Books | Original Christianity and Original Yoga

Add the “Dharma for Awakening” Series to Your Spiritual Library

February 11, 2019 by Light of the Spirit Monastery

Part 2 of 5 Ways to Grow Your Spiritual Library

Last week we discussed the five ways you can expand your spiritual library: Web content, PDFs, podcasts, eBooks, and printed books. Today we will highlight one of the most important sections on our website, the Dharma for Awakening series. We are working on making all of this content available in all five options.

Bhagavad Gita for Awakening—The endless spiritual treasures of this essential scripture have been mined by saints, scholars, and devotees throughout the ages. Through a unique combination of exhaustive study and scholarship, and insight and wisdom gleaned from personal experience, Abbot George Burke’s commentary offers new gems that will enrich all true seekers.

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library. You can get an ebook from Amazon here, as well as a paperback here.

As mentioned last week, you can also find Abbot George’s ebooks on various online sites, including Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo Books, and Smashwords

Upanishads for Awakening—Sanatana Dharma in its primal form is to be found in the Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitaryeya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka, and Svetashvatara Upanishads. These eleven texts (upanishad means “teaching”–literally “that which was heard when sitting near”) are attached to the Vedas, the ancient hymns of the Indian sages, and also knows as Vedanta, the End of the Vedas. The following texts provide useful commentaries on these important scriptures. By Abbot George Burke

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library. We plan to have this available as an ebook and in print in the near future.

Dhammapada for Awakening—The Dhammapada is not a transcription of a single talk by Gautama the Buddha. Rather, it is a collection of his words on the most important subjects for those seeking Nirvana. It was compiled only three months after his passing away by his enlightened disciples (arhats), who gave it the name Dhammapada, which means “Portions of the Dharma” or “The Way of Dharma.” The Dhammapada is a distillation of forty-five years of teaching. This commentary is the completion of a years-long project, and students of practical spiritual life will find it an invaluable aid to their practice. By Abbot George Burke

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library. You can get an ebook from Amazon here, as well as a paperback here.

Tao Teh King for Awakening—Lao Tse was born in the Hunan province around 604 B.C., and eventually became historian and librarian of the Emperor’s royal library at the Court of Chow. Loving solitude, he was rarely seen, but he met the great Confucius at least once, inspiring him to say about Lao Tse: “This day I have seen a dragon. Birds have wings to fly with, fish have fins to swim with, wild beasts have feet to run with. For feet there are traps, for fins nets, for wings arrows. But who knows how dragons surmount wind and clouds into heaven?” Those who know and comprehend the teachings of Lao Tse know how–and do. This commentary on Lao Tse’s Tao Teh King is extremely useful for students of dharma. By Abbot George Burke

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library. We plan to have this available as an ebook and in print in the near future.

Light on the Path for Awakening—In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, an Englishwoman named Mabel Collins was inspired to record teachings on the beginnings of the spiritual quest in a small book called Light On The Path. She did not consider herself the author but only the transmitter. Therefore she insisted that the title page say: “Written down by M. C.” In the following commentary we will be carefully analyzing her inspired transcription, for those who would make the Great journey must know both the path and how to travel upon it. By Abbot George Burke

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library.

The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening — The Gospel of Thomas shows a different side of the teachings of Jesus, which was the religion learned by Jesus from his Essene family and during his “lost years” in India, then brought by him back to the “West,” to Israel. This commentary by Abbot George Burke makes clear this remarkable writing, which has only been available for a little more than a century since it was discovered.

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library. You can get an ebook from Amazon here, as well as a paperback here.

The Catechism of Enlightenment —Shankara outlines in a section titled “A Method Of Enlightening A Disciple” from the Upadeshasahasri–A Thousand Teachings–how the aspirants should receive the first instructions in the inquiry as to the nature of the Self. It begins “We shall now explain a method of teaching the means to liberation for the benefit of those aspirants after liberation who are desirous and are possessed of faith.” The texts cited certainly need comment–as Shankara assumed those who used his text would do. This commentary by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) provides that commentary.

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library.

Six Systems of Hindu Philosophy—One of the best summations of this subject, by Raghavan Iyer.

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library.

A Brief Sanskrit Glossary—A great aid for students of Eastern thought, this glossary illumines the many sanskrit terms found in the scriptures and commentaries found on this site.

You can read this online here, or download a PDF from our e-Library. You can get a newly expanded 2nd edition ebook from Amazon here, as well as a paperback here.

Yoga: Science of the Absolute: A Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

In the soon-to-be-released Yoga: Science of the Absolute, Abbot George Burke draws on the age-long tradition regarding Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, including the commentaries of Vyasa and Shankara, the most highly regarded writers on Indian philosophy and practice, as well as I. K. Taimni and other authoritative commentators, and adds his own ideas based on half a century of study and practice. Serious students of yoga will find this an essential addition to their spiritual studies.

Available soon as an ebook and paperback on Amazon and other online distributors, as well as free for reading and PDF download at OCOY.org.

