Books | Original Christianity and Original Yoga

Ma Anandamayi’s instruction on Nama Japa of the Divine Name

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

Anandamayi Ma quote - divine name Q: May I ask you some advice about Ma Anandamayi’s instruction on Nama Japa?
You noted that she emphasized the word must be a Name. I was just curious about if you knew more about this from Ma?

Ma said that there was no need to do japa of a formal mantra. For example, instead of Om Namah Shivaya the sadhaka need only do japa of the simple Name: Shiva. She also said there was no need of formal diksha to take up the practice of such japa.

Q: I have read that when people said that they were not getting effect from Japa, Ma said it was because they do not control their desires. She compared Nam to medicine and control of desires to healthy/correct diet. Again, could you help by sharing more of what exactly Ma meant, if possible?

The Divine Name is all powerful, yet the sadhaka should do his best to order his life so he will be responsive to the power of the Name.

Pure vegetarian diet and living a moral life is very necessary to the sadhaka. Otherwise he is simply resisting and going against the shakti of the Holy Name.

Everyone has trouble with delusive desires and thoughts, but if he continually calls on the Holy Name while doing his best to purify his thought and life, then that Divine Name will indeed become his deliverer from the bonds of karma and samsara. This I can assure you is true.

However, do not wait to take up the japa of God’s Name. Right away begin calling on God with a firm intention to make any needed changes in your life and thought.

Ma often said: The desire to know God is the way to God. Be assured that God is ready to give you all the help you need in seeking Him.

Book News

If you like questions and answers such as the post above, you will enjoy Abbot George’s recently published book, Satsang with the Abbot: Questions & Answers about Life, Spiritual Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ultimate Happiness. For just 3 more days you can get the Kindle version for only 99¢ before it goes back up to $3.99 in May. Visit the book’s Amazon page to download it now!

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In other book news, we have just published the second edition of The Christ of India: The Story of Original Christianity by Abbot George Burke.

“Original Christianity” is the teaching of both Jesus of Nazareth and his Apostle Saint Thomas in India. Although it was new to the Mediterranean world, it was really the classical, traditional teachings of the ancient rishis of India that even today comprise Sanatana Dharma, the Eternal Dharma, that goes far beyond religion into realization.

In The Christ of India Abbot George Burke presents what those ancient teachings are, as well as the growing evidence that Jesus spent much of his “Lost Years” in India and Tibet. This is also the story of how the original teachings of Jesus and Saint Thomas thrived in India for centuries before the coming of the European colonialists.

Included in this edition is a special Appendix: Indian Masters Who Considered Jesus One of Them, with stories of masters who had visions of Jesus, and those who researched Jesus’ time in India, including Sri Ramakrishna, Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Sivananda and others. Get The Christ of India in ebook and paperback formats now at Amazon.

How to Grow Your Knowledge of the Life of Christ

April 20, 2018 by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Q: Do you base for your knowledge about Jesus Christ and his teachings on the presently available Bible or some other book(s)?

books on Jesus Though they are not well known, there are quite a few books about the lives of Jesus and his mother Mary. They were considered authoritative by the early Christians but are mostly forgotten today except by the Eastern Christians. I have made a compilation of many of them and written a commentary on each one. The manuscript is over three hundred and fifty pages, and I hope it will be printed in the future. Presently the entire text is posted on the ocoy.org website under the title: “The Unknown Lives of Jesus and Mary.”

Several Christian mystics had visions of Jesus’ life, especially Anna Catherine Emmerich whose three-volume Biblical Revelations is quite remarkable and very reliable. Teresa Neumann, who is written about in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda, had many visions of Jesus’ life, and they can be found in The Visions of Teresa Neumann, by Johannes Steiner. Three volumes by him in German are also available.

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ by Nicolas Notovitch is the translation of a Tibetan manuscript found in a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh in the nineteenth century, and is available from more than one publisher. Information on that and two other sources, the Bhavishya Mahapurana and the Nathanamavali can be found in my book The Christ of India which is posted on our website and available in a print version.

In my estimation one of the most valuable books of Jesus’ life is The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi Dowling. It is a record of his mystical visions of Jesus’ life, and lays no claim to being perfect or infallible, but the teachings in it are of great value, including the account of his years spent in India. This can also be found on our website along with a commentary by me.

The best exposition of Jesus’ true teachings are found in The Second Coming of Christ by Paramhansa Yogananda. The version published by the Amrita Foundation is also posted on our website, but the print version from Self-Realization Fellowship is more complete. Yoganandaji’s books of talks and articles contain a great deal of trustworthy explanations of Jesus’ teachings.

Jesus Christ and Yoga by Shyam Sundar Goswami is very instructive also.

Q: Do you consider the whole of the presently available Bible literally as the Infallible Word of God without any errors or untruths in it as is believed by Christians?

I do not believe that any of the Bible is infallible or the Word of God. There have been many alterations in the texts through the centuries, some to suit the ideas of Jewish rabbis and some to suit the theology of state-supported Christianity. So we must sift through and use our judgement as to the value of what we find there.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati The Vedas are the infallible Word of God–Shabda Brahman. The purity of the text can be tested by purely mathematical formulae. (My knowledge of such processes is nil, so Indian scholars and pandits must be consulted regarding this.) I do believe that the interpretations and translations of the Vedas by Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati and others of the Arya Samaj (notably Pandit Anandapriya of Baroda) are the most trustworthy.

Having said this, I must in all honesty aver that in my opinion the supreme universal scripture is the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, and I believe every word with my whole heart.

In case you are not aware, I believe that Jesus (Ishanath) was a Sanatana Dharmi, neither Jewish nor Christian, who drew his wisdom from the teachings of the ancient rishis and master yogis of India.

In his new book, Satsang with the Abbot: Questions & Answers about Life, Spiritual Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ultimate Happiness, Abbot George answers over 350 of your questions on all aspects of spiritual life in 402 pages. It is still available on Amazon in ebook format for 99¢ until the end of the month, when it reverts to its normal price of $3.99.

You can also order the paperback version here. Plus you can download a free PDF of Satsang with the Abbot from our eLibrary. Thanks for your support in the launch of this new book!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Abbot George speaks as one who knows his subject well, and answers in an manner that conveys an effortlessness and humor that puts one at ease, while, at the same time, a wisdom and sincerity which demands an attentive ear.” ~ Russ Thomas

Satsang with the Abbot Now Available in Print and as an Ebook

April 10, 2018 by Light of the Spirit Monastery

We are happy to announce that Satsang with the Abbot: Questions & Answers about Life, Spiritual Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ultimate Happiness is now available on Amazon in printed and ebook formats. In this book Abbot George Burke, spiritual director of Light of the Spirit Monastery, answers over 350 questions from inquiring spiritual seekers. During the month of April, the ebook is on sale for only 99¢, reduced from $3.99. The 402 page paperback is only $21.99.

As Abbot George explains in the introduction to Satsang with the Abbot,

“One of the most valuable spiritual activities in East or West is satsang: a gathering of spiritual aspirants for spiritual study, discussion and inspiration. A satsang is especially beneficial when there is someone with many years of practice and experience who answers the questions asked by the aspirants.”

“Satsang with the Abbot is a must-read for the seeker of truth. Brilliantly presented.” ~ Sandra Carrington-Smith, award-winning author of Housekeeping for the Soul: A Practical Guide to Restoring Your Inner Sanctuary.

“The scriptures contain a mixture of sand and sugar, as it were. It is extremely difficult to separate the sugar from the sand. Therefore one should learn of the essence of the scriptures from the teacher or from a sadhu.” –Sri Ramakrishna

Abbot George Burke has spent a lifetime helping spiritual aspirants separate the sand from the sugar. Grounded in the perspective of classic Indian thought, directly taught by such luminaries as Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Sri Anandamayi Ma, and blessed with the clarity and originality of thought that can only come from years of spiritual practice (sadhana), his answers to his inquirers’ questions are unique, fresh, and authoritative.

The questions in this book range from the most sublime to the most practical. “How can I attain samadhi?” “I am married with children. How can I lead a spiritual life?” “What is Self-realization?”

