sure what this ‘I’ is supposed to be in actuality.

The ‘I’ is ignorance.

The ‘I’ is the duality.

The ‘I’ is the form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is the universe.

The ‘I’ is waking.

The ‘I’ is the dream.

The ‘I’ is the illusion.

The ‘I’ is the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

Remember:

Without the ‘I’ there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’ there is no duality.

Without the ‘I’ there is no form, time, and space.

Without the ‘I’ there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’ there is no waking.

Without the ‘I’ there is no dream.

Without the ‘I’ there is no illusion.

Without the ‘I’ there is no experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

There is something that exists prior to the appearance of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ appears along with the world in which you exist. 

The Soul, the Self, exists prior to the appearance of the ‘I’ and it prevails even after the disappearance of the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ or the world in which you exist is merely an illusory appearance created out of the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Thus, the ‘I’ is an illusion and impermanent. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is permanent and eternal.

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ “The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes.” (2.18).

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the truth.

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ “If you desire liberation, but you still say 'I', if you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, then you are not a wise man or a seeker”. You are simply a man who suffers.

Intellectual answers to various questions remain in the domain of form, time, and space. The answers may satisfy one intellectually within the scope of the form, time, and space. The truth is beyond the form, time, and space.

The path of wisdom is the Soulcentric path. Thus, egocentric intellectualism has nothing to do with the truth which is hidden by ignorance. All accumulated dross leads to hallucination. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar