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A Conversation with Gangaji

Join Gangaji and host Hillary Larson as they take a close look at the issues that we face in our everyday lives, one topic at a time.

In this lively exchange, Gangaji speaks to the experience of “losing our peace” because some thing has changed, and where finally it is always found.
In this lively exchange, Gangaji speaks to the experience of “losing our peace” because some...
In this lively exchange, Gangaji speaks to the experience of “losing our peace” because some thing has changed, and where finally it is always found.
In this lively exchange, Gangaji speaks to the experience of “losing our peace” because some...
Gangaji shares how it is possible to discover the limitless peace of being that is not subject to our ideas, definitions, or circumstances.
Gangaji shares how it is possible to discover the limitless peace of being that is not subject to...
“There is something closer than belief, something more present, more alive.”
“There is something closer than belief, something more present, more alive.”
Take a moment to join Gangaji for a short, but revealing inquiry: "What blocks your fulfillment?"
Take a moment to join Gangaji for a short, but revealing inquiry: "What blocks your fulfillment?"



“To be true to the eternal truth of yourself is to ignore nothing.”

Our spiritual discovery of the absolute truth of one’s being can be turned into a hiding place, where we ignore harsh realities and deny the cruelest aspects of our shared humanity. Ignorance is not “bliss.” Rather, it is the root of all suffering. In this powerful monologue delivered in 1999, Gangaji shares that the end of ignorance and our willingness to be all is the “gold of self-realization.”


“To be true to the eternal truth of yourself is to ignore nothing.” Our spiritual discovery...


“The more you are willing to face the helplessness of being human, the more being human is not the problem.”

When we step onto the spiritual path, often we hope to transcend our fears. Our fear of death and loss can drive a lack of compassion and perpetuate our unnecessary suffering. Gangaji encourages us to meet our fear, not avoid it. In a moment of giving up control and simply being undeniably flawed, mortal, and very human, we can rest in the peace of who we are.

 

 

“The more you are willing to face the helplessness of being human, the more being human is not...


The sacred hunger for truth, for God, