Light of the Spirit Podcast

By: Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)
  • Summary

  • A Practical Resource for the Spiritual Student. Discover the timeless wisdom of India and the yoga path to freedom. This podcast channel offers you a wealth of practical and thought-provoking knowledge about the Oriental origins of Christianity, the simple and classic tradition of Yoga and the Yoga Life, the practical messages of the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures, and much more. Journey beyond the forest of cliches, contradictions, and confusion about Yoga, Hinduism, Christianity and metaphysical thought, through the unconventional wisdom of Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke), director of Light of the Spirit Monastery.
    Copyright 2025 Light of the Spirit Podcast
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Episodes
  • Gita Talk 61–Qualities of Brahman
    Mar 23 2025

    Here is a summary of the talk "Qualities of Brahman" by Swami Nirmalananda Giri, based on the 13th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:

    In this talk, Swami Nirmalananda Giri explores the nature and qualities of Brahman, the all-encompassing divine reality, as described in the Bhagavad Gita. He emphasizes that Brahman is the essence of everything—both animate and inanimate—permeating all existence as the sustainer, creator, and absorber of life.

    The talk highlights the need for a yogi to refine their consciousness to perceive Brahman’s subtle presence, which is both near and far, undivided yet appearing divided. Brahman is presented as the source of all light, knowledge, and existence, beyond darkness, and seated in the heart of all beings.

    The discussion also touches on the interplay of Purusha (pure consciousness) and Prakriti (vibrating energy or material creation), the inevitability of karma, and the importance of self-realization through practices like mantra repetition (e.g., "Soham") and meditation.

    Main Points:

    1. Brahman as All-Encompassing: Brahman exists both outside and inside all beings, encompassing everything—animate and inanimate—since all is composed of living, moving particles, embodying life itself.
    2. Subtlety of Brahman: Brahman is incomprehensible due to its subtlety, requiring a yogi to refine their consciousness to perceive its presence, which is both far and near.
    3. Unity and Multiplicity: A true yogi perceives both the unity of Brahman and the apparent multiplicity of existence simultaneously, aiming for omniscience as the ultimate goal.
    4. Sustainer of Beings: Brahman is the foundation of all existence, sustaining everything, shining as the life within all, without which nothing could exist.
    5. Creator and Absorber: Brahman generates and withdraws all creation cyclically, as exemplified by Krishna’s statement in the Gita about sending forth and retracting beings helplessly within this process.
    6. Light of Light: Brahman is the source of all light, enabling existence and manifestation, existing beyond darkness as the singular, eternal light.
    7. Knowledge and the Known: Brahman embodies wisdom, being both the process of knowing, the knower, and the object of knowledge, seated in the heart of all beings.
    8. Spiritual Practice: The yogi uses practices like "Soham" meditation and japa (mantra repetition) to align with Brahman, recognizing it as the primal word or sound of creation.
    9. Purusha and Prakriti: Creation arises from the interplay of Purusha (pure consciousness) and Prakriti (material energy), both eternal aspects of Brahman, with Prakriti driving action and manifestation.
    10. Karma and Responsibility: All experiences, including pleasure and pain, stem from individual karma, reflecting personal choices and actions, not external blame; self-awareness dissolves karmic ignorance.
    11. Self-Realization: True knowing comes from experiencing Brahman, not just theorizing about it, and devotees who comprehend this approach the divine state of being.
    12. Humility in Learning: Swamiji critiques superficial knowledge, encouraging persistent effort and humility in the spiritual journey, rather than assuming mastery from minimal understanding.

    The talk concludes with a call to deepen understanding of the Gita through Swami Nirmalananda’s book, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening, emphasizing practical spirituality and self-awareness.

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    19 mins
  • Grow Your Spiritual Knowledge – March 2025 Satsang with Swami Nirmalananda
    Mar 2 2025
    Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this March 2025 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 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. #satsang #spiritualityyoga #spiritualawakening Use these timestamps below to navigate to topics which he discusses in this month's satsang: 00:00 Introduction 00:41 What is satsang? 01:59 Good spiritual books to read 03:21 About Mabel Collins 10:17 What is the soul, and where is it located? 16:31 Questions about the caste system 23:46 Reflections on Gandhi 29:08 Do all religions and wisdom traditions lead to the same goal? 33:48 Do we need a master to give the soham mantra? 39:35 Do you pray or only do Soham sadhana? 41:00 How does one navigate the intersection of this world and the next? 42:15 A technical question about Soham sadhana 43:25 A question about the teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg 45:04 A question about Swami Muktananda on Soham 46:16 Were Buddha’s original teachings atheistic? 50:00 Vivekananda story and yogi’s having integrity 55:43 Swami Sivananda’s marriage before he took sannyasa 56:28 How to dispose of old rudradksha and tulsi malas 58:26 Balancing spiritual duties and social interaction 1:00:39 Appraising Yogananda’s wisdom and the meditation methods ascribed to him 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 wisdom of India and the yoga path to freedom FREE Meditation Guide and weekly blog updates, podcasts and more: https://ocoy.org/signup FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL https://www.facebook.com/light.of.spirit/ https://twitter.com/Light_of_Spirit https://instagram.com/lightofthespirit/
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Learn Effective Spirituality – February 2025 Satsang with Swami Nirmalananda
    Feb 2 2025
    Join Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) in this February 2025 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 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. Use these timestamps below to navigate to topics which he discusses in this month's satsang: 00:00 Introduction 02:02 A long question on karma 21:49 What is Swadharma? 26:00 Is taking pain medicine avoidance of karma? 31:18 Difficulty having a positive attitude towards all 35:07 Can humans reincarnate as humans or plants? 42:48 How much does Grace figure in spiritual development? 44:29 What are your favorite quotes from Anandamayi Ma? 52:04 Mental pronunciation of the Soham mantra. 1:02:49 Overcoming sexual and drug addiction to walk the spiritual path 1:07:48 Yogananda’s most important teaching 1:11:45 A question about dreams (unanswered) 1:13:32 Closing remarks 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 wisdom of India and the yoga path to freedom FREE Meditation Guide and weekly blog updates, podcasts and more: https://ocoy.org/signup FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL https://www.facebook.com/light.of.spirit/ https://twitter.com/Light_of_Spirit https://instagram.com/lightofthespirit/
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    1 hr and 14 mins

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As Good As It Gets!!!

Abbott George comes across as a “Fundamentally Kindhearted and Genuinely Nice Guy,” who speaks the Wisdom of the Ages, in a very Down to Earth and Entertaining Way, that specifically targets Everyday Folks.

P.S. Been “Enquiring in the Temple” for nigh-on-to 60 years here, as well, and Abbott George’s “de-spooking” of the “spiritually presumed power and forces of negation” (re: Satan, Lucifer, Sin, Darkness, Self-Ignorance and the like, etc.) is as good as “esoteric deciphering” gets.

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thank you

Thank you very much for this, thank you for your podcast. Please help 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.

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