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.

Is Meditation Dumbo’s Magic Feather?

Q: Will meditation alone improve ones moral sensibility? Will one naturally move toward the good as one meditates? If meditation alone would improve one’s moral sense or automatically move us toward the good, Patanjali would not have outlined the ten principles of yama and niyama … Continue reading

When the Mind and the Self Are One

Q: What is “chitta”? What is the meaning of “when the mind and Self are one”? A Brief Sanskrit Glossary defines chitta in this way: “The subtle energy that is the substance of the mind, and therefore the mind itself; mind in all its aspects; … Continue reading

Question: Who Sows and Who Reaps Karma?

Q: It is said that reincarnation is due to our own karma and we alone who are responsible for the past, present, and future life. But what part within every individual living entity actually can create words, thoughts, and deeds either good or evil? Is … Continue reading

The Reincarnation of Elijah

Free Kindle download at Amazon The Following is an excerpt from May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation? by Abbot George Burke. I cannot resist giving one more Biblical instance–bridging both the Old and the New Testaments–of how the human drama can be played out over … Continue reading

Can Women Attain Liberation?

Anandamayi Ma Even today in India there are people who believe that there is no need for a woman to engage in meditation because it is impossible for a woman to attain liberation. My friend, Saguna Hejmadi (a cousin of Papa Ramdas of Anandashram), was … Continue reading

The Perfect Tranquility of Lahiri Mahasaya

“The Vedas are such that their scope is confined to the three gunas; be free from those three gunas, indifferent toward the pairs of opposites, permanently fixed in reality, free from thoughts of acquisition and possessiveness, and possessed of the Self.” (Bhagavad Gita 2:45). “Permanently … Continue reading

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