Among these 350+ questions and answers, you will find these topics:

karma, reincarnation, and spiritual evolution,
avatars, angels, devas, spirits, ghosts and demons,
death and the after-life, astral travel, astrology,
esoteric view of Jesus and Christianity, the “Lost Years,” and modern yogis who saw Jesus,
effective meditation methods, how to deal with the mind, vegetarianism, and practical spirituality,
stories of Babaji, Yogananda and his disciples, Anandamayi Ma, Sri Ramakrishna and his disciples, and modern saints of India,
the spiritual principles (dharma) that unite the inner traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and other world religions.

In Abbot George’s replies to these questions the reader will discover common sense, helpful information, and a guiding light for their journey through and beyond the forest of cliches, contradictions, and confusion of yoga, Hinduism, Christianity, and metaphysical thought.

Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) is the founder and director of Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram) in Cedar Crest, New Mexico. In his many pilgrimages to India he had the opportunity to meet some of India’s greatest saints and yogis, and in the United States he also encountered various Christian saints. He is the author of numerous books on practical spiritual life.

Get Satsang with the Abbot Now at Amazon!

Practical Advise on Learning the Kriya Yoga Methods

March 30, 2018 by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

To someone who wrote describing his experiences in meditation and who was practicing Kriya Yoga from an ebook he had purchased.

The evaluation of meditation experiences is very tricky, because it depends on the meditator’s karma, any past life experience of esoteric development, and the current state of the meditator’s physical, astral and causal bodies. So I really do not feel I should attempt to analyze your experiences. The matter is simply too vast.

The problem with Kriya Yoga and internet and book instructions

Have you been initiated into Kriya Yoga? Do you have the 14-page pdf Art of Super-Realization Initiation from the internet? Even though issued by Yogananda himself in the nineteen-thirties, the instructions in that booklet in no way express the right way the Kriya sounds are made, nor what they actually are, nor even how to do the Kriya breath. It is really necessary to learn these things from an experienced Kriyaban.

Learning from a teacher

Swami Vidyananda (Bidyananda) Giri—teacher of Kriya Yoga My sannyasa guru, Swami Vidyananda Giri, Yoganandaji’s most advanced Indian disciple, would not teach Kriya to anyone who would not promise to stay with him for a minimum of six weeks or a maximum of two months, because he said that no one could master the technique in less than six weeks of daily practice and observation by him.

Kriya Yoga is no breeze. Anandamayi Ma told me that no one should practice Kriya Yoga who does not live with or have daily contact with their guru or teacher. Constant supervision and advice regarding practice and experiences is necessary. This is so crucial that she told me to not accept any Kriyaban as a member of our ashram. [Read Anandamayi Ma’s advice on meditation.]

Mixing practices: a warning

Pleased also be warned against mixing yogic practices. Methods that of themselves are legitimate and beneficial when practiced separately can create subtle conflicts in the meditator’s bodies and even cause harm when combined with other practices.

Twice I have been consulted by people who were experiencing paralysis and spasm in their meditations. The paralysis could last for two or more hours with physical contortions. They could not break out of that condition until it stopped on its own. As you can imagine, they were apprehensive about this. When I questioned them I learned that they were combining Kriya Yoga and TM, two utterly differing methods and processes.

Japa Yoga and Kriya Yoga

Swami Keshabananda–practicioner of Kriya Yoga Kriya does not conflict with ordinary mantra japa, however. The disciples of Swami Keshabananda, the great disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, usually teach a mantra to a disciple first, and after three years teach them Kriya, having them continue with the japa along with the Kriya. As I say, there is no conflict, and I have known many Kriyabans who practiced both japa and Kriya.

In fact, many of Yoganandaji’s early disciples in the Mount Washington ashram chose a mantra and used it for constant japa throughout the day and in meditation after Kriya practice. Sri Daya Mata spoke of this in a Lay Disciples’ Kriya Initiation at Encinitas in 1963, and told what mantra she had chosen and was still repeating.

Finding a teacher

Please do not think I am trying to get you to join some organization, but I do urge you to find a qualified Kriya teacher you can trust to advise you in your practice. In the beginning of the twenty-sixth chapter of his autobiography (later changed by the SRF organization) Yogananda wrote about Kriya: “The actual technique must be learned from a Kriyaban or Kriya Yogi.” So one Kriyaban can teach another, though it is hoped that the teacher will really be able to worthily guide the taught. But it must be face-to-face and of sufficient time.

