Three Questions About Advaita Vedanta
The world is absolutely real, but our ideas and even our experiences of it are to a great degree illusion. The illustrations of the snake in the rope or the man in a tree trunk apply here. The impression in the mind is a real experience, but it is mistaken–misinterpreted by us. The object that produced that impression is real, but our seeing of it is completely wrong, arising from our own unenlightened mind.
India: Forgive, But Don’t Forget
It is foolish to expect Hindus to forget seven hundred years of cruel oppression under Moslem rulership which included both bribing and forcing Hindus to convert. Nor need Hindus forget three hundred years of cruel Christian oppression in which people were bribed and coerced into converting.
Podcast: The Hidden Status of Master Yogis, Part 2
In this podcast Abbot George continues his discussion concerning how Lucifer could stand to be in the presence of Jesus, and how the status of master yogis is often hidden. He begins by giving his own experiences with spiritual figures in India, and continues with what he had heard of others.
Podcast: The Hidden Status of Master Yogis, Part 1
Recently our friend Jonathan Mahoney asked Abbot George Burke how Lucifer could tempt Jesus if evil spirits cannot stand high spiritual vibrations. In this first of two podcasts Abbot George answers this question, showing how the status of master yogis is often hidden, giving examples from the lives of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Ananadamayi Ma and others.
Why a Yogi Is Wary of Small Desires
We may not even realize the potential of an affinity or even a very slight, dispassionate liking. But it can grow into a very real problem. Liking or enjoying something is not harmful if it makes no attachment begin. But the mind has its ways of turning things around without us even knowing. Therefore the sadhaka must always be alert and vigilant.
God and The Self: What is True?
True awareness of oneself as a conscious entity is known as Asmita: I-ness; the sense of “I am;” “I exist;” the sense of individuality. And the true awareness of the Self is expressed as “Soham asmi.”