Light of the Spirit Podcast

The subject of past life recall is a broad topic. So this interview of Abbot George Burke by our friend Bianca Vlahos of PBA-fm radio in Australia is a long one—just over 53 minutes. Among the questions Bianca asks is “What is the main value in understanding our past lives?” Here are some of Abbot George’s comments from the interview: “When you understand what has caused the present situation, you can often understand that situation. Often also it will tell you, or you understand then, the way you should respond to the present situation and the way to go from this point on onward.” Regarding difficulties in this life caused by past lives: “That’s why this stuff happens to us, for us to learn how to make a positive response to a negative situation.” Abbot George stressed the positive aspect of our growth from life to life: “We are an unfolding story and every life is a chapter in that story. The next chapter can be maybe much more interesting and a much more happy chapter. If we do our best to be positive in this life then we can have a positive future. We created this present life and we are right now creating our future life.” “None of us is helpless. We are creating our own life.” Listen to the entire podcast interview to hear interesting stories of past life recall, and the effect it can have in our lives. If you do not see the player above (it won’t show in emails), click here to listen to The Benefits of Past Life Recall. Podcast length: 53:09 minutes. The post The Benefits of Past Life Recall | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

In a followup interview with Bianca Vlahos of PBA FM radio in Adelaide, Australia, Abbot George discusses the importance of understanding karma as the basis of reincarnation. With this understanding, we can begin to comprehend our present situation in life, and we can become empowered to create our future. Abbot George says in the interview, we are meant to take charge of our lives, but we cannot take charge of what we do not understand. Dr. Morris Netherton, founder of “Past Lives Therapy,” often said that we rarely respond to an actual event in our lives but that we are responding to an event in a previous live that the present event reminds us of. Bianca asks Abbot George about the connections between people we meet in this life, and how we react with them, and our having known them in previous lives. He answers with examples both in his own life and those of others that illustrate the relationship between this life and past lives. If you do not see the player above (it won’t show in emails), click here to listen to Understanding Karma as the Basis of Reincarnation. Podcast length: 50:30 minutes. The post Understanding Karma as the Basis of Reincarnation | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Last month our friend Bianca Vlahos of the Australian radio station PBA-FM interviewed Abbot George Burke on the broad topic of reincarnation. They discussed the source of  reincarnation (karma—our actions, both positive and negative) and the purpose of reincarnation: our spiritual evolution and growth. Abbot George likened reincarnation to school. We can choose to learn the lessons of life and graduate to higher classes and new lessons, and thereby hasten our spiritual growth. Or we can dawdle along the way, refusing to learn the consequences of our actions, choosing to blame others for our faults and failures and suffering, and take the same courses over (and over). Bianca gave the interview this title: “The Spiritual Journey of Humans – Discussing pain and suffering, enlightenment, karma, forgiveness, reincarnation, awakening, meditation, mindfulness and more.  Interview with Abbot George Burke discussing his book May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation?” (This book is available in print and as a free ebook on Amazon, and also on our site here. Bianca plans to follow this interview with another in which she will ask Abbot George about past life recall methods and more. Stay tuned. If you do not see the player above (it won’t show in emails), click here to listen to Reincarnation: Its Causes and Consequences. Podcast length: 52:00 minutes. The post Reincarnation: Its Causes and Consequences | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

For our Christmas offering we offer you a podcast about Christmas, and about Christ being born in us. Today’s podcast is from an interview by our friend Bianca Vlahos of radio station FIVEaa in Adelaide, Australia. Click here to listen to The Symbolism of Christmas and Its Universal Message if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 23:07 minutes. The post The Symbolism of Christmas and Its Universal Message | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

In part 2 of the recent interview with Abbot George about Buddha’s everyday wisdom as recorded in the Dhammapada, Bianca Vlahos of radio station PBA-FM in Adelaide, South Australia, inquired further about how to lead an effective and uplifting life in the world applying the principles which Buddha advocated. The catalyst of this interview was when Bianca read a copy of Abbot George’s book The Dhammapada for Awakening (available on our site here and on Amazon here). One aspect of the discussion was the necessity to have patience and perseverance in spiritual endeavor, with Abbot George talking about the saying, “Lighting flashes brightly for only a moment, but the dawning of day is gradual and inevitable.” We have divided the podcast into two segments, the second of which you can listen to below. You can listen to the first one here. Click here to listen to Everyday Wisdom from Buddha, Part 2 if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 32:03 minutes. The post Everyday Wisdom from Buddha: Part 2 of Bianca Vlahos’ Interview with Abbot George appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