Coming Very Soon: Satsang with the Abbot

We are happy to let you know that Abbot George’s latest book, Satsang with the Abbot: Questions and Answers about Life, Spiritual Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ultimate Happiness, will soon be available on Amazon, and on other online outlets, in both print and ebook formats. We will let you know in a blog post and on social media in the very near future.

Here are some of the pre-publication reviewers thoughts:

“Satsang with the Abbot is a must-read for the seeker of truth. Brilliantly presented.” ~ Sandra Carrington-Smith, award-winning author of Housekeeping for the Soul: A Practical Guide to Restoring Your Inner Sanctuary.

“Fantastic book. Tons of great guidance.” ~ Michael Sabani

“I found Satsang with the Abbot to be a completely enjoyable and informative read. …Abbot George speaks as one who knows his subject well, and answers in an manner that conveys an effortlessness and humor that puts one at ease, while, at the same time, a wisdom and sincerity which demands an attentive ear.” ~ Russ Thomas

Real Peace vs. Imitation Peace–Which Do You Prefer?

November 19, 2017 by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Saint Thomas Cross A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas

Jesus said, If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, “Move Away,” and it will move away. (Gospel of Thomas 48)

This actually has two meanings, one outer and one inner.

Outer peace

It is very easy for people to be friends when they meet only occasionally in the right setting. Some families hardly know each other after years because they never really spend much time in one another’s company. But when two people live together–really live together for many hours a day–they meet each other’s quirks and flaws and the entire array of aberrations and peculiarities they have gathered over a long succession of lives.

Considering the fact that this earth plane is the bottom rung of the evolutionary ladder it should not surprise us that prolonged exposure to one another does not conduce to endearment. Conflict is bound to arise and exasperation with one another’s failings, not the least of which is egotism in its many forms.

Often one of the two will be very passive and recessive and will suffer for decades without a word, often without even admitting to themselves what a misery their life has become. When this happens they have “a good relationship” or marriage or association.

Of course it is no such thing at all, quite the opposite, but because [Read more…]

Why You Should Have a Dharmic Approach to Religion

August 29, 2017 by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Q: I have read much of your site and The Christ of India and am interested in the dharmic approach taken by the Saint Thomas school–most of which seems natural to me.

While there is documentation on Hindu acceptance and worship of Christ, how can a follower of Christ respectfully and meaningfully engage with Hindu aspects, from specific helpers such as Ganesha to omnipotent archetypes like Shiva?

I attend a Tamil Mariamman temple from time to time and experience no inconsistency but am still reserved in my engagement.

Any pointers will be much appreciated.

Sanatana Dharma did not come out of the mind and ideas of some individual who then persuaded others to follow him. Rather, it is a revelation given to many sages (rishis), who were master yogis, in their superconscious experience. That is why there is no founder claimed by Sanatana Dharma.

Also, that revelation can be confirmed by yogis who purify themselves and become able to enter the same superconscious state.

Sanatana Dharma is based on realization, not intellectual philosophy. Consequently, only the adept yogi can really understand its nature and meaning. Yoga Sadhana is the key to really “becoming” a Sanatana Dharma. I say this from experience. There were many aspects of Sanatana Dharma that upon first encounter seemed utterly silly to me. But as I persisted in meditation and yogic discipline I literally saw the reality and value of them.

I will share with you some experiences I had.

An elephant headed God

One day I went with some yogi friends to the now extinct Wil Wright’s Ice Cream Parlor in Westwood, California. In a niche to one side of the door there was a white marble statue with the head of an elephant. One of my friends pointed to it and said: “That is the Indian Elephant-headed God, Ganesha. I don’t know what it’s doing here.” Neither did I, for I was thinking: “Elephant-headed God! Whoever thought that up? How stupid.” But some weeks later in meditation I saw Ganesha and knew he really was a form of God. And more than that: I loved him. I not only believed in him, I got an image of him and put it on my meditation altar. [Read more…]