Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana comes through one's own direct realization of truth, not through beliefs and dogmas or by following religious code of conducts.

Till one has the conviction that he is born in this world and world existed prior to him, he will not be able to assimilate Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana . When he realizes the fact that, he and his experience of the world co-exits together and disappears together then he becomes aware of the fact that the physical entity is not the self.  Therefore, it is impossible to judge the truth on the physical entity, and come to some conclusion and conviction and then accepting the imaginary truth based on the false self as ultimate truth is mere theory based on the false self. 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  comes through one's own direct realization of truth, not through beliefs and dogmas or by following religious code of conducts. The religion and its concepts have value with in the illusion, and have nothing to do with the truth, which is based on the soul, the innermost self. 

The three states come into being because of ignorance of the permanent self. Thus, they have no existence of their own without a permanent self, which is the soul. There is neither the three states nor the witness; only non-dual reality.

Only when the wisdom dawns the waking become unreal. The man who believes himself as a person born in this world and world existed prior to him will not be able to assimilate self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

What's most important to understand about the three states is that they are unreal in their nature. They are mere appearances, because there are impermanent.  Thus the physical self/ego is not the self because it is limited to the waking OR dream. The true self is the formless substance and witness of the three states, which is the soul. The soul is apart and permanent.  The soul is the true self because the three states are dependent on the soul for their existence, whereas the soul exists with or without the three states, which appear and disappear in succession.

The physical is not an integral, autonomous entity. The individual self, or what we might call the ego, is part of the waking OR dream. The ego ceases to exist without the waking or dream.

If one can view the three states on the standpoint of the soul as self, he becomes aware of the fact that, the true which is the soul is not subject to the birth, life and death. The true self is only formless substance and witness of the three states.

To understand and assimilate this truth there is no need for the seeker to lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise and subside.