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.

Trailanga Swami: Remarkable Incidents from His Life

Q: Do you have anything further to add to Trailanga Swami’s story that may not have been written by Master Yogananda in his autobiography? Yes, I do. First, three things that Yogacharya Oliver Black told to me when I spent all day with him in … Continue reading

Bigotry About Yoga

To a friend who sent a long quotation from an Indian who had made a fortune running and eventually selling a string of hatha yoga centers. After selling them, she began notifying people of the “demonic evil” of yoga in any form, and raving on … Continue reading

Aquarian Gospel Commentary Now Finished and Available Online

We are happy to announce that the full text of the Aquarian Gospel for Awakening is now complete and available at OCOY.org. It is an exhaustive commentary on The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, by Levi Dowling. The commentary is 196 web pages! Below is … Continue reading

Everyday Wisdom from Buddha: Part 2 of Bianca Vlahos’ Interview with Abbot George

In part 2 of the recent interview with Abbot George about Buddha’s everyday wisdom as recorded in the Dhammapada, Bianca Vlahos of radio station PBA-FM in Adelaide, South Australia, inquired further about how to lead an effective and uplifting life in the world applying the principles … Continue reading

Buddha’s Wisdom for Every Day: A Podcast Interview of Abbot George by Bianca Vlahos

How can Buddha’s wisdom as recorded in the Dhammapada be applied in our every-day lives? That was the topic of the latest radio interview of Abbot George Burke by Bianca Vlahos of radio station PBA-FM in Adelaide, South Australia a couple of weeks ago. Bianca … Continue reading

Do You Believe in the Theosophist Masters?

Q: Do you believe in or know to exist the masters that the Theosophists (and Taimni) talked about? There is too much evidence of the reality of the Masters from the testimonial of so many of the early Theosophists to not believe in their existence … Continue reading

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