Seraphim

In my opinion there are: Sentient beings who also have the capacity to feel emotions, like humans and animals. Sentient beings without the capacity to feel emotions, like ensouled robots like the gray ET's, or higher dimensional beings like some dragons, etc. Semi-sentient beings with spirituality like trees, rocks, insects, etc. They are part of a collective and are sentient and spiritual in their higher dimensional existence. Non-sentient, dead objects without spirituality like computers, processed materials and robots. They may be part of God's creation/extension, but they are not like God, they can't feel love.

A quote from a good non-duality teacher (Artem Boytsov) on enlightenment and psychology:

Yes, I only listen to recorded transmissions and the energy can be stronger than, for example, live RASA transmissions. However, some people do not feel anything, even after having meditated with the transmissions more than 1000 hours. The practices for developing one's intuition/psychic abilities should also make the transmissions stronger. Doing shadow work to get more inner purity should also work. As for making the effects of the transmissions better, contemplation on spiritual/non-duality truths is a great method. Or visualizing/imagining the result you want while meditating with the transmission, I know someone who achieved incredible things with this method. Yes, presence and surrender works for me. It makes sense that sitting cross-legged works, then the energy does not move down into the earth so easily, it stays in your body. For the types of transmissions I listen to, it is better to have the feet firmly on the ground because with that strong energy, some people sometimes get headaches, dizziness or negative emotions if too much energy builds up.

Okay then I will check out his teachings. Maybe he is what one may define as a saint, I love people like that. However, Avatars are on a different level, they are born that way and their purpose is to bring great blessings to humanity. Nirmala Devi (1923 - 2011) did a global initiation 1995 that activated the kundalini of all humans, making it much easier for people to raise their kundalini to the crown chakra, and since then a lot more people have started awakening. I think she was an avatar. Her Sahaja Yoga still lives on, she never charged money for her satsangs or services, and she awakened many atheists because during Sahaja Yoga one feels the presence of Divine Mother physically. She is one example, there are others. Spirituality is my passion and I have done a lot of research into teachers, teachings, spiritual traditions etc. There are living saints and avatars for sure because there is a global awakening happening right now and we need their assistance.

No, it is unlikely that a non-duality teacher would be an avatar. Non-duality teachers are like normal people, they do not have any spiritual powers or strong auras. You probably do not believe in the existence of Avatars, which is fine, but then you should not have commented. The most evolved spiritual teachers I have seen have never been non-duality teachers, because when you evolve further you begin to get information and teachings from within, and the non-duality awakening is just the beginning, so the highly evolved teachers will have more unique teachings. @Arthogaan No, he seems like the complete opposite of a saint. Saints are pure and benevolent.

Like believing that there is no duality, or that there is an I-thought, or that dropping one's concepts will lead to liberation? Are those the types of beliefs you have in mind? Those "beliefs" come from my direct experience and investigations of reality, they are not causing me any psychological suffering and are similar to believing that there are trees and cars and houses. It is very different from believing in things that are not really there, like the false Self or the Mind.

I guess a selling point for non-duality teachings is that since it is all about dropping the concepts and beliefs you won't commit to any beliefs that could later turn out to be false. So it is the safest path for people who are skeptical and rational. To intend to believe for the rest of your life that you are a Mind in a human body or whatever it is that you believe you are, is a big commitment, it would be unfortunate if you spent your whole life believing in a lie, right?

The non-duality teachings are all about going beyond the mind, dropping the concepts and seeing what is real. To look within at the false ideas and concepts we have built up which affects how we perceive reality, and letting go of those so that we can see clearly and be free and happier.

Your body and soul are real, however if you (the human) tries to find a real, objective Self or Mind within you, all you will find are thoughts, and in the center of those thoughts is the I-thought, the Self and the Mind are distortions created by the I-thought, they are not real. So you are not who you think you are, you are reality itself, you are beyond the mind.

Yes, there is not a separate self: the self is one with everything, it is not separate. The "no-self"-teaching does not say that you are not a human, but that seems to be how you and some other misguided neo-advaita-people interpret it. In Buddhism, it is a teaching of oneness or sometimes about non-doership. In non-duality, it is a teaching to help us see the ego/I-thought clearly and get rid of it through self-inquiry. Once the I-thought is gone, the teaching is no longer relevant or true, because then you are just a simple human again who has let go of all concepts because the truth is beyond the mind.

Yes, I think the most common is to merge with our sun, historically at least. However, I am not sure if they lost their individuality and became the sun or as a way to empower themselves and "ascend". According to an alternative historical theory, some of the ancient Egyptian mystery schools would have their students awaken their kundalini, cultivating bliss and then lucid dream together as a group and enter the sun. An awakened kundalini, bliss and a harmonious lifestyle will reverse the body's entropy and give it energy (cold plasma). @GreenWoods I have studied Dan Winter's teachings and they align with the information you shared here, he adds the scientific explanations for all this, he also invented an equation for how gravity works which I think will get accepted by the scientific world soon and create a bridge between science and spirituality.

Does it feel like you exist in the head, behind the eyes, looking out at the world through the eyes? If you have dissolved that, then the next step is to dissolve the mind, not the thoughts but the "frame" that surrounds the thoughts, the subtle feeling of having a mind. When the mind is gone things will be very clear, simple and perfect, the seeking will end and the spiritual concepts will not matter anymore because you see that the truth is beyond the mind.

Everything feels perfect. There is no resistance, however things can feel annoying, boring, etc, but there is no resistance to it and it doesn't feel like a problem so it still feels perfect. A very stable happiness, and lots of joy and bliss. Less fear. My relationships are good, no problems. I have more interest in living, being a human, I am life, I am light, I want to live and follow my true purpose which comes from the soul, sometimes it feels blissful to say something, to touch things, to walk or sit down, normal everyday things like that are amazing. Following my intuition is the most important thing.

How long have you had those beliefs? Where did you get them? A spiritual teacher? Those neo-advaita beliefs only work for a short while, eventually people realize that they do not want to think that they are enlightened, they want to experience true happiness, peacefulness and freedom, so they keep searching until they find that.

Good, you seem to enjoy your life and be on the right path. In my opinion, the "no-self"-teaching is for the mind and the I-thought. When the I-thought disappear, the "no-self"-idea becomes a nonsensical concept, you see that the truth is beyond the mind and its concepts. It is the same with ideas like "other people are not real" and "I am God".