"Satsang with the Abbot is a must-read for the seeker of truth. Brilliantly presented."~ Sandra Carrington-Smith, award-winning author of Housekeeping for the Soul: A Practical Guide to Restoring Your Inner Sanctuary.
"The scriptures contain a mixture of sand and sugar, as it were. It is extremely difficult to separate the sugar from the sand. Therefore one should learn of the essence of the scriptures from the teacher or from a sadhu." -Sri Ramakrishna
Abbot George Burke has spent a lifetime helping spiritual aspirants separate the sand from the sugar. Grounded in the perspective of classic Indian thought, directly taught by such luminaries as Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Sri Anandamayi Ma, and blessed with the clarity and originality of thought that can only come from years of spiritual practice (sadhana), his answers to his inquirers' questions are unique, fresh, and authoritative.
The questions in this book range from the most sublime to the most practical. "How can I attain samadhi?" "I am married with children. How can I lead a spiritual life?" "What is Self-realization?"
Among these 350+ questions and answers, you will find these topics:
- karma, reincarnation, and spiritual evolution,
- avatars, angels, devas, spirits, ghosts and demons,
- death and the after-life, astral travel, astrology,
- esoteric view of Jesus and Christianity, the "Lost Years," and modern yogis who saw Jesus,
- effective meditation methods, how to deal with the mind, vegetarianism, and practical spirituality,
- stories of Babaji, Yogananda and his disciples, Anandamayi Ma, Sri Ramakrishna and his disciples, and modern saints of India,
- the spiritual principles (dharma) that unite the inner traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and the world's religions.
In Abbot George's replies to these questions the reader will discover common sense, helpful information, and a guiding light for their journey through and beyond the forest of cliches, contradictions, and confusion of yoga, Hinduism, Christianity, and metaphysical thought.
(One of the most valuable spiritual activities in East or West is satsang: a gathering of spiritual aspirants for spiritual study, discussion and inspiration. A satsang is especially beneficial when there is someone with many years of practice and experience who answers the questions asked by the aspirants.)
Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) is the founder and director of Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram) in Cedar Crest, New Mexico. In his many pilgrimages to India he had the opportunity to meet some of India's greatest saints and yogis, and in the United States he also encountered various Christian saints. He is the author of numerous books on practical spiritual life.
This is the most insightful and interesting book I have read for a long time, maybe ever! It is written as a compilation of questions the author has received and the answers he has given.
Abbot George Burke is clear and as specific as one can be on such matters, and all I know is that I just want and need to study this one book and follow the recommendations he gives. Two of his book recommendations which I have previously read when I discovered them many years ago, are The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda and The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi, and both of these are extremely inspiring. And this encapsulates this author's teachings, showing that the underlying truth of Christianity is identical with that of ancient Hinduism. So whether you come from a Christian background or a non-Christian one, the truth of his explanations is clear to understand.
I experienced gasps of understanding right through the book, and can't wait to read it again at a more contemplative speed. If you've found this book, this book is for you - don't hesitate.
This hefty book is as hard to describe as it is easy to read. Certainly it is a compendium of questions and answers about living the life of dharma, or righteousness; it is also a guide to vast amounts of spiritual literature and study. The questions range from simple (Does hell exist?) to more complex , and the answers range from a simple yes or no to an explanation of Hitler’s spiritual status, to interpretation of the words of Jesus, to Sanskrit terms, to “astral wandering” and thousands more concepts. Fortunately there is a glossary at the end of the book. Since there are so many kinds of questions asked and answered in this text, I would have liked to see an index at the beginning so I could reference the material again as I learn more.
The author, a Christian yogi, is a serious scholar who has studied deeply all the literature he references, as well as having visited the sacred places he describes, however he is not without a sense of humor. For instance in response to one question about leaving the body to reach enlightenment, he says. “I call this the Up and Out school of meditation.” In other words, that won’t work. He also makes statements like, “Contemporary Christianity often has nothing to do with Jesus except the spurious use of his name.” There is much food for thought.
The book covers myriad aspects of spiritual practice from simple meditation practice to reincarnation and the life of Jesus in India. Always, the seeker is encouraged to study and to think for himself. The scope of the material is vast, but the questions and answers flow easily and separate sections can easily be skipped for later study. Meditation and trust in the divine self are emphasized as the answer to all that we seek, and the book ends with a "letter to a spiritual co-dependent," a final eye-opener. Since the writing style is smooth as glass, just reading the text puts the reader in the frame of mind to begin and then begin again.
This is yet another very insightful, thought-provoking and well-founded book by Abbot George, which covers an extremely wide range of topics -- as would have to be expected in that the book is structured in a question-and-answer format in response to the very many different questions Abbot George has been asked over many years.
While some answers do not so much presume knowledge of, but recommend consultation of classical religious works for fuller responses, there is an awful lot of material covered and information given by Abbot George, and that in about as clear and concise a way as is probably possible.
His works have always been excellent and approach many questions from various aspects than might be expected, so are always worthy of consideration and should not be taken lightly -- Abbot George writes from long personal experience as much as from his in-depth practice and study. I guess I'm going to be the average buster here by giving four, rather than five stars -- this not for content, but for my lingering wish, with content this diverse, that some format more specifically grouped by subject matter could have been devised, or at least an index of subjects included. Regardless, though, a work worthy of reflective study!