How can Buddha’s wisdom as recorded in the Dhammapada be applied in our every-day lives? That was the topic of the latest radio interview of Abbot George Burke by Bianca Vlahos of radio station PBA-FM in Adelaide, South Australia a couple of weeks ago. Bianca read a copy of Abbot George’s book The Dhammapada for Awakening (available on our site here and on Amazon here) and as usual had very good and practical questions for Abbot George on how to best apply Buddha’s wisdom. Here is what Bianca wrote on Facebook about her interview: “This is one of the wisest human beings I’ve had the privilege of speaking with. Listening to the wisdom and knowledge of Abbot George Burke is life changing.” We have divided the podcast into two segments, the first of which you can listen to below. The second installment will follow shortly. Click here to listen to Buddha’s Wisdom for Every Day: A Podcast Interview of Abbot George by Bianca Vlahos—Part 1 if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 29:27 minutes. The post Buddha’s Wisdom for Every Day: A Podcast Interview of Abbot George by Bianca Vlahos appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

In a followup to the interview about vegetarianism that Bianca Vlahos did with Abbot George in late September on the radio station PBA-FM in Adelaide, South Australia, she again interviewed Abbot George last week on October 22nd. The subject was vegetarianism again, as the topic is so vast and important. Below you can listen to the interview. Click here to listen to Vegetarianism: an Interview of Abbot George on Australian Radio, Part 2 if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 33:59 minutes.     Limited Time Sale: Dhammapada for Awakening, only 99¢ This week we are offering the ebook version of The The Dhammapada for Awakening: A Commentary on Buddha’s Practical Wisdom at Amazon for only 99¢! (Amazon Kindle files can be played on any computer or digital device by downloading the Kindle app here—no Kindle needed.) Learn how you can effectively lead a spiritual life in the modern world. The Dhammapada for Awakening brings a refreshing and timely perspective to ancient wisdom and showing seekers of inner peace practical ways to improve their inner lives today. Drawing on the proven wisdom of different ancient traditions, and the contemporary masters of spiritual life, as well as his own studies and first-hand knowledge of the mystical traditions of East and West, Abbot George illumines the practical wisdom of Buddha in the Dhammapada, and more importantly, and make thatmakes that teaching relevant to present day spiritual seekers. Here is what Anna Hourihan, author, editor, and publisher at Vedanta Shores Press says: “In this compelling book, Abbot George Burke brings his considerable knowledge and background in Christian teachings and the Vedic tradition of India to convey a practical understanding of the teachings of the Buddha. …This is a book you’ll want to take your time to read and keep as reference to reread. Highly recommended for earnest spiritual aspirants, especially those who may need a prod to keep them moving forward.” The post Vegetarianism: Radio Interview with Abbot George, Part 2 appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

About a month ago, Bianca Vlahos of Adelaide, Australia, became a vegan for a multitude of reasons. She researched the topic exhaustively and found several articles about aspects of vegetarianism on our website (See Spiritual Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet and Humans: Are We Carnivores or Vegetarians by Nature?) She is a radio announcer and producer at PBA-FM in Adelaide, and decided to contact Abbot George about doing a radio interview on the subject of the “connection between the Clarification of Morals & Ethics in relation to the food we eat.” So a few days ago we arose before 3:00 a.m. to prepare for the Australian radio interview which was to be at 6:45 p.m. Australia time. Bianca was an excellent host, having prepared well for the topic, and the interview was a success, going over time because of the interest of the host and listeners. Because of continued interest, there will be a follow-up interview in a couple of weeks. Below you can listen to the interview. Click here to listen to Vegetarianism: an Interview of Abbot George on Australian Radio if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 37:19 minutes.     Special eBook Sale This week we are offering Abbot George’s book, The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening on sale for only 99¢ for the Kindle version at Amazon.com. Here is the Amazon description and some reader reviews: “An extraordinary work of theological commentary, The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening is as informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring. —James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review “From the very beginning there were two Christianities.” So begins this remarkable work. While the rest of the Apostles dispersed to various areas of the Mediterranean world, the apostle Thomas travelled to India, where growing evidence shows that Jesus spent his “Lost Years,” and which had been the source of the wisdom which he had brought to the “West.” In The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening, Abbot George shines the “Light of the East” on the sometimes enigmatic sayings of Jesus recorded by his apostle Saint Thomas, revealing their unique and rich practical nature for modern day seekers for spiritual life. Ideal for daily study or group discussion The Reverend Gerry Nangle says: “The chapters are quite short, each based on one or two sayings, making them ideal for daily study and contemplation or suitable as material for group discussion. This book can be read once or twice for its rich factual content, or many times for the spiritual challenges it raises within the reader’s own mind and heart.” While many books related to the Gospel of Thomas deal with historical or theological issues, Abbot George’s approach is remarkably practical, dealing with how Jesus’ words can be applied to make your life better and more spiritually rich. This is a must have book for spiritual aspirants, whatever their background. Cheryl Bruedigman, Author of What If We Are the Angels? says: I am grateful to Burke’s efforts and to this book. It has supplied a missing link for me and filled in some of the gaping holes that popular Christianity does not fill. It has cleared the path in my struggle to understand much wisdom of the more difficult Hindu teachings. It helped to demonstrate the commonalities of both, and help me to reach a new height in my own personal understanding. I highly recommend this book. I will study it for years to come. The post Vegetarianism: an Interview of Abbot George on Australian Radio appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to The Big Picture: How to Gain the Vision of God if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 20:34 minutes.   When I was very young there was a television program called The Big Picture. Most people live in The Little Picture with small ideas and small goals, all short term. But some live in The Big Picture, considering their life as a whole extending through many years, realizing that the small aspects will be forgotten, but the overall character of their life will determine their future beyond this world as well as within it. Having this perspective, I wanted to be a living sacrifice, a living offering to God! I wanted to be able to stand unashamedly before the face of God and truthfully say: “Behold, I have forsaken all and followed Thee.” To be like Christ, not just in glory but in living sacrifice, like him, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This was my aspiration–the aspiration of monastics throughout the ages. An undivided heart Monastic life is a life of undivided loyalty to the One. Jesus Himself warns us that “no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” The religious egotist considers himself wiser than Christ, Whose words he tactfully ignores utterly. He knows better! He can certainly please himself and please God. (Ah, but Jesus spoke about serving!) Those who love cannot run the risk of despising their Beloved and clinging to their own egoic god. How often we hear statements about what God “does not expect” of us and what “does not matter” to God. The problem is, when most people say “God” they really mean their ego “god,” that of course expects and cares about nothing that does not serve its own desires. An example There is a very revealing incident in the Gospel of Saint John. It says: Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. —John 12 Because spikenard was extremely costly, it was kept in a stone flask with only a tiny hole through which it could be shaken out a drop at a time to avoid using any more than was exactly desired. But like Saint Mary Magdalene, the lovers of God cannot endure to shake out the perfume of their love drop by grudging drop. Rather, they break the stone of egoic “thrift” and pour out their life unreservedly as an offering to him of their soul’s love. The Judases, who through their keeping of “the bag” of material life have come to despise the master of spirit and cling to the lordship of this world, have always raised a fuss about the “waste” of monastic life, accusing its adherents of being extremists, fanatics, and even worse. There is a lot of talk on their part about “helping others” and “doing good to the world” as the opposing ideal, but as Saint John points out, the real motive of their protest is the fact that they steal from God that sacrifice which is their reasonable duty, as well. Just as the worldings make their choice of service, so also do the monastics. Above all the rationalizing protests of their opponents they raise the song of victory: “I am my Beloved’s and he is mine.” This is just the beginning of a transcription of this podcast. Listen to The Big Picture: How to Gain the Vision of God to hear more about the dedicated life. The podcast length is 20:34 minutes. The post How to Gain the Vision of God | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to How to Become a Friend of God if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 17:48 minutes. “The first time I wrote to Mother Anandamayi, in her reply she referred to me as “my friend,” which she only did in relation to monastics. Others she called “father” or “mother.” To his disciples who had left everything to follow him, Jesus, too, had said: “I have called you friends.” The relationship of father and mother is not by (conscious) choice. A friend, however, is ours by choice. Everyone was related to Mother by nature, but only the monastics were hers by choice, therefore she called them “friend.” So begins this podcast by Abbot George on living a life in which one can be worthy of being called a friend of God. He cites memories of Anandamayi Ma and her attitude toward monastics and non-monastics, as well as recounting what Jesus and St. Paul have to say about the “angelic life.” Click here to listen to How to Become a Friend of God. The podcast length is 17:48 minutes. Listen to more podcasts on meditation, the Yoga Life, and great spiritual figures at our Podcast Page. The post How to Become a Friend of God | Monastic Life Podcast 2 appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Reflection on Monastic Life, Part 1 if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 16:46 minutes.   Who should lead a monastic life and who shouldn’t, and what motivates a monk. I would like to share with you my reflections on monastic life as I approach the fifty-second anniversary of my taking sannyas. How does one know if he should lead the monastic life? The great twentieth-century Indian sage, Sri Ramana Maharshi, had left home at the age of seventeen. After years of solitary life, he became the most renowned spiritual figure of India, his fame spreading widely into Europe and America, as well. One day a young man came to speak with him. “Should I leave home and become a monk?” the young man asked. “No!” was the Mararshi’s immediate answer. “Why not?…You did!” demanded the youth with more than a tinge of indignation. “Yes,” agreed the Maharshi quietly, “but I did not have to ask anyone if I should.” Sri Sarada Devi, the virgin wife of Sri Ramakrishna, who is worshipped as an incarnation of the Divine Mother, said the following: “Whether one calls on God or not, one is already half free if one does not marry. And one will rush ahead with great speed once one’s mind turns to God.” Swadharma There is a qualification here, though, a very important element that can be found in the Bhagavad Gita That element is swadharma, which means someone’s own inherent disposition, fundamental nature, or potentiality; inherent state of mind; state of inner being. The Gita says: Better one’s own swadharma though deficient than the dharma of another well performed. Better is death in one’s own swadharma; the dharma of another invites danger. (Bhagavad Gita 3:35) Better one’s own swadharma, though imperfect, than the dharma of another well performed; performing the duty prescribed by one’s own swadharma, one does not incur evil. (Bhagavad Gita 18:47) There are people who are miserable because they are not monastics and there are monastics who are miserable because they are. Why is this? Unfulfilment of swadharma. Just being able to fit in and endure either secular or monastic life means nothing. More than once I have had to point out to people that they did not have the swadharma of a monk and should not live the monastic life. Otherwise they would end up old and embittered, feeling life had passed them by. And it would have, though it would be more correct to say that they had turned away from the life they should have led. It is also a fact that I have seen people who were miserable and struggling in frustration because they had the swadharma of a monastic but were leading another kind of life. The purpose of this podcast How does a person determine their swadharma? I would like to tell you about how I knew my swadharma and began to follow it. I have two motives in doing this: helping those who should lead the monastic life and those who should not, but who might want to know what motivates a monk. Click here and listen to Reflection on Monastic Life, Part 1 to hear Abbot George’s personal journey to monastic life and how one can know the life one should lead. The podcast length is 16:46 minutes. Listen to more podcasts on meditation, the Yoga Life, and great spiritual figures at our Podcast Page. The post Reflections on Monastic Life – Part 1 | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to My Friend Jugavati, and the Vishnupur Train Platform Swami if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 6:35 minutes. The next treasure I want to tell you about lived right in the midst of the bustle of Delhi, but beyond it all. One morning my friend Shyam Lal Sharma said he wanted me to meet a special person, a woman named Jugavati who was the sister of a famous Vaishnava guru of Brindaban. So off we went. Sharmaji was a man of very modest means, with whose family I always stayed when in Delhi, always sleeping in the living room. So I was surprised when we arrived at a three-story mansion in a new and prosperous neighborhood. The surprises were not ended. As we went up the two flights of stairs to the third floor, Sharmaji explained to me that Jugavati had been a very wealthy woman, but several years before had given everything she had to her daughter with the understanding that a house was to be built with a temple of Radha-Krishna on the top floor and that full temple worship should be offered there daily by a priest. All she asked for was a place to live in the temple room itself so she could see Sri Radha and Krishna all the rest of her life. The temple room was nothing less than opulent, though it very good and expensive taste. We saluted the deities who were being attended by the priest, and then turned to the left side of the room where Jugavati was sitting on a folding canvas cot of the type that soldiers and campers had been using for a century or more. A few things were under the cot–all that Jugavati possessed. I wish I could have photographs of all the saints I tell about in these podcasts, but my attempts at description will have to suffice. So let me try to tell you about the appearance of Jugavati. She did not look at all like her famous brother (I had seen his photo), but did look very much like Sri Ramakrishna’s great disciple Swami Shivananda also known as Mahapurusha who was the third head of the Ramakrishna Mission. Her face was strikingly noble, and her skin was golden in color and literally glowed with subtle light. (I had only seen this twice before.) We sat and she began speaking to us about the supremacy of spiritual practice and aspiration. Reaching into a small bag she brought out a japa mala. It was her brother’s mala. He had given it to her just before he left the body and told her to use two malas for her sadhana, that she should hold onto one bead and with the other use a second mala to count off one hundred thousand repetitions of her mantra before moving on to the next bead in his mala. When she completed his mala she had done ten million eight hundred thousand repetitions of her mantra. Well, it had worked. She was living proof. Sitting there was a visit to God dwelling in an illumined heart. I went away breathing blessing. In just a few weeks she left her body, frequently speaking about me and wishing we could meet once more. Surely God will grant her wish in a much higher world than this. Also on this podcast is the story of the Vishnupur train platform Swami. Click here to listen to My Friend Jugavati, and the Vishnupur Train Platform Swami. The podcast length is 6:35 minutes. Listen to more podcasts on meditation, the Yoga Life, and great spiritual figures at our Podcast Page. The post My Friend Jugavati, and the Vishnupur Train Platform Swami | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Swami Rama of Hardwar (Ram Kunj) if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 11:06 minutes. Late one afternoon when I was staying for a while with Srimati Rani Bhan and her family in Delhi she told me that we (Rani, her son and I) would be going to see a Kashmiri saint in a nearby neighborhood. The length of the walk belied the description of “nearby” but I trusted Raniji’s respect for the saint who was simply named Swami Rama. He was not a Shankara swami but one who had taken what Ma Anandamayi in a conversation with me called “shukla sannyas,” white sannyas. In such a sannyas there are no formal rites of any kind. Rather, from deep within the impulse to declare oneself a sannyasi arises and the person does so spontaneously, adopting a name and henceforth leading the sadhu life. Some, such as Swami Paramananda the chief sannyasi of the Anandamayi Ashram, wore gerua clothing and others dressed in white. It all depended on their intuition. Rani had not told me which Swami Rama was. The swami was staying in a fairly large house, but it was filled with people. Because of the universal respect Rani had in Delhi both for her personal spiritual character and the fact that Prime Minister Nehru was her cousin, we were taken to the front row of the room where the swami would be when he appeared. It was a good bit of a wait, so I meditated until Rani touched my shoulder and said, “He is coming.” A fiery swami I stood up and turned around and knew that the radiant man in simple white with no trappings of religion whatsoever coming toward us was The One. He brought with him an atmosphere of inner spiritual fire. He smoldered. Looking at him I thought: “The Pope has to be dressed in great finery and carried into Saint Peter’s on a throne to let people know who he is, but this man needs none of that.” I was impressed and meant no disrespect to the Pope. But I was glad I was there instead of in Saint Peter’s. Swamiji spoke in Hindi, of which I knew little, but I can tell you from later conversations that he always spoke directly and simply yet profoundly. People came from all over India to spend time in spiritual study with him. The last time we met there were some pandits from Maharashtra staying with him in Hardwar for several weeks. Yet he adamantly refused to play the guru game. He gladly taught yoga of various sorts to aspirants, but would not pretend to empower them with some kind of initiation. Instead he assured them that by drawing on their own inner resources they could gain realization. There was personal motivation, too. “If I allow you to claim you are my disciples you will not do what I tell you, but you will tell people that I teach what I do not teach, and deny that I teach what I do teach. And you will try to control me at the same time.” Buddha said much the same. Swami Rama’s teacher Whether Swami Rama considered he had a guru, I do not know, but he definitely had a teacher. When he was only nine years old, playing in the streets of his village in Kashmir, an old yogi came walking through and said to him: “Boy! Come with me.” So he followed him out of the village. When they were out of anyone’s sight, the yogi taught him the japa and meditation of a mantra, telling him to say the mantra always. Then the sadhu walked on and disappeared. That was it. He had not even told the boy his name. Many years later in the Himalayas Swamiji was in great danger. The yogi suddenly appeared, saved his life and disappeared. These two times were his only contact with him. But I can tell you that the sadhana given him by the yogi certainly worked. Swami Rama was one of the greatest yogis I have met. When he quietly intoned Om everyone’s hair would stand on end. No one could be more unassuming in outer behavior and demeanor, yet he was impressive beyond description and his wisdom was profound. There must have been an intuitive element to his conversations. Because of his very thick Kashmiri accent I was always about three sentences behind when he spoke to me, but I never lost a word. I visit Swami Rama in Hardwar My last visit with him took place in Hardwar at his very simple and tranquil ashram by the Ganges. I had been with Anandamayi Ma at Bhagat House most of the morning, and when she went to her room for a few hours I walked over to Swamiji’s ashram, having just learned earlier that day that he was in Hardwar. With me was a young Austrian man who had arrived just that morning to meet with Mataji. He figured that his parents would never agree to his coming to India, so when they left for a vacation in Spain he looted his bank account and sped to India. Arriving in Delhi, he went to the Swiss embassy (there was no Austrian embassy there) and asked them: “Where can I meet someone who is like those written about in the ancient books of Indian spirituality?” Rather a tall order, but it so happened that the entire embassy staff was devoted to Ma Anandamayi, and they told him she was now in Hardwar. So there he was, too. So also was the telegram from his parents telling him to return immediately. (Wisely, he did not. And later visited India again and kept in touch with Brahmacharini Atmananda, also an Austrian. I always asked for news about him when I saw her, and it was always good, I am glad to say.) Walking into Swami Rama’s ashram was a beautiful revelation. Most of the buildings were thatch huts and those that were not were simple and plain. Not the lair of a glitter guru, but the abode of a genuine yogi. And there sat the yogi on the ground in his usual white attire, reading. It was a happy meeting indeed. Swamiji was a jewel, perfected by the Master Jeweler, and just to sit near him was refreshing and joy. He and I caught up on what each had been doing since our last visit. What is Kundalini, Swamiji? Swami Rama was very pleased to meet with Thomas, who right away asked about Kundalini. He was fortunate (as was I), since Swamiji understood the subject as few did. His main teacher had been his own yoga practice, but he had spent some years with the great Kashmiri yogi Swami Lakshmanjoo, who I am sure perfected his understanding of Kundalini. “First,” said Swami Rama, “kundalini is not shakti. Nor is it prakriti or even mulaprakriti. It is beyond power; it is consciousness–primal consciousness: mulachaitanya. This has to be understood. Anything other than this is not kundalini, but an illusion. You cannot ‘awaken’ kundalini; it awakens you! The ‘rise of kundalini’ is the rise of consciousness from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to the Light, from death to Immortality. Kundalini bestows of Self-realization, which has nothing to do with energy but everything to do with consciousness, the consciousness of Brahman that is our inmost Self. Kundalini is Self-realization.” As usual, Swamiji had said volumes in a few sentences. (I learned early on in my time in India that simplicity is a hallmark of the wise, the Brahmajnanis. Complexity is a trait of samsara. The true nature of Om Next was my turn and I asked about Om. “Om is not a mantra,” announced Swami Rama. “It is Brahman. Realizing that is moksha. It is slightly a vibration, but almost totally is Divine Consciousness: Brahmachaitanya. We can even say that it is moksha, the embodiment of moksha. We must become Om. Then we will be God.” Now I knew. Like good friends we talked about a lot of things, some trivial, some sublime, but always in contentment with one another’s company. With Swami Rama you never felt any distance or difference because he was one with everything, and that included you. In this world good things always come to an end, and so did this, my last meeting with Swamiji. Thomas and I walked back into Hardwar very silent and very satisfied. Om Swami Rama. Click here to listen to Swami Rama of Hardwar (Ram Kunj) The podcast length is 11:06 minutes. Listen to more podcasts on meditation, the Yoga Life, and great spiritual figures at our Podcast Page. The post Swami Rama of Hardwar (Ram Kunj) | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Four First-Class Sadhus if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 16:00 minutes. Sadhu: a seeker for truth (sat); and a person who is practicing spiritual disciplines. Usually this term is applied to monastics. In this podcast, Abbot George relates his experiences with four monks he met in India that were definitely of the first class. These were: The Ganges island swami His friend in black The Swami who would not be a pet, and his guru who laughed. Below is a transcription of his encounter with the first sadhu: The Ganges Island Swami and His Sandy Mansion At the beginning of 1963, Sri Anandamayi Ma instructed me to find a kutir in either Hardwar or Rishikesh where I could do sadhana. Thanks to Brahmacharini Atmananda, who was known to many pilgrims to India as translator, counselor, friend and smoother of the way, I was put in touch with an ideal devotee, Rai Bahadur Narayan Das who was the chief director and patron of the Sapta Rishi Ashram which I have already mentioned. The ashram was not a single large building as is usual, but rather was a kind of small sadhu village consisting of kutirs in which single sadhus would remain for a while and do tapasya. One I met lived there for many years. Sapta Rishi ashram was a perfect place for meditation and study–at first. But then pilgrim season began when hundreds of thousands would traverse the Himalayas to visit the great pilgrimage centers of Gangotri and Badrinath. Then all day long people streamed into the ashram and knocked on the doors of all the kutirs in hope of meeting a mahatma, a great soul. To compound the problem, the doctor who ran a free medical dispensary at the ashram began bringing crowds of people to look at the American yogi, a rarity indeed. I had someone make me a sign in Hindi asking that I not be disturbed, but that just meant that it was discussed for a while and then the banging began on the door beneath the sign. “All I want is darshan” (in Hindi, of course) was the common preamble for the racket. Seeking solitude The only solution was the very unsatisfactory one of spending the whole day on an island in the Ganges where two or three sadhus were living and completely left alone at all times. I have no idea why. Anyway I went there every day and starved until it was safe to go back to my kutir and cook something (usually Anandamayi Kitchuri, a recipe formulated by Anandamayi Ma for sadhus living under her supervision and taught to me by Atmanandaji). This went on much too long, but did have one good result. Each day when I was sneaking back to the ashram, I would meet two sadhus coming to the island for the night. Both were perfect examples of the sadhus I have already described: first class. They would pranam and smile, but never speak. Joyful freedom One day when I came over to the island I saw one of the sadhus sitting on a tiny bit of sand not even ten feet long and five feet wide. The only thing there but the sadhu was a very big rounded rock. As I was passing by, the sadhu motioned for me to halt. Then he indicated to me that this was where he lived. First he pushed the rock out a way into the river and made the motions of washing his clothes on the rock. That was his laundry room. Then he pushed the rock back onto the sand over a bit and made the motions of making a fire. That was his kitchen. Then he moved it to another spot and sat down on the rock in great dignity. That was his living room. Then he moved it to the far end, laid down and put his head on it. That was his bedroom and his pillow. In this way he showed me that he had a complete house right there and everything he needed. And throughout the entire pantomime he was smiling and radiating the joy of freedom from possessions. He was living in the luxury India provided for him so easily. Then he made signs that I knew were his question: Did I understand? I did. And I never forgot the lesson. Listen to this podcast (Four First-Class Sadhus—podcast length is 16:00 minutes) to hear this and about: My friend in black The Swami who would not be a pet, and his guru who laughed. Listen to more podcasts on meditation, the Yoga Life, and great spiritual figures at our Podcast Page. The post Four First-Class Sadhus | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to The Healer, the Raja, Neem Karoli Baba, and the Unnamed Master if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 19:37 minutes. It might seem strange that I am writing about Neem Karoli Baba because I have no stories about him. But I did see him, and since it was one of the most memorable events of my life, I want to add my voice to those who speak of his greatness. (If you do not know about his life, please read some of the books about him. They are a great inspiration.) I was in Brindaban with some of the members of our ashram for the Samyam Sapta with Anandamayi Ma. After a few days quite a number of Americans and Europeans began showing up for Ma’s darshan, which was a sign that Neem Karoli Baba must be in town. We knew where his ashram was, so one morning we went to see him. And that was all we did: see. Spies, spies, spies I have no idea why, but for decades the police in that area had been paranoid about American and European tourists and really made a nuisance of themselves. A few months before my first trip to India one of my close friends went to travel with Ma Anandamayi, and every single day she was in Brindaban officious fools came and pestered her, acting as though she was a spy or mad bomber. Over the years I heard about these antics, though I never experienced any myself. But they apparently had decided after so many years that Anandamayi Ma’s devotees were not spies and had shifted their suspicion to the devotees of Neem Karoli Baba. As a consequence when we got to the ashram we found the gate was locked. A man who saw us came and explained that the police had been especially troublesome to all foreigners, so Neem Karoli Baba had asked them to all leave the district and wait until he went to one of his ashrams in a more sensible area. Camera darshan However, there sitting at some distance was Neem Karoli Baba all alone. So though outside the wall we went opposite to where he was sitting and bowed to him, then got out our movie camera with a telephoto lens and took turns looking at him through it. For the one with the camera it was like standing hardly a foot away from him. But the real benefit was how we felt all the time. Every one of us was filled with intense joy. It is no exaggeration that we were drunk with the bliss (ananda) that poured from him. We stood there a long time not wanting to leave the source of such a heavenly condition. Eventually we had to go, but the memory was permanently etched in our minds. Later it occurred to us that since no one was around he was sitting there just for us to have his darshan, even if from a distance and through a lens. Listen to this podcast (The Healer, the Raja, Neem Karoli Baba, and the Unnamed Master [19:37 minutes]) to hear this and about: how I was healed without asking by Swami Krishnananda, a disciple of Holy Mother Sarada Devi, my acquaintance with HRH Durga Singh, the Raja of Solan (Yogi Bhai), the saintly devotee of Anandamayi Ma the Unnamed Master, the yoga adept who hid his abilities behind the mask of ordinariness. Listen to more podcasts on meditation, the Yoga Life, and great spiritual figures at our Podcast Page. The post The Healer, the Raja, Neem Karoli Baba, and the Unnamed Master | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Three Remarkable Indian Saints if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 27:15 minutes. Swami Sivananda-Hridayananda The next heart-treasure I want to tell you about is Swami Sivananda-Hridayananda of Sivananda Ashram. Her name means Bliss of Sivananda’s Heart, and it was very appropriate. In the ashram she was simply known as Doctor Mother because she was an eye surgeon and presided over the free eye hospital Swami Sivananda had established in the ashram. Doctor Mother had been born in Madras State (Tamilnadu) as had Swami Sivananda. She told me that when she first learned to speak her grandmother taught her that the moment she awakened in the morning she should say: “O Lord, I am thy dear one; be with me this day.” And so she always did. She was born loving temples and worship of God. Being outstandingly intelligent and having a heart embracing others, she became a very successful eye surgeon in a clinic of her own. She was married to an equally dedicated and spiritually devoted man and had two daughters. Listen to the rest of the podcast to hear about: How she discovered Swami Sivananda through his books, began corresponding with him, and eventually met him at Sivanandashram, in time  becoming Swami Sivananda-Hridayananda. How she inspired others by her regal yet inward appearance and her devotion to Swami Sivananda. How we became acquainted, and how she eventually visited our ashram in America. The King’s Daughter in Bengal The next holy one was absolutely unique in my experience, both awesome and wonderful. I have no idea what her name was, and you will see why. I was staying out on the plains of Bengal in the ashram of Swami Vidyananda Giri which bordered a classical Bengali village such as has been in India for thousands of years. Every building was made of mud-plastered mud brick, a virtually indestructible substance, and beautifully thatched. “Time” had not touched it. There was no electricity and no running water. Was I ever glad. The fake advantages of the West are far more hindrance than help. I was leaving in hope of finding Anandamayi Ma whom I had not yet met. (Mataji frequently disappeared with only one or two companions and would only be found when she wanted.) So I made my farewell to Swamiji and went out to the dirt road that ran in front of the ashram. Right at the road there was a three-sided wood structure about five feet high so anyone had to bend down to get inside. Inside I saw a man in a corner cooking something and there were three or four benches. It was a roadside restaurant! A “mad” woman? I was amazed. I sat down on the bench facing the road, and immediately from behind me a very hoarse and strange voice began speaking. Two of the students from the high school established by Vidyanandaji began laughing and told me: “She is asking you about the road farther on. We told her you had never been there, but she is crazy.” There were two or three other men in the lean-to and they all began teasing her, all the while laughing. She raised her voice and then every one of them began laughing uncontrollably. “She is telling us to leave her alone. ‘I am the king’s daughter,’ she says, ‘and you will be sorry you are treating me this way.’ Hearing those words I was actually afraid. Somehow I knew that this woman was identified with Parvati, the wife of Shiva, daughter of King Himalaya. This is not uncommon in some forms of devotional sadhana in India. I could feel the woman’s power and understood that I was in the presence of a true yogi–even though I had not yet looked at her. The jibing of the men increased and suddenly she pushed past me and went out into the road where there were many large rocks awaiting use in repair of the road. Squatting down she grabbed two handfuls of the rocks, threatening to throw them. But I could tell that she never would. Peace enveloped her like a cloak. They stopped laughing. She looked around and mumbled something. Then she looked at me and spoke. Mentally I replied: “I am sorry, Mother, but I do not know Bengali, only English.” “Oh,” she said quietly. Then looking at me steadily she began silently questioning me about myself, and I could understand her meaning. So I answered mentally as she looked at me intently. She seemed satisfied, but I realized that I should not let this chance escape me. “May I ask you about sadhana?” I inquired mentally. She nodded. And I began asking her advice about my spiritual practice. She told me many things. When I had no more questions she looked at me quizzically, then stood up and walked on down the road with great dignity. Just then the bus came so I got on and spent the four-hour ride into Purulia (which was only fourteen miles away) thinking of her and wondering whom I had really met. Swami Vidyananda (Bidyananda) Giri I had been told about Swami Vidyananda who for many years was the director of the Yogoda Satsanga school which Yogananda had founded before coming to America. Two of the residents of the school had urged me to meet with him. When I asked Kalachan-da, the head of the Ranchi Anandamayi Ashram where I was staying, he also recommended that I visit Swamiji at his ashram on the plains of Bengal eastward. “When you see him you will see a perfect sadhu. I cannot say that about anyone else; but he is truly an ideal sadhu.” The very next morning I went just after dawn to the lane where the bus to the village of Lakhanpur in the Purulia district where he lived would leave. Since I love India I have enjoyed every moment riding through the countryside. Everything I see enters my heart. As a consequence the ride to Purulia was literally wonderful–truly full of wonder. In Purulia I got on a rickety bus that was truly headed for the Last Roundup. And soon. But four hours later it dropped me in front of the ashram gate where two boys of the huge school run by Swami Vidyananda were waiting for me. Swamiji administered several schools. In Lakhanpur he had a school for five hundred boys and a school for three hundred girls, and planned within a year to start a college for women. My newly-met friends took me in through the gate. Far ahead I saw light from a modest building which was the guru mandir-satsang hall. As I came up the steps I was met by a man with the most radiant eyes I have ever seen. When he took hold of my hands I felt as though I was being touched by spirit, not flesh. He greeted me lovingly and quietly. And from then on I, too, knew a perfect sadhu. Swami Vidyanandaji lived in a small room off the temple which was furnished with one wood platform bed, a small wood table/desk and two simple wood chairs. He had two changes of clothes and a chaddar. That was all. Vidyanandaji actually lived between three rooms: his personal room, the guru mandir dedicated to Paramhansa Yogananda and a small Shiva temple. About ten o’clock at night Swamiji would come out of his room and go to the Shiva temple, shut the door and remain there in meditation until after dawn. Swami Vidyananda had been given sannyas by Jagadguru Bharati Krishna Tirtha, Shankaracharya of the Govardhan Math in Puri, one of the four great monasteries founded by Shankara himself. It is the rule that a Shankaracharya gives sannyas only in his math, but the Shankaracharya had such regard and affection for Vidyananda that he came to the Puri ashram of Sri Yuketswar and in the samadhi temple conferred sannyas on Swamiji. He also broke another rule for Swamiji. A Shiva linga cannot be consecrated until it has been permanently affixed on a foundation. But the Shankaracharya consecrated a Shiva linga of sparkling white stone and gave it to Swamiji to permanently install back in the Lakhanpur ashram. From then on he spent every night meditating before that linga. Listen to the full podcast to hear how: Swami Vidyananda ran his school on a dollar a day. He was initiated by Paramhansa Yogananda in a ruined shack in 1935. Vidyananda would spend his meditation in samadhi. Vidyanandaji continually read my mind. He saw a disciple’s delayed arrival in his mental vision. He gave me sannyasa (monastic initiation). Click here to listen to Three Remarkable Indian Saints. The podcast length is 27:15 minutes. Listen to more podcasts on our Podcast Page. The post Three Remarkable Indian Saints | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Memories of Sri Maitri Devi if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 15:03 minutes. My first trip to India I was always in walking distance of at least one saint. And sometimes I was living with them. Late one morning Rani Bhan said to me: “I am taking […] The post Memories of Sri Maitri Devi | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to The Monk That Challenged Lenin: Yogeshwar Brahmachari if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 15:48 minutes. I first saw Sri Yogeshwar Brahmachari at the birthday celebration of Anandamayi Ma in 1971. He was sitting on the speakers’ platform along with Ma and many spiritual figures of […] The post The Monk That Challenged Lenin: Yogeshwar Brahmachari | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Raihana Tyabji, the Moslem Saint Who Worshiped Krishna if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 25:48 minutes. One afternoon in India in a conversation my friend Rani Bhan told me about Raihana Tyabji, a Moslem saint, an associate of Gandhi, who lived in Delhi. She told me […] The post Raihana Tyabji, the Moslem Saint Who Worshiped Krishna | Podcast appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.

Click here to listen to Memories of Didima (Swami Muktananda Giri), Mother of Anandamayi Ma if you do not see the player above. The podcast length is 16:55 minutes. Swami Muktananda Giri, the mother of Anandamayi Ma In America before I first went to India in 1962 I had felt strongly that either Anandamayi Ma or Swami […] The post Podcast: Didima (Swami Muktananda Giri), Mother of Anandamayi Ma appeared first on Original Christianity and Original Yoga.