DONATE
yes, I want to donate
“We come together in support of each other’s own awakening and deepening just as we are, naturally.”
Community gathered at a recent retreat.

Sharing Our Life-Changing Moments

The life-changing message Gangaji first began sharing in her own living room, now reaches around the world because a dedicated community of volunteers and donors work side-by-side with her. How do we know it is life-changing? Let us share with you some of those heartfelt moments of recognition and gratitude that came while attending a retreat, watching a video, reading a book, or receiving a newsletter in prison. It's the living proof of what a contribution to the Gangaji Foundation can mean.

Now is an especially great time to give to the Gangaji Foundation because your donation will be matched by the GF Donor Collaborative. They have come together to inspire us all in bringing a message of peace to the world. Today, they are inviting you to join them in sustaining the programs by offering to match your donation dollar-for-dollar!

“The course was a cracked door and an open window, a kind of a coming home.” —Dale
Cracked Open - 2024
picked by Dale West

My turning point came about two years ago with my search for that something that is “other than my own individual identity.” The course affirmed for me that I am now truly on a path to be in harmony with what happens naturally within myself.


Read Dale's Words
Dale West
“I am drinking fully of its beauty and truth.” —Dale

I am looking forward to more and am grateful for any continued guidance from additional courses as well as in person. My realization, through the course, is about how although it is only relatively recently that i have begun on this path that I am drinking fully of its beauty and truth. In gratitude


Back to Image
“Gangaji made stopping and letting go sound so easy and ordinary, not something that one has to spend lifetimes purifying oneself for.” —Dhruva
Love Penetrated My Heart - 1996
picked by Dhruva Baumbach

I had spent about 7 years in ashrams in India and New York. When I left , I wanted nothing more to do with gurus. When a friend told us Gangaji's last meeting in Marin would be the next day, I thanked them politely but wasn't interested. But for some reason the next morning I said to my wife, "Let's go and see Gangaji."


Read Dhruva's Words
Dhruva Baumbach
“I know now that it’s this love that draws us inward, not practices.  We are made of this naturally quiet love.” —Dhruva

I didn’t appear to have any strong feeling about Gangaji as she sat with us and answered questions. As an old meditator, a lot of what she said sounded very familiar, with one big exception.

All the meditators that I knew would jokingly speculate how many lifetimes it would take for our minds to get quiet.  The way Gangaji spoke about it, it sounded like anyone could do it right now.  I thought to myself, “Yeah right.” Needless to say, I was a little cynical.

When the meeting was over and we left the hall, I noticed that I was feeling different.  There was all this energy in my heart.  I kept rubbing it and saying that she touched me in some way.  It took a while to realize that her Love had penetrated my heart.


Back to Image
“Don't change a thing. Don't invent Monday.” —Gangaji
Falling off the Cliff - 2007
picked by Eddie Graham

This is my first exchange with Gangaji, where I declared that I had already fallen off the cliff. Earlier in this meeting Gangaji had been speaking of one of her favorite cartoons, Road Runner, who doesn't realize he has gone over the cliff until he is already in mid air!

In 2022 while on retreat I sent Gangaji a note thanking her for the unending wonder of that meeting...


Read Eddie's Letter
Eddie Graham
Watch the Video
“What if you didn't try to fix sadness?  What if you just felt it?” —Gangaji
What if I Don't Manage My Emotions - 2007
picked by Hillary Larson
I came across Gangaji on Public Access TV in 2007.  I didn't know who she was at the time.  There was a moment when she said to the woman sitting with her, "What if you didn't try to fix sadness?  What if you just felt it?"

