Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)

Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) is the founder and director of the Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram) in Cedar Crest, NM, USA.

In his many pilgrimages to India, he had the opportunity of meeting some of India’s greatest spiritual figures, including Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Anandamayi Ma. During his first trip to India he was given sannyas by Swami Vidyananda Giri, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, who had himself been given sannyas by the Shankaracharya of Puri, Jagadguru Bharat Krishna Tirtha.

In the United States he also encountered various Christian saints, including Saint John Maximovich of San Francisco and Saint Philaret Voznesensky of New York.

For many years, Swami Nirmalananda has been engaged in deep study of the spiritual unity (actual identity) of Jesus Christ and his teachings with India and Sanatana Dharma. It is his conviction that original Christianity (not contemporary “Churchianity”) and original Yoga are not just compatible, they are essentially one; that Jesus lived in India for most of his life, being a Sanatana Dharma missionary to the West, and that after his resurrection he returned to India and lived the rest of his life in the Himalayas.

He has written extensively on these and other topics, many of which are posted here at OCOY.org. Of major significance are: The Christ of India, Soham Yoga: Its Theory and Practice, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening and his various commentaries on spiritual texts which you can explore in the Dharma for Awakening section.

Most of his writings available here at OCOY.org are also available in print and ebook formats at Amazon and other online book outlets.

Two Universal Principles That Affect Our Lives

The basic ingredient of any endeavor is right perspective, so in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna right away delineates two universal principles that must be kept in mind at all times, whether engaged in outer activity or inner meditation. “It is found that the unreal has … Continue reading

Why the Cow is Worshipped in India

It is understandable that cows are sometimes honored with the waving of lights, the placing of tilak, etc. The same thing has been done there for thousands of years to human beings of great merit. The worship of Gomata is the worship of God through the representative of his bountiful gift to us in the cow.

Praying to Krishna and Christ: A Yogi’s Viewpoint

Krishna was not a human being, nor was Jesus. They were avatars, which means they had transcended all the worlds and entered into total, conscious union with the Absolute: Brahman.

Yogis Who Saw Jesus

The day our Original Christianity and Original Yoga website was launched we received an irate communication from one of those Western “Hindus” that believe they are more truly Hindu if they hate other religions–especially Christianity–and deny that Jesus ever existed. Here is our answer:

Podcast: Diet and Consciousness: The Importance of a Pure Diet for the Yogi

In today’s podcast, Abbot George Burke talks about how diet affects consciousness, and the importance of a pure diet for the yogi.

Consciousness and Energy: A Reader’s Inquiry

Q: Gorakhnath describes God as a Oneness of Shiva and His Shakti. Do you agree with this Philosophy of a Father-Mother God?
Yes and No. For us in this relative existence, there appears to be a duality of Consciousness/Energy. But that is a misperception. There is only Consciousness.

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