If this ‘I’ itself is an illusion, then it is erroneous to say I AM THAT when you, yourself, are part of that illusion.+

Without realizing what this ‘I’ is in actuality, what is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT?

First, realize what this ‘Self is in actuality. Simply saying I AM THAT is not of any use without realizing is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality.

If this ‘I’ itself is an illusion, then it is erroneous to say I AM THAT when you, yourself, are part of that illusion.

In reality, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul. The Soul, the Self is present in the form of the Spirit. Spirit is genderless how can genderless can be identified as ‘I AM’.

That is why Sage 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.

Mentally, the ‘I’ that is present in the form of the universe has to be transcended as Spirit by realizing the universe is nothing but Spirit and rests in Spirit, which is present in the form of consciousness.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

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

If you are seriously seeking truth then you have to disentangle with all accumulated ‘I’-centric knowledge and tread the path alone. Without discarding ‘I-centric teaching it is impossible to transcend the dualistic illusion into non-dualistic reality.

That is why Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you, yourself, judge to be true.

Bhagavan Buddha: - There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting. : ~Santthosh Kumaar