5 Ways to Grow Your Spiritual Library – Part 1

February 3, 2019 by Light of the Spirit Monastery

5 Ways to Grow Our Spiritual Library
Growing a spiritual library is important for the aspiring yogi. The study of the books and sacred texts which deal with the nature of the true Self (spirit) and its realization is one aspect of swadhyaya, one of the “Ten Commandments” of yoga (yama and niyama) outlined by the sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Food for the mind in the form of spiritual reading is a tremendous help to the yogi.

OCOY.org is itself a spiritual library, with over 1300 web pages, blog posts, PDF downloads, books and other resources, and in this series of articles we will show you some of what we have available for your spiritual library.

We endeavor to make the writings of Abbot George Burke and others on OCOY.org available in a variety of formats to suit the habits of those who read here. There are five ways to grow your spiritual library, whether digital or in print.

1.Read Online. For those who wish to explore our site and get a taste of its content, this is ideal. Be sure to bookmark OCOY.org or any pages you are reading so you can easily come back at any time. Of course you can print out the articles for reading later. Because of the length of the books available on our site, they are broken down into chapters, each with its own web page. If you want to access the full, undivided books, you can…

2.Download a Free PDF. Our E-Library has PDF’s of much of the books and content on our site, as well as other books which we share from other sources. These can be downloaded for free and read on your computer at any time, or printed out for convenient offline reading.

3.Listen to Podcasts and Audiobooks. Abbot George has made over 30 podcasts and radio interviews available in our Podcast section. In topics ranging from the yoga life, vegetarianism, monastic life, saints and spiritual figures he has known, and much more, you will find much to interest you and profit from.

Do you have iTunes? You can access our podcasts in the iTunes Podcast directory. You can also subscribe to our podcast feed, so the most recent podcast from Abbot George will be downloaded to your iTunes directory. You can also listen to our podcasts at Stitcher.

We are investigating the costs of having Abbot George’s books made into professionally recorded audio books, and hope to have them available in the future. [Read more…]

New Books for Your Spiritual Library

January 9, 2019 by Light of the Spirit Monastery

A Brief Sanskrit Glossary and Foundations of Yoga

Light of the Spirit Press announces two new publications for your spiritual library.

The first is Foundations of Yoga: Ten Important Principles Every Meditator Should Know, an introduction to the important principles of Patanjali’s Yoga: Yama & Niyama. (Those who have read Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self will recognize this as a chapter extracted from this book which we now make available as a stand-alone paperback.)

Yama and Niyama are often called the Ten Commandments of Yoga, principles having a thoroughly practical basis: that which strengthens and facilitates our yoga practice.

Foundations of Yoga is already available as a free ebook download from Amazon and other online sources, as well as available for free online reading at OCOY.org.

You can buy the book at Amazon here.

The second new publication is an expanded 2nd edition of A Brief Sanskrit Glossary: A Spiritual Student’s Guide to Essential Sanskrit Terms. Both ebook and paperback versions have been updated with new valuable content.

This Sanskrit glossary contains full translations and explanations of many of the most commonly used spiritual Sanskrit terms, and will help students of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and other Indian scriptures and philosophical works to expand their vocabularies to include the Sanskrit terms contained in them, and gain a fuller understanding in their studies.

In many books written in India with Indian readers in mind, numerous untranslated Sanskrit words and expression are found. Readers of such books will find this book invaluable, as it defines those terms in English.

(This is not a Sanskrit grammar or pronunciation guide, and does not have diacritical markings.)

A Brief Sanskrit Glossary is available as a paperback and ebook download from Amazon and other online sources, as well as available for free online reading at OCOY.org.

5 Reasons for the Smile of Krishna

December 9, 2018 by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

The Smile of Krishna
As the fighting is about to commence on the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the tale of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna begins to advise Arjuna. (This article is taken from The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening.)

Arjuna, overcome with anguish at the prospect of killing in battle those he loved and was obligated to respect, presented to Krishna his reasons for refusing to fight. Hearing the “case” presented by Arjuna:

“To him, the dejected Arjuna, Krishna, smiling, O Dhritarashtra, in the middle between the two armies, spoke these words” (Bhagavad Gita 2:10).

Why a smile?

The smile of Krishna is extremely significant, and we must be grateful to the sage Vyasa for including this detail that carries a momentous message.

Why did Krishna smile, considering how grief-filled Arjuna was, and how impassioned he had been in his insistence that to fight would be the greatest of evils–in contradiction to the urging and advice of Krishna? Arjuna was both sad and rebellious. Yet Krishna smiled.

The word in the Gita is prahasann, which means to smile before laughing. (Sargeant renders it: “beginning to laugh.”) So it is not some weak smile, nor a condescending or sarcastic grimace, but a very positive sign of impending mirth. How is this? Krishna smiled for several reasons. [Read more…]

“The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening” Is Now Available as Paperback and Ebook

November 27, 2018 by Light of the Spirit Monastery

After years of writing and preparation, we are happy to announce the publication of Abbot George’s latest book, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening: A Practical Commentary for Leading a Successful Spiritual Life. Although it has been available for reading online at OCOY.org, it is now also available as a paperback and ebook at various online outlets (see below).

With penetrating insight, Abbot George Burke illumines the Bhagavad Gita’s practical value for spiritual seekers. With a unique perspective from a lifetime of study and practice of both Eastern and Western spirituality, Abbot George presents the treasures of the Gita in an easily intelligible fashion.

Here is what early reviewers say:

“I found reading Abbot George Burke’s The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening a genuine pleasure. While I was expecting another Gita commentary, I was delighted to discover so much more than just a commentary. Utilizing his wonderful gift of expression, and employing poetry, parable, personal experiences, and a generous dose of his own deep spiritual insight and wisdom, Abbot George has produced a work that is extremely readable and immensely practical.”
–Russ Thomas

“I’ve read many, many different translations and commentaries on the Gita; Abbot George’s is hands down one of the most approachable. It is clear, helpful, and has a vast depth that easily brings both the meaning and value of the Bhagavad Gita to life. I would highly recommend The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening to anyone that wants to bring it’s lessons into their daily life.”
–Michael Sabani

“I had read through the original text of the Gita a few years ago and as you could imagine, the majority of its lessons were lost on me. The version Abbot Burke has written opened up the lessons the Gita holds in a way that is relatable to a westerner, and far easier to grasp. Being raised in the Catholic faith, I see parallels to the teachings of the Christ and that message is enhanced greatly. I would recommend this version to anyone regardless of religious upbringing, as it’s lessons are relevant to everyone. I truly love reading this book.”
–Caraine Wells

“Be swept away by the ancient wisdom of the East in this timeless classic that offers practical solutions to the modern problems of today. Struggling with the constant tug-of-war between good and evil, our hearts and minds will relish the opportunity to reconnect with God’s eternal love for us so eloquently illuminated in this book. A must read for anyone on a spiritual quest for the truth!”
–Sailaja Kuruvadi

“The Bhagavad Gita is truly one of the world’s foremost scriptural gems, and this new translation and extensive commentary by Abbot George provides great insight into its richness. Abbot George’s ability to examine difficult and often confusing texts (particularly for those not immersed in Indian religious thought and symbolism) and explain them clearly and in a gentle tone is apparent throughout.”
–Br. Julian-Ozana Arconti, CG

The paperback is 533 pages of spiritual insights. The ebook is available at 75% OFF for only 99¢ for a limited time. You can get the ebook at these online sites: Amazon U.S., Amazon India, Barnes & Noble, Kobo.com, iBooks (Apple Books), 24 Symbols, and Playster, and the paperback at Amazon.com.

[Read more…]

Soham Yoga Now Available in Paperback and as an Ebook (and for Reading on Our Website)

July 27, 2018 by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

We are happy to let you know that Abbot George’s latest book, Soham Yoga: the Yoga of the Self, is now available for purchase on Amazon and other online outlets.

It is also available for reading on the web, each chapter a separate web page, and as a free downloadable PDF on our eLibrary page. We have revamped our Home Page and Original Yoga page and sidebar navigation to include links to this new content.

Why Soham Yoga Meditation?

Meditation is the process of centering our awareness in the principle of pure consciousness which is our essential being. In this way we will never lose sight of our real identity.

Normally we lose awareness of our true Self through consciousness of external objects. Since we are habituated–if not actually addicted–to objective consciousness, we can use that very condition to our advantage. Rather than disperse our consciousness through objects that draw us outward, away from the source of our being, we can take an object that will have the opposite effect, present it to the mind, and reverse our consciousness.

Such an object must have three qualities:

it must be something whose nature it is to turn our awareness inward and draw it into the most subtle depths of our being,
it must be something that can continue to be perceived even in those most subtle areas of our awareness,
it must already be present in our inmost being awaiting our discovery of it. Therefore it must be an object that can both impel and draw us, accompanying our questing consciousness inward, not being transcended when the mind and senses are gone beyond, but revealing itself as the Self.

That object is the mantra Soham. By sitting with closed eyes and letting the mind become easefully absorbed in experiencing the inner mental repetitions of Soham we thereby directly enter into the state of consciousness that is Soham, the state of consciousness that is both Brahman the Absolute and our Self.

What you will discover

In Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self you will find a full explanation of:

What is Yoga?
Why Soham Yoga?
How to practice Soham Yoga meditation.
What great teachers say about this practice, such as Ramana Maharshi, Swami Sivananda, Gajanana Maharaj, Swami Muktananda, Kabir, Sankara, and many others.
Pointers for success in meditation.
The foundations of yoga.
Breath and sound in meditation.

Those who seek to learn to practice meditation will need nothing further than this in-depth guide.

For a brief time, the Kindle ebook of Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self is on sale for only 99¢ at Amazon.

(The Kindle version of Soham Yoga is also available on sale for a limited time from international Amazon sites such as in India: Amazon.in, Canada: Amazon.ca, Great Britain: Amazon.co.uk, Australia: Amazon.com.au, and others.)