Read Hillary's Words
Hillary Larson
“My life has never been the same.” —Hillary
In that moment, it felt like a veil collapsed.  I realized that fixing (managing) emotions had become like breathing to me (for as long as I could remember).  The idea that I could just feel something and actually face the fear of being devoured was an undeniable shift.  My life has never been the same.
Above: with Barb editing the 30th anniversary video in 2023

Back to Image

Facing the Man in the Mirror

“Gangaji's words resonate with me deeply and have helped to remind me who I really am underneath all of the layers of mud.” —Marc
Facing the Man in the Mirror - 2024
by Marc
Incarcerated in Michigan, Marc found Gangaji’s Freedom Inside courses on a special digital platform for inmates called Edovo. Now, he has embarked on a journey of self-discovery and awakening in the company of others, like you, who help make Gangaji's courses, videos, and audios available to those inside. “The patchwork that I believed to be “me” can no longer be held together as it once was.”
“Gangaji's words resonate with me deeply and have helped to remind me who I really am underneath all of the layers of mud.” —Marc

Support the Prison 
Community

The Gangaji Foundation staff, volunteers, and donors come together to make Gangaji’s Freedom Inside program available to incarcerated men and women across the US. Dozens of requests to enroll in the course, receive free books, or join the correspondence program are responded to every month without fail. Jenna is one of 3300+ inmates who accessed the course on a tablet, while another 700+ receive it by regular mail. What began in 1994 with a meeting in FCI Englewood, is now accessible to over 350,000 inmates. Such good news for all of us!

Your donation will ensure we can keep responding to every request as the program grows and thrives.

“I was trying to perfect everything—myself, my circumstances, my relationships. If it moved I was trying to get it right. When I heard Gangaji's words my concept of self blew up and my life became free of self-improvement as a way to be whole.” —Kat

Could This Be You?

As Gangaji so often says, we recognize ourselves in other people's quesitons and reports. 
“The truth of who you are cannot be thought.” —Gangaji
Finally, The Truth - 2022
picked by Patricia

The very first time I heard Gangaji's name was in 2022. I googled her and found a video on YouTube. In the second sentence she says: "The truth of who you are cannot be thought" and I am like YESSSSS, here it is, finally, the truth!


Read Patricia's Words
Patricia
“This was the first time I felt space, and I heard words describing what I have been feeling since a little kid.” —Patricia

Further in the video I am struck again when Gangaji talks about the "tricks of the mind." I had been asking myself constantly, "When will you produce the right thoughts?" and at this moment I was: ohhhhh, they are tricks!

Later on Gangaji says: "You are the awareness." Then I could let go for the first time of any definition or concept of me, the outer world, and the universe's history.


Back to Image
“The willingness to realize the truth of yourself, the willingness to be free, is the willingness to no longer be a victim - regardless of pain, circumstances, or the actions of others. —Gangaji
Self Love, Innocence and Causeless Joy - 2013
picked by Deborah Games

In the midst of my divorce, I read the sentences below from The Diamond in Your Pocket, page 224, and it stopped me.


Read Deborah's Words
Deborah Games
“To stop being a victim doesn't mean to trivialize the horror in your life, to deny it, gloss over it, or repress it.  It means that you can fully meet whatever appears.” —Gangaji

During my divorce, I opened to all the pain, shame, unworthiness, and despair I could find in 4 generations of divorces.

I discovered Self love, innocence and causeless joy.


Back to Image
“I don’t know what this is, but I am in the right place.” —Abby
I Am Home - 2013
picked by Abby Stason

Years ago, I stumbled upon a video of Gangaji speaking. Something stirred deeply within me, and I had to know who this was—whose voice resonated like it was singing the song of my soul. I paused the video, searched for her name, and without hesitation, signed up for her next event. It just so happened to be the Gangaji Foundation's 20th anniversary celebration. At that gathering, I had an overwhelming sense of, "I don’t know what this is, but I am in the right place." A deeper truth settled in later: "I am home."


Read Abby's Words
Abby Stason
“My life has been irreversibly changed—her presence and teachings are woven into the fabric of who I am.” —Abby

In that first encounter I realized I didn’t have to suffer, that I am not my thoughts, and that there is a serene, unshakeable way to exist in this beautifully complex world. I am endlessly grateful for the ongoing revelations that continue to surprise me, often when I least expect them. Whether I’m facing pain or joy, ease or struggle, Gangaji’s uncompromising invitation to be still serves as my guiding light.


