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Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)
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Dwelling In The Mirror: A Study of Illusions Produced By Delusive Meditation And How to Be Free from Them Kindle Edition

by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 32 ratings
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“The old adage is still true: All that glitters is not gold.”

“Over and over people have mistaken trivial and pathological conditions for enlightenment, written books, given seminars and gained a devoted following. I have encountered quite a few myself, including people who believed they were the Divine Mother, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, Saint Francis of Assisi, Archangel Michael, Lucifer and assorted famous masters of the past. One called our monastery and left lengthy narratives on our answering machine about herself because, she said, she did not want to die without anyone knowing about her experiences and attainment. Another one wrote me a note that simply said: ‘I am the Goddess!’”

“I have known more than one person who believed all their dreams were revelations of truth. And I have known some that continually predicted their imminent death for decades. Others told me how enlightened they were, including the one that had whiplash from ‘crashing into the divine light.’ What did they all have in common? They had an experience! Not of one of them was an intentional fraud. They believed their delusions based on their experience.”

“Most of these unfortunate people were completely unreachable with reason. Yet there are those who can have an experience and realize that it really cannot be real, but a vagary of their mind. Some may not understand that on their own, but can be shown by others the truth about it. For them and those that may one day be in danger of meditation-produced delusions I have written this brief study.”

The above is from the author in the book's preface.

In Dwelling in the Mirror you will learn:

• Different types of meditation and the experiences they produce, and the problems and delusions which can arise from them.
• How to get rid of negative initiation energies and mantras.
• What are authentic, positive meditation practices and their effects and aspects.
• An ancient, universal method of meditation which is both proven and effective.

“I am very grateful for this book, and for the clean, honest wisdom it dispenses, and I would eagerly suggest it to anyone who’s on a path of spiritual discovery. It was certainly not what I expected when I started reading, but by the time I reached the last page, I knew it was exactly what I needed to hear.”
– Sandra Carrington-Smith, author of Housekeeping for the Soul
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From the Publisher

Abbot George Burke

In his many pilgrimages to India, Abbot George had the opportunity of meeting some of India’s greatest spiritual figures, including Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Anandamayi Ma.

Christ of India cover
Praise from Readers

Abbot George’s writing is "as informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring"

–James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

"[His] writing is well crafted and stocked with anecdotes, humor, literary references, and beautiful quotes... I found it entertaining as well as illuminating."

–Reverend Gerry Nangle, President, Johrei Fellowship

"Highly recommended for earnest spiritual aspirant, especially those who might need a prod to keep them moving."

–Anna Hourihan, Vedantic Shores Press.

  • The Unknown Lives of Jesus and Mary
  • Living the Yoga Life: Perspectives on Yoga
  • May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation?
  • Satsang With the Abbot
  • Spiritual Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Abbot George Burke

(Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Abbot George is the founder and director of the Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram) in Cedar Crest, NM, USA.

He has been studying, teaching and writing on practical spiritual life for over 60 years.

He has written over 20 books on Meditation, Original Christianity, and Original Yoga, as well as the Dharma for Awakening Collection: commentaries on major scriptures of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism and more,

Below are some of his best sellers:

  • Soham Yoga: Its Theory and Practice
  • The Christ of India
  • The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening
  • The Dhammapada for Awakening
  • The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I totally loved this book! After running across many spiritual and self-help books filled with unrealistic promises, this little jewel had the impact of a triple Espresso."
- Sandra Carrington-Smith, author of Housekeeping for the Soul

"This is a much needed book. Considering the colossal and burgeoning size of the self-development industry, many of whose adherents advocate a fallacious understanding of laws of manifestation, as they promise anything up to high heaven and beyond, within hours, it is heartening to read a book that focuses on the core values of spirituality and self-mastery as espoused by the Ascended Masters, including Jesus."
-Bani Sodermark

"This book provides an invaluable source of information regarding the Ego and how it can manifest & manipulate meditators and spiritual seekers on their path. It contains lots of examples and valid points, that give the reader food for thought when scrutinizing their own meditation practice. One can never be too complacent.

