The typical human being interfaces with an illusory world through an illusory body. In other words, the primary has become more or less attached to the secondary (i.e., illusion) so that it never seems fulfilled. Yet, the mere fact of illusion signals it's very transcendence which in our ignorance we are unaware of.
This unawareness leads to suffering. The pursuit of life then begins to be a kind of unconscious wish to be free from illusion yet being, at the same time, mesmerized by illusions like children in a toy store. This is because appearance, i.e., illusions seem real.
This is where the mystic or a muni (मुनि) like Siddhartha steps onto the stage. Siddhartha awakened to the truth of the transcendent rather than analyzing illusions (what has been transcended) for clues as to ultimate reality. But there is no truth in the illusory which is completely void, hollow, and insubstantial.
To reach the awakened state (buddhatā) the adept must, however, be freed from that which receives (the perceiver) as much as from that which can be perceived, that is to say, from the subject as well as from the object of perception (both are illusory).
The most troubling illusion for mankind is consciousness which in Sanskrit is vijñāna meaning, literally, in two parts knowing. This is evident in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra.
“My Nirvana has nothing to do with Substance (bhāva), nor with Action (kṛiyā), nor with Appearance (lakṣaṇa). With the cessation of the Vijñāna which is caused by discrimination, there is my cessation [i.e., Nirvana].”
Once consciousness has been transcended in which the absolute suddenly reveals itself to the amazement of the adept (yes, it was always there) it becomes apparent to the adept how the magic trick is performed whereas the worlding is continually baffled by the trick due to vijñāna.
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