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.

Three Spiritual Questions

Q: Is the faith and destiny of us human beings completely due to God’s will without anything to do with our karma? In other words, is it predetermined because we have no control? Is it just like a drama, a human being only an actor, but … Continue reading

The True Wealth of India

Q: For nearly my whole life I have heard and read that the religion of India is what turned it from one of the wealthiest countries in the world into one of the poorest in the world. What do you say to this? A single … Continue reading

An Esoteric Christian Creed

We believe in God, the undivided Unity, embracing all in oneness. We believe in the Holy and all-glorious Trinity, Who pervades the whole universe, Who dwells also in the spirit of man. We believe in Jesus Christ, the Lord of love and wisdom, first among … Continue reading

God as the Guru

A follow-up to “Gurus: Yes or No?” Q: Can I follow the right path without a spiritual leader to initiate me and guide me? It is certainly necessary to have a guru, but everyone already has one: God Himself. Patanjali very clearly says about God … Continue reading

Prayer and the Law of Karma

Q: Since there is a Law of cause and effect or the Law of Karma is it still necessary to pray and ask God for something like world peace, settle our financial problems, ask for health, etc.? If God fulfills or answers one’s prayer does not … Continue reading

Another Story of the Birth of Jesus

The following is a commentary on the Nativity of Jesus found in the Aquarian Gospel. The full commentary is found on this site as “The Aquarian Gospel for Yogis.” “The time was nearly due for Jesus to be born, and Mary longed to see Elizabeth, … Continue reading

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