Episodes

Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this November 2024 Satsang to elevate your spirit by growing your knowledge of meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. Listen to his new Talks on the Bhagavad Gita here: https://gitatalks.ocoy.org 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,...

Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this October 2024 Satsang to elevate your spirit by growing your knowledge of meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. Listen to his new Talks on the Bhagavad Gita here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzUa3GQViSbVFbfQW_yugfTi5u9x8W7bb 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 h...

Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this September 2024 Satsang to elevate your spirit by growing your knowledge of meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. Listen to his new Talks on the Bhagavad Gita here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzUa3GQViSbVFbfQW_yugfTi5u9x8W7bb 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...

Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this uplifting August 2024 Satsang. Elevate your spirit by growing your knowledge of meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. Also, watch his new Talks on the Bhagavad Gita here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzUa3GQViSbVFbfQW_yugfTi5u9x8W7bb 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 t...

Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this uplifting July 2024 Satsang to elevate your spirit by growing your knowledge of meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. Listen to his new Talks on the Bhagavad Gita here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzUa3GQViSbVFbfQW_yugfTi5u9x8W7bb 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 ...

July’s online satsang with Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) will be held on Saturday, July 6th, at 12 noon, EST. You can go to the registration page and sign up using this link, or use the signup button below. When registering, you can submit any questions which you would like Swamiji to answer during the satsang. Podcast and Video: Living (and Dying) as a Yogi In a podcast interview with our friend Jonathan Mahoney, Swami Nirmalananda discusses the kind of life we need to live in o...

Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this uplifting June 2024 Satsang to elevate your spirit by growing your knowledge of meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. 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 s...

In this recording of the May 2024 online satsang with Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke), Swamiji answers questions submitted by the attendees (see the timestamps below for the topics discussed). To get word of future online satsangs and get a FREE Meditation Guide and weekly blog updates, podcasts and more, sign up at: https://ocoy.org/signup 00:00 Introduction 00:20 About Orthodox Pascha (Easter) 04:15 Soham Meditation and the breath 07:33 The Origins of the Hebrews from India 12:47 ...

There are a number of important reasons why spiritual imagery is valuable for the aspiring yogi. In a recent online Satsang, Swami Nirmalananda Giri explained the value of holy imagery in the practical spiritual life of those wishing to grow their inner life. He shows the imagery at Atma Jyoti Ashram (Light of the Spirit Monastery) and how the presence and symbolism of such sacred images effects us on a day-to-day basis. Religious imagery can be found on many sites online, and we have also coll...

Every month we have an online satsang with Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) where he answers question submitted when people register. This months topics are listed in the timestamps below: 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Rogue Creators; Lucifer 08: 45 Interpreting Scriptures 16:00 Loosing salvation? 18:33 Avoiding spiritual egotism 20:15 Spiritual dryness during meditation 20:30 Healthwork: payment or not? 31:35 What is Transmigration? 33:56 What is it that awakens to enlightenment? 38:57 W...

Podcast and Video: Reminiscences of Anandamayi Ma by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (with archival film and photos) In this recent satsang excerpt, Swami Nirmalananda shares unique perspectives about Ma from his own experience. Here are some of the topics discussed in the podcast and video: A yogi’s experience of the inner side of Ma. Problems with institutions. How Anandamayi Ma guided our ashram. Dr. Ghosh takes Catholic nuns to meet Ma and what Ma said to the nuns; Ma’s love of monastics. What...

Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) answers questions on practical spirituality submitted in the March monthly online satsang. See the timestamps below for the topics of the questions. #satsang #spiritualawakening #spiritualgrowth 00:00 Introduction 01:40 The effect of weather on meditation 02:39 A Yogi can affect his atmosphere 10:04 What is good for purification of the mind? 13:09 The Vijnana Vedanta of Sri Ramakrishna 15:14 Two different ideas of "I" 23:28 Differentiating between imp...

Listen to the podcast and watch related video below. The new Rama Temple in Ayodhya was consecrated on January 22nd, 2024. The grand ceremony, known as the Ram Mandir Prāna Pratishtha, marked a significant moment in Hindu history. For centuries, Hindus have revered the site in Ayodhya as the birthplace of Lord Rama, the Divine Incarnation embodying righteousness and dharmic governance. Following Indian independence in 1947 many Hindus hoped for and worked for the return of many traditionally Hi...

In this online satsang from November Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) answers questions submitted by the online webinar attendees. The questions are shown below with timestamp links to where they occur in the satsang. 00:00 Introduction 00:35 Is the astral world heaven? 02:07 Is Sri Ma Sarada Devi an avatar? 05:05 Is it possible, having lost something, to move on in life without attachment? 06:24 Do you ever fear for the future? 11:52 If one has a non-dual perspective, how should one...