Back to Image
“Last night I saw a teacher, Gangagee, who said, Be Natural.” —Lisa
Be Your Natural Self - 1995
picked by Lisa Schumacher

From Lisa's Journal, written the day after first seeing Gangaji at a video satsang gathering in May of 1995.


Read Lisa's Words
Lisa Schumacher
“A fire of Love was ignited and it burns to this day, nearly 30 years and half of my life later.” —Lisa

When Gangaji said “Be your Natural Self,” her transmission of impeccability and Love pierced my heart and I was overcome with an explosion of the bliss of Self-recognition. The Living Truth had been intimately spoken from inside of my heart to my heart. Truly, the moment of illumination is eternal. Beloved Gangaji takes everything false away until there is nothing left but Love Itself.


Back to Image

Downloadable Love

“The immense relief and Grace I experienced that morning continues to this day.” —Alicia
I Had to Pull Off the Road
by Alicia Ballantyne
About a week after attending a retreat with Gangaji last year, I was listening quite early in the morning to a podcast while driving about on an errand. When I stopped at a stoplight, the podcast finished and I became so flooded with tears that I had to pull off the road to recover the ability to drive.
12:55
Finding Home
October 24, 2018,
Episode 61

Six years ago, we started on a journey and we called it A Conversation with Gangaji. The original question was, what if you could sit across the coffee table from Gangaji and ask her anything you wanted? We covered everything from relationships to money to death to sex to suffering to enlightenment. We started the first episode with the topic of chronic pain and ended our last conversation with the question, what do you really want? Together we got to listen to Gangaji always point to the deeper truth of the matter. And when all the questions were finally asked, all it really was about was finding home.

Start listening at 11:24 to hear what got me to stop by the side of the road.
“The immense relief and Grace I experienced that morning continues to this day.” —Alicia

About the Podcasts

Podcasts by the Numbers

Gangaji’s podcasts offer us an opportunity to deepen in our self-inquiry. They also serve as a potent introduction to this lineage. It is a simple and accessible audio format that opens Gangaji’s archives to the world. The benefits are clear. So far in 2024, Gangaji’s podcasts have been downloaded over 160,000 times in countries near and far.

Hear More from the Community

More life-changing moments from 30 years of meetings with Gangaji
“The moment I am sharing on this page is the moment I declared it out loud in the 'hot seat' during retreat in Ashland, October 2024.” —Diana
I See Myself- 2024
picked by Diana Button

I came across Gangaji in 2011, but it took me some years to fully walk through the door she held open and to truly see myself.


Read Diana's Words
Diana Button
“I felt welcomed to the core of my being and a deep permission to simply be here, exactly as I am.” —Diana

The turning point came with my first ever face to face meeting with Gangaji during an online retreat. She called my name and just in the way she said it, I felt welcomed to the core of my being and a deep permission to simply be here, exactly as I am.


Watch the Video
“In an instant, while I was sitting in the back of the hall full of people, I received her invitation as an opening into the infinite blue sky.” —Elizabeth
A Truly Human Life - 2011
picked by Elizabeth Neumann

When I met Gangaji for the first time in 2011 she appeared as a picture on my computer. Her name had been mentioned by some acquaintance. I opened her homepage and there she was: a promise for a gracious and free Life.


Read Elizabeth's Words
Elizabeth Neumann
“The light and presence that flow through Gangaji are continually teaching me to live a truly human life.” —Elizabeth

Very shortly afterwards I found myself attending a Silent Retreat with her in Germany. I remember looking into her eyes trying to figure out with my mind what I had seen – of course useless! In an instant though, while I was sitting in the back of the hall full of people, I received her invitation as an opening into the infinite blue sky.

This moment has not ended, it is still ongoing. The light and presence that flow through Gangaji are continually teaching me to live a truly human life. The love that I had always felt inside was and is being confirmed.


Back to Image
“You can’t contain it—it contains you.” —Gangaji
Seven Words that Turned the World on End - 1993
picked by Shanti Einolander

In my third satsang with Gangaji on Maui in 1993, I sat on the floor right in front of her and raised my hand to speak. “Gangaji,” I ventured timidly, “when I turn my attention inside toward the discovery of who I really am, I touch upon something so bright and so beautiful I feel like I can’t contain it.” Her gaze was so direct and so loving, I felt stripped naked to the core. She said, simply, “You can’t contain it—it contains you.”


Read Shanti's Words
Shanti Einolander
“In those few timeless moments of looking into her eyes, I experienced what I can only call “eternity,” and I knew it to be myself.” —Shanti

Reality had suddenly flipped inside out. It was as though the body/mind/personality I had always believed myself to be took a back seat to the vast infinite awareness that was opening up inside me faster than my mind could track. It was, in fact, impossible to think a single thought. I saw with absolute clarity that this ground of being that was revealing itself to itself inside me was actually who and what I am. That who I truly am is what sustains this body and mind while remaining completely independent of it, incorruptible, eternal, and free. I understood all of this in a split second without mentally understanding a thing.


Back to Image

80K visitors from 181 countries found gangaji.org in the past year.

Gangaji's podcast has reached 12K listeners in more than 120 countries this month.

3067 and counting - video + audio recordings in our archives, on Hi-8, DAT, VHS, DVD, Blue Ray and more.

2025 transcripts of meetings with Gangaji created by volunteers over 30 years so far.

3358 inmates digitally enrolled in Freedom Inside on Edovo in-prison tablets.

You Grieve What You Love

“I’m utterly grateful for the scholarship program. Because of that, I was able to meet Gangaji and be part of this nourishing Community. It has supported me in living a true and fulfilled life.” —Paulene
You Grieve What You Love
by Paulene Hübsch
Meeting Gangaji changed something profoundly inside me. Her presence confirmed what I had already discovered, but didn’t know to be true. After the loss of my son and my friend, it was Gangaji who cracked my heart open to grief with the simple words, “You grieve what you love.”
Paulene in the front row at a recent retreat
“I’m utterly grateful for the scholarship program. Because of that, I was able to meet Gangaji and be part of this nourishing Community. It has supported me in living a true and fulfilled life.” —Paulene

The Real Gift of Scholarship

The true value of the GF Scholarship program is best expressed through the loving words of scholarship recipients like Paulene. Scholarships ensure retreats and meetings are open to all, bringing the light of freedom to many more hearts regardless of their financial status.  This year, 107 scholarships were awarded with a value of over $41,000. Wow! 

Donate Now≫

What Will Your Donation Do?

As new opportunities emerge, with your donation we can keep this beacon of freedom burning brightly for generations to come. Keep reading to see the impact your donation can make.

  • Make Gangaji’s Freedom Inside course accessible to 350,000 inmates via Edovo, a tablet-based platform
  • Deliver Freedom Inside course materials to over 700 prisoners via regular mail.
  • Provide free books from Ramana, Papaji, and Gangaji to inmates on request.
  • Sustain our volunteer/inmate correspondence program
  • Send Gangaji’s message of peace to over 180 countries via podcasts, YouTube, social media, and Gangaji’s website.
  • Offer scholarships for every event in-person and online event on Gangaji’s schedule.
  • Maintain and deepen the accessibility of Gangaji’s archives now and for future generations.
Donate Now
Select Type
Monthly
One-Time
Annually
Amount You Want to Give/Month
$10
$25
$50
$100
$250
$500
$1000
Another Amount:

For information about donating by check, wire transfer, stock transfer, or planned giving learn more here. 

2024 Donation Goal
$432,000
Raised: $550,483
Remaining: $-118,483

Say Yes to Love

by Barbara Denempont
Since that meeting over thirty years ago, the unfolding revelation called “my life” is what I said yes to in that moment.” —Barbara
“Sadness just receded. I can't find it anymore.” —Zubin
“There has always been something to do before.” —Harriet

My first meeting with Gangaji was accidental. A friend saw a poster for an upcoming meeting in Boulder and asked if I wanted to go along. I didn’t have any plans that evening so I said yes. Since that meeting over thirty years ago, the unfolding revelation called “my life” is what I said yes to in that moment, and more essentially I realized what had said yes to me long ago.

What did I say yes to? As you see in this video clip recorded in Estes Park in 1995, I said yes to what I feared most—Love. I said yes to opening my heart with abandon, not knowing the outcome. Love felt risky and dangerous and then it became unstoppable and undeniable. The moment of surrendering to love was my turning point.

At the end of the retreat I told my dear friend Sallie, I didn’t care what happened to me anymore—“I could just sweep the streets.” The deep well of lasting fulfillment is here, wherever I am. I didn’t end up sweeping streets. After ending my career in television, I volunteered for a year at the Foundation and ultimately joined the GF staff.

As a sister and friend, I wholeheartedly invite you to surrender to the Love that is always present and is the truth of who you are. As the Executive Director of the Gangaji Foundation, I encourage you to share this message of peace with the world just as others have shared it with you. Just like that volunteer who put up that poster, who supported the opening of my heart, you can have an impact on the world in ways you may never imagine.

May we all know peace in good times and bad.

Hear from some of the Staff

Our thanks to all who shared their stories with us.
Since that meeting over thirty years ago, the unfolding revelation called “my life” is what I said yes to in that moment.” —Barbara
Heart Broken Open - 1995
picked by Barbara Denempont

My first meeting with Gangaji was accidental. A friend saw a poster for an upcoming meeting in Boulder and asked if I wanted to go along. I didn’t have any plans that evening so I said yes.

What did I say yes to? I said yes to what I feared most—Love. I said yes to opening my heart with abandon, not knowing the outcome. Love felt risky and dangerous and then it became unstoppable and undeniable. The moment of surrendering to love was my turning point.


Read Barbara's Words
Barbara Denempont

At the end of the retreat I told my dear friend Sallie, I didn’t care what happened to me anymore—“I could just sweep the streets.” The deep well of lasting fulfillment is here, wherever I am. I didn’t end up sweeping streets. After ending my career in television, I volunteered for a year at the Foundation and ultimately joined the GF staff.

As a sister and friend, I wholeheartedly invite you to surrender to the Love that is always present and is the truth of who you are. As the Executive Director of the Gangaji Foundation, I encourage you to share this message of peace with the world just as others have shared it with you. Just like that volunteer who put up that poster, who supported the opening of my heart, you can have an impact on the world in ways you may never imagine. May we all know peace in good times and bad.


Watch the Video
“Sadness just receded. I can't find it anymore.” —Zubin
The Terror in Feeling Separate - 2006
picked by Zubin Mathai

I went up to ask a question, but became frozen in terror at being so visible. Gangaji led me to the primal wound, that feeling of separation fueling my fear, then she asked me to look out at the audience.


Read Zubin's Words
Zubin Mathai
“In that moment, I suddenly saw the terror of otherness, the terror of separation, as peace vibrating with love.” —Zubin

A glimpse of truth didn't eradicate my habitual fear of others, but the glimpse did gift me with an epiphany: that truth always shines.

Whenever I'm graced to stop and check, there is never any fear, never any other or me, only pristine beingness.


Watch the Video
“There has always been something to do before.” —Harriet
What Should I Do? - 2004
picked by Harriet Watson

At my very first retreat, on day one, I just had to speak to Gangaji, so I asked a question about what to do in the silence at the beginning of the meeting. Gangaji refused to give me a formula for what to do, and instead took me deeper.


Read Harriet's Words
Harriet Watson
"That's the proof of honest inquiry. It's a surprise." —Gangaji

When I inquired into what was driving my fear of not knowing what to do, which was really the fear of getting it wrong, the exquisite surprise was that I could find only certainty, the certainty of who I truly am.

The mystery of this moment has been deepening throughout my life ever since.


Watch the Video
“Love is the answer, love is what we have to offer, love is the possibility of a lifetime.” ~Gangaji
Share Your Life-Changing Moment

What was the moment when your life took a fresh turn, and you saw a wholly different possibility for yourself?

(You must be logged-in to comment)
file-emptydownloadexit-upcross