The teaching on the sixteen knots that hinder true knowledge (vidya-granthas) is an important part of the Laya Yoga general section and provides a detailed analysis of the major forms of ignorance (ajnyana) that are deeply rooted in our consciousness, preventing Liberation and Enlightenment.

These sixteen knots are as follows:

- The false view "I am this physical body" (bhava "aham deha asmi"), the identification of the self, consciousness with the material body, arising from lack of viveka (discernment).

- Eternalism, subject-object perception, the false belief that the world is external, existing independently of consciousness and self-existent.

- Ahamkara-buddhi, false identification of consciousness with ego, "sense of self-importance," the idea of the self as some kind of entity independent of the Absolute, consisting of the conceptual mind and thoughts (manas), memory, will, intuitive consciousness (buddhi), etc.

- Kartrittva-buddhi - false understanding of all actions, activities as conditioned by the sense of doing and the doer, accompanied by attachment to the fruits of actions, instead of the principle of lila (divine, unconditioned, spontaneous play) outside the act and the doer.

- False understanding of all events, situations and actions as unambiguous and straightforward (instead of a multidimensional, ambiguous (anekanta) vision of Reality, for example, when the action of an ordinary creature manifests the play of the deity, behind the words of the Guru is that which is beyond words, etc.).

- Manasa-drishti - mental view, false vision of Reality through the prism of mental evaluations, concepts and "labels" (instead of direct perception (pratyaksha) through natural naked awareness beyond evaluations and judgments).

- Impure vision (ashuddha-drishti) - a darkened way of perceiving Reality based on strong dualistic and karma-driven evaluations (instead of the pure vision typical for gods, rishis and siddhas).

- Lack of divine pride (Brahma-ahambhava, divyabhava), causing a person to regard himself as limited and insignificant, subjected to fate and detrimental circumstances, not believing in his own Divine Self (instead of divine pride - a state full of greatness, depth, play, sacredness, transcendence and sublimity).

- Lack of unified "taste" (samarasyavidya) - a false understanding that causes us to perceive the diversity of phenomena and become confused in it without understanding that it is all one and inseparable from the Supreme Essence, the One Sphere (Ekabindu), instead of the state of unified "taste" inherent in rishis, saints and siddhas.

- False understanding of the external world as self-existent (eternalism) and separate from the Absolute or as not existing at all and having no relation to the Absolute (nihilism), instead of being able to unite natural awareness with any external manifestations.

- The threefold unrecognition of the principle of space:

• as the natural essence of oneself, Natural Mind;
• as that which is created by consciousness and has no independent laws except those established by the consciousness that created it;
• as the empty essence of all external things in the Universe.

- Human, "earthly", karmic vision (lokadrishti), means rigid grasping by one's karmic vision, by one's illusory notions of the meaning of life and of oneself, a false idea of one's world in which we live as the only possible reality (as opposed to the multidimensional reality in which gods, rishis and siddhis live).

- False understanding of causes and effects as rigidly connected to each other, instead of seeing causes and effects as not directly connected (like a crow landing on a palm tree and an accidentally falling coconut), manifestations of branching probabilistic variant universes (realities, conditioned by the consciousness of a deity, siddha, rishi, passionary), in which actions (causes) do not produce effects directly, but are only indirectly acting secondary causes, initiating the appearance of alternative variants of reality every moment.

- False understanding of time (kala) as divided into past, future and present, and flowing in one direction (from past to future), instead of holistic perception of all events as already existing simultaneously in the One sphere (Absolute).

- False understanding of external conditions, laws of nature, the Universe, as uncontrollable, immutable, self-existing, independent of consciousness and constant (instead of the abilities to create reality inherent in siddhas, gods and rishis).

- The false limitation of one's creative will, the understanding of one's will not as the universal power of the Absolute (ichchha-shakti), but as separate from the will of the Absolute, arising from the fact that this will is attributed to the egoistic individuality (ahamkara) which considers itself as the body.

These are the sixteen main knots that we have to untie or cut on the path to Liberation. Without untying them, it is impossible to attain Awakening and leave the cycle of birth-death. To untie them, a yogi will need indomitable will, unbounded faith, great concentration, great energy, enthusiasm for sadhana, complete control over desires, constant over the years, the grace of the Guru and his Anugraha, mastery in contemplation of the nature of Mind, discerning wisdom, merit, dedication, devotion, impassivity and other excellent yogic qualities.