"The author has tried to cover as much as possible of what is a large subject to begin with and it works. I would of liked to have read more examples of delusions of enlightenment & genuine spiritual experiences for comparison , but I was not disappointed with this book and will read it again."
-Kalli Ku

"A very important "caveat emptor" and guide for all spiritual aspirants seeking a serious path that will take them to the Goal with as few detours as possible."
-MuKen

About the Author

Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri) is the founder and director of the Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram) in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, USA. 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 made a member of the ancient Swami Order by Swami Vidyananda Giri, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, who had himself been given sannyas by the Shankaracharya of Puri, Jagadguru Bharati 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. He was ordained in the Liberal Catholic Church (International) to the priesthood on January 25, 1974, and consecrated a bishop on August 23, 1975. For many years Abbot George has researched the identity of Jesus Christ and his teachings with India and Sanatana Dharma, including Yoga. It is his conclusion that Jesus lived in India for most of his life, and was a yogi and Sanatana Dharma missionary to the West. After his resurrection he returned to India and lived the rest of his life in the Himalayas. He has written extensively on these and other topics, many of which are posted at OCOY.org.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B073V3QSYX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Light of the Spirit Press (July 9, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 9, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3890 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 133 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0998599824
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

About the author

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Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

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Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) is the founder and director of the Atma Jyoti Ashram (Light of the Spirit Monastery) in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, USA.

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 made a member of the ancient Swami Order by Swami Vidyananda Giri, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, who had himself been given sannyas by the Shankaracharya of Puri, Jagadguru Bharati 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.

For many years Swami Nirmalananda has researched the identity of Jesus Christ and his teachings with India and Sanatana Dharma, including Yoga. It is his conclusion that Jesus lived in India for most of his life, and was a yogi and Sanatana Dharma missionary to the West. After his resurrection he returned to India and lived the rest of his life in the Himalayas.

He is the author of a number of books on meditation and practical spiritual life, including Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening, The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening, May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation?, and The Christ of India: The Story of Original Christianity.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
32 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sandra Carrington-smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal clear teachings that will help you on any path
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
There were times, when I wrote my first novel and I tried to get it published, that I would get utterly frustrated by the lack of response from agents and publishers. I almost gave up trying when, one day, a letter from an agent came in the mail. I opened the envelope with shaky fingers, and I literally held my breath. As I pulled the letter out of the envelope, I was feeling exhilarated, and I mentally prepared to read amazing words of praise about the sample I sent a month or so before. Instead, to my despair, the letter informed me that the agent had indeed received the pages and felt the story had potential, but the query letter – and the rest of the submission package I sent – were so horrible and unprofessional, that she felt it was her duty to let me know that no agent or publisher would ever consider such a submission. My initial reaction was one of anger. Who was this woman who dared to be so rude after I poured my heart and soul not only into writing the book, but also in researching suitable agents and publishers? I threw the letter into the drawer of my desk, and I spent the next two weeks shifting back and forth between anger and sadness. I was in no way ready to assume responsibility for my downfall. After a while, I looked at the letter again. I swallowed my pride and spent an entire week researching how to write a proper query letter and how to format a manuscript the right way. I sent off a sample to another agent, and, to my surprise, I got a response within 24 hours. That agent agreed to represent my novel, which was later published and followed by other books. I felt like I should share this story because it explains how I was going about the journey of being published the wrong way. Reading Dwelling in the Mirror reminded me of that experience so many years ago, and every word, every sentence, made a lot of sense. It was almost like being transported back to childhood, when my mother would listen patiently to my flights of fantasy, and then she would, ever so nicely and yet firmly, tell me to get real. Like many of the people who are interested in the subject of spirituality, I too, have spent the last few decades trying to understand how I fit into the bigger picture. I have walked many paths in the hope of identifying the right door, and I have walked away from them with a little knowledge of their traditions but little enlightenment. The truth is that, after thirty years of seeking, I still have a lifetime of learning ahead, and maybe, a few lifetimes more after this one, because the concept of God is just too vast to be put into a box – into any box. I am very grateful for this book, and for the clean, honest wisdom it dispenses, and I would eagerly suggest it to anyone who’s on a path of spiritual discovery. It was certainly not what I expected when I started reading, but by the time I reached the last page, I knew it was exactly what I needed to hear.
15 people found this helpful
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Bani Sodermark
4.0 out of 5 stars On Combating Delusion
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a difficult book to read if you are in any way into New Age thought. There are not many books which provide such a balanced, no-nonsense perspective on this subject.

For this is a much needed book. Considering the colossal and burgeoning size of the self-development industry, many of whose adherents advocate a fallacious understanding of laws of manifestation, as they promise anything up to high heaven and beyond, within hours, it is heartening to read a book that focuses on the core values of spirituality and self-mastery as espoused by the Ascended Masters, including Jesus.

In this book, the author attempts to document the kind of delusions that are evoked by the condition called “A little learning” as spelt out in the poem by Alexander Pope:
“A little learning is a dangerous thing
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring :
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.”

The text in the book is arranged as follows:
The author starts by describing the condition of a few initiates, who, after having done a little meditation, knowingly or unknowingly, become victims of delusion, concerning their personal role in the grand scheme of things. This is a very common hurdle for many initiates to encounter on the path to self-realization, however serious they may be about their quest. The delusions could stem from several factors, e.g. dreams, biomagnetic sensations that could cause the initiate to see angels and light, meditations that yield chills and thrills at the start but which cause ultimate harm to our subtle bodies in the long term. Sometimes the initiate could be doing the wrong breathing exercises, or doing the right exercises in the wrong way, this could affect her/his pranic energies and manifest in nervous disorders, which the initiate would probably attribute to “burning karma”. Other pitfalls on the road to self-discovery that are mentioned in this book, are kundalini yoga and the use of beej mantras, both of which, if practised correctly, can yield good results. However, used in the wrong way, the health of the practitioner can be affected very negatively. In this section, the author also deals with the subject of the ego and how pandering to its vagaries can wash away the merits of years of meditative practice. False gurus are also a major factor that can affect the health of an initiate.

In the second section, the author lists several symptoms of self-delusion that could affect a spiritual aspirant. Some of these are physical degeneration, addiction to drugs, extreme disinclination to rational and open self-investigation, intellectualization of his/her experiences in the light of being nothingness and so on.

In the third section, the author presents a technique for a spiritual practitioner to heal himself/herself of multitudinous health problems that have arisen as a result of wrong meditative practices. Subsequently, the author goes on to describe how a genuine seeker would talk of his spiritual attainments, closing the chapter with the example of St. Ambrose of Optina, Russia and a description of one of his transcendental experiences,

In the last chapter, the author suggests a meditative path called Om-yoga meditation.This is a simple,yet powerful meditative path with the additive advantage that one cannot easily go astray, as happens very often in the case of inappropriate Beej mantra meditations.

Like his other books, this book is very well written. A lesser person could have gone off on a tangent while dwelling on the negative consequences of much of the New Age buzzwords of consciousness. The author has been restrained with his criticism in this regard, without compromising on the facts, many of which he has experienced first hand, a difficult balancing act indeed. His facts are also bolstered by stories of encounters with genuine spiritual savants whose authenticity and authority stand unquestioned. This book could be invaluable to a genuine spiritual seeker as it informs her/him of many of the pitfalls created by the ego that lie in wait.

Warmly recommended to all genuine spiritual seekers.
23 people found this helpful
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gnnmi
5.0 out of 5 stars Heads Up Right from the start, this little book ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
Heads Up

Right from the start, this little book gets right in your yogi face. The author details a “difficult and ugly exposition” of the dangers of misguided forms of meditation and their various temptations and distractions. He describes them all, from “chills and thrills” meditation to “buzz-bombing” and the ever-popular euphoria-seeking, all of which feed the practitioner's ego and often someone else’s pocket, and none of which turn us to God. Any well-intentioned yogi might be surprised to glimpse his reflection in this spiritual funhouse mirror.

Take heart, because Abbott George also explains in detail how to disengage from negative influences, reverse the effects of improper training and break free from negative mantras. This in turn can lead to what he terms spiritual sobriety, a state of clarity that balances satiety and seeking, leading to natural, steady spiritual growth. Then, simply and directly, he outlines the steps of Om Yoga Meditation, “the most ancient and universal method of meditation.” Your money stays in your pocket, you answer to no guru, and you just may see your God-self in the mirror instead of your ego-self.

Wow.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Heiko Peter
2.0 out of 5 stars A summary of not really anything.
Reviewed in Germany on October 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
After I've finished the book I couldn't tell a friend what it really is about.
In more or less countless repetitions it describes phenomenons which might appear on the spiritual path, giving negative credits to various techniques may be due to own unsuccessful experiences. The author does not distinguish those effects, but gives them a bad connotation talking about them on a very surface level.

The book finally is nothing else than a promotion of one specific technique as the guaranteed way for success without any challenging side effects and by that way, the author does exactly the same he's criticizing what others are doing.
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