What is it about consciousness that makes it the hardest thing to learn?

[Nash]

I remember Leo saying that his teachings are fundamentally the hardest thing a human being can possibly learn. Can someone give me examples or elaborate on why this is the case? I know this is kind of a basic question, but if someone were to ask me what makes learning about consciousness harder than anything else, I'd like to give them a really good answer. 

[Forestluv]

Citing theory from others is good, yet I would also use your own direct experiences as well - you understand these reasons better and it will come across as genuine. . . . In your own experience, what makes learning about consciousness harder than anything else? 

Ime, some of the difficulties I've faced learning about consciousness are:

1) Paradoxes. Once I started learning about consciousness paradoxes arose. Something could be both true and false. Something could be partially true and partially false. Stuff like: "Form = Formless", "The journey is the destination", "There is experience yet no experiencer". These types of lessons were very difficult to wrap my mind around.

2) Post-intellectual learning. How can I learn about something that is ineffable?

3) Transcending my current level of consciousness. Imagine being a character in one of your dreams. Let's call him "John". So. . . within the dream, John is doing a school project on dreams and is researching dreams. He goes on internet forums, reads lots of books etc. - this is all within the dream. For John to rise up a conscious level, YOU would need to wake up and realize John was just a dream character. This is extraordinarily difficult for John to do. Some say it is impossible for John to do. That's how hard it is. Nearly impossible. 

4) Learning about something less than my level of consciousness is relatively easy. For example, learning about childhood development. I can imagine being a child and the process of developing self awareness and cognitive abilities. It is much harder to learn about higher conscious levels. A dog would have a very difficult time learning about childhood development. 

5) There is no mind state that is altered. 

6) Working through insanity zones.