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.

My Karma Made Me Do It

To someone who wrote asking about involvement in an avocation for the enjoyment of it. Our lives are an unimaginably complex system composed of innumerable influences. Any simplistic view or opinion must by their very nature be irrelevant and often (usually) wrong. Karma is an … Continue reading

Four First-Class Sadhus | Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:00 — 22.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Click here to listen to Four First-Class Sadhus if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 16:00 minutes.

Sadhu at prayer Sadhu: a seeker for truth (sat); and a person who is practicing spiritual disciplines. Usually this term is applied to monastics.

In this podcast, Abbot George relates his experiences with four monks he met in India that were definitely of the first class. These were:

The Ganges island swami
His friend in black
The Swami who would not be a pet, and his guru who laughed.

Below is a transcription of his encounter with the first sadhu:

The Ganges Island Swami and His Sandy Mansion

At the beginning of 1963, Sri Anandamayi Ma instructed me to find a kutir in either Hardwar or Rishikesh where I could do sadhana. Thanks to Brahmacharini Atmananda, who was known to many pilgrims to India as translator, counselor, friend and smoother of the way, I was put in touch with an ideal devotee, Rai Bahadur Narayan Das who was the chief director and patron of the Sapta Rishi Ashram which I have already mentioned.

Is Initiation Necessary?

Q: Some say anyone can practice meditation and some say only initiated persons should meditate as it could be dangerous for some. What is true? Over half a century of yoga practice have demonstrated to me that anyone can practice authentic, traditional yoga safely and … Continue reading

The Healer, the Raja, Neem Karoli Baba, and the Unnamed Master | Podcast

Click here to listen to The Healer, the Raja, Neem Karoli Baba, and the Unnamed Master if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 19:37 minutes. It might seem strange that I am writing about Neem Karoli Baba because I have no stories about … Continue reading

What is the Self, the Atman?

Q:Is consciousness an attribute of the Self, or is it the Self? Spirit is consciousness itself, and the Self is spirit. Consciousness is not an attribute, it is essential being, the nature of God himself. Consciousness does not depend on anything else for its existence, … Continue reading

Two Views on the Nature of Meditation – and a Third

In India there is a long-standing disagreement on the nature and purpose of meditation. One school of thought considers that definite–and conscious–evolutionary change is necessary for liberation; consequently meditation must be an actively transforming process. The other view is that the only thing needed for … Continue reading

Explore Blog Categories