Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Mar 11Why to Become Free from Hatredby Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) “Occasions of hatred are certainly never settled by hatred. They are settled by freedom from hatred. This is the eternal law” (Dhammapada 5). Let us not waste our time trying to apply this to world peace or strife among nations. Certainly the principle…Spiritual Growth3 min readSpiritual Growth3 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Oct 20, 2022Reincarnation and Memory: Where Do Our Memories Go?by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) Q: When reincarnated do we retain our current memories and interests, or what it is that makes us feel “ourselves”? All the memories of our past lives remain in the subconscious mind in the forms of impressions in the mind-substance (chitta) which is…Reincarnation3 min readReincarnation3 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Sep 20, 2022Raga and Dwesha: Key Concepts in Yoga You Should KnowBuddha, Krishna, and Patanjali on the important concepts of Raga and Dwesha (— Attraction and Aversion) by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) Two of the most important words in analyzing the dilemma of the human condition are Raga and Dwesha–the powerful duo that motivate virtually all human endeavor. …Yoga7 min readYoga7 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Apr 24, 2022What is Sin? — A Yoga Perspectiveby Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) The Sanskrit word for sin is papam, which means harmful negativity. It does not at all mean breaking the supposed law of a deity that threatens punishment for sin. A religion that has that approach should be ignored and avoided. …Spiritual Growth3 min readSpiritual Growth3 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Feb 14, 2022Gajanana Maharaj: A Remarkable Saint IndeedAt the beginning of the twentieth century, a young crippled boy in North India met a spiritual teacher in the Nath tradition of the great teachers Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath, who imparted to him the precious knowledge of yoga meditation. …Yoga Teacher6 min readYoga Teacher6 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Feb 9, 2022Good News: A Vegan Diet Reduces Severe Covid-19 Symptoms Up To 73 PercentSeveral New Studies Show Another Benefit of a Plant-Based Diet A plant-based diet “represents the most cost-effective approach and should be largely promoted and incorporated in everyday practice…This is a booster that is needed at this unprecedented time and that may actually work to mitigate COVID-19.” –European Journal of Clinical Nutrition A team from the Johns Hopkins School of Public…Veganism3 min readVeganism3 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Jan 3, 2022The Dark Night of the Soul: What It Means and How to Deal With Itby Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) — Q: Could you explain “the dark night of the soul” to me? First I should tell you that it is a very simple thing. It is a stage in the evolution of a highly evolved human being when he is at a pivotal point in his development. All that has gone before, although it was of value in earlier times, is to…Spiritual Growth4 min readSpiritual Growth4 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Dec 22, 202114 Spiritual Ways to Celebrate ChristmasFrom an article by Paramhansa Yogananda entitled “Why Celebrate Christmas?” published in the Inner Culture Magazine in December of 1934. — For twenty centuries the birth of Christ has been celebrated differently by the different Christian sects. Many have counted the coming of Christmas as a time for exchanging nicely caparisoned, costly gifts. Many children look upon Christmas as the time for Santa Claus to give them new toys. They hang…Christmas5 min readChristmas5 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Jul 18, 2021How “Wisdom” Can Get It WrongThree Historical Examples by Abbot George Burke Smiling, Lord Krishna says an unexpected thing to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita in response to his fervent disquisition on how he both should not and could not engage in battle on the field of Kurukshetra: “You have mourned those that should not be mourned, and…Humor5 min readHumor5 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Jul 6, 2021What Is Yoga, Really?Real Yoga as Opposed to Pop yoga by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) “Yoga” is a Sanskrit word that means “to join.” Yoga is both union and the way to that union. What do we join through yoga? First, we join our awareness to our own essential being: the spirit whose nature is pure consciousness. In…Yoga3 min readYoga3 min read
