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.

The Rare Quality of Integrity

“The man who has freed himself of stains and has found peace of mind in an upright life, possessing self-restraint and integrity, he is indeed worthy of the dyed robe” –Buddha

Vairagya and Abhyasa – How to Deal with the Stormy Mind

Sutras 12 through 16 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Yoga Sutras 1:12. Their suppression [is brought about] by persistent practice [abhyasa] and non-attachment [vairagya]. Two things are needed for the ending of mental modifications. One is abhyasa–sustained spiritual practice. This is why … Continue reading

Why to Become Free from Hatred

Until we are freed from negativity–consciously and subconsciously–negativity will occur in our life. That is the fact. Buddha says: “This is the eternal law.” Until we become incapable of evil our lives will be riddled with evil.

The Vakhs of Lalla Yogeshwari: An Introduction

Lalla Yogeshwari, also known as Lalleshwari or Lal Ded (Mother Lalla), was a great fourteenth-century yogini of Kashmir. She created a form of mystic poetry called Vatsun or Vakhs (from the Sanskrit Vak, which means Speech) that were the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language.

Podcast: Swami Sivananda and the Song of Admonition

Swami Sivananda composed many songs in English to convey his teachings, the most famous being the Song of Ities listing such virtues as Simplicity, Purity and Charity. Others were advice and inspiration for spiritual endeavor. This Song of Admonition is the best known.

Podcast: How Should We Respond to Outer and Inner Negativity and Evil?

In today’s podcast Abbot George tells us about the difference between Satan and Mara, and how we should respond to outer and inner negativity and evil.

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