In this podcast, Swami Nirmalananda discusses how to deal with the decline of a loved one from a spiritual perspective. Illness and death can bring immense sadness, but if we become strong spiritually we can bring comfort and help to ourselves, others, and those who are dying during such difficult times. Swamiji shares advice on how to gain this inner strength and personal stories of how this has helped others. If you do not see the player above, click here to listen to How to Deal with the Dec...

In this online satsang, Swami Nirmalananda (Abbot George Burke) answers a wide range of questions, discussing the initiations of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, the humor of Paramhansa Yogananda, meditation practices, what is Dharma, and much more. You can read more of his writings at https://ocoy.org. Below is a list of the topics discussed, and links to where in the satsang they are. 00:54 Sanatana Dharma book doing well. 04:21 What is the definition of Dharma? 06:20 Is reincarnation only forwar...

Previous Satsangs now Online We have now posted all of our past satsangs on our Youtube Channel (YouTube.com/@LightoftheSpirit) where you can view both full satsangs and excepts, as well as other spiritual videos (we now have 96 videos!) Below is our latest upload, from the follow-up to the October satsang, where Swamiji addressed the following topics not covered in the live satsang. We include the timestamps on the video so that you can find what interests you: 00:30 The symbolism of the Cros...

This satsang with Swami Nirmalananda consists of follow-up questions not covered in the October monthly online Satsang. Topics covered are below with their timestamps for ease of viewing. 00:00 Intro 00:30 The symbolism of the Cross 12:16 Some insights into Royalty 15:34 Reminiscences of Anandamayi Ma 48:11 Stories of Mahavatar Babaji 51:47 Kriya, Bhakti, and Jnana Yogas 56:23 Coping with the decline of a loved one 1:00:49 Gratitude 1:01:48 Sri Ramakrishna's Parable–Go Forward #satsang #babaji #...

In this satsang, Swamiji talks about Babaji (of Autobiography of a Yogi) and his sister and much more (see timestamps below) #satsang #babaji #spiritualawakening 00:00 Beginning 00:21 New Sanatana Dharma Book 01:01 Babaji and Babaji’s sister at Dashashwamedh Ghat 07:44 Where to get good vegetarian recipes 10:03 How difficult to attain spiritual awakening? 13:58 Is anything known about Jesus’ guru? 15:01 A question about slavery 18:09 Where do unwanted thoughts come from? 24:06 Swami Sivananda on...

Podcast: What Happens to the Soul After Death? The afterlife of any individual depends on the life of that individual. Each life is unique, and what happens afterwards depends on how a person lived that life, and the lives before. Learn how our karma (our actions) will determine where we go after death, and more in this podcast and video. If you do not see the player in the email, listen to the podcast here: What Happens to the Sould After Death? Youtube video of the podcast: The post Podcas...

Every month Swami Nirmalananda has an online satsang in which he answers questions that have been suggested by attendees. Go get word of future online satsangs, visit https://ocoy.org/signup/ #satsang #spiritualawakening #dharma OCOY.org RESOURCES Get FREE pdf spiritual ebooks at our E-Library: https://ocoy.org/site/e-library/ Listen to Podcast on practical spiritual topics: https://ocoy.org/podcasts/ Website: https://ocoy.org A Practical Resource for the Spiritual Student–Discover the timeless ...

Every month Swami Nirmalananda has an online satsang in which he answers questions that have been suggested by attendees. Go get word of future online satsangs, visit https://ocoy.org/signup/ #satsang #spiritualawakening #dharma OCOY.org RESOURCES Get FREE pdf spiritual ebooks at our E-Library: https://ocoy.org/site/e-library/ Listen to Podcast on practical spiritual topics: https://ocoy.org/podcasts/ Website: https://ocoy.org A Practical Resource for the Spiritual Student–Discover the timeless ...

Every month Swami Nirmalananda has an online satsang in which he answers questions that have been suggested by attendees. Go get word of future online satsangs, visit https://ocoy.org/signup/ #satsang #spiritualawakening #dharma OCOY.org RESOURCES Get FREE pdf spiritual ebooks at our E-Library: https://ocoy.org/site/e-library/ Listen to Podcast on practical spiritual topics: https://ocoy.org/podcasts/ Website: https://ocoy.org A Practical Resource for the Spiritual Student–Discover the timeless ...

Every month Swami Nirmalananda has an online satsang in which he answers questions that have been suggested by attendees. Go get word of future online satsangs, visit https://ocoy.org/signup/ #satsang #spiritualawakening #dharma OCOY.org RESOURCES Get FREE pdf spiritual ebooks at our E-Library: https://ocoy.org/site/e-library/ Listen to Podcast on practical spiritual topics: https://ocoy.org/podcasts/ Website: https://ocoy.org A Practical Resource for the Spiritual Student–Discover the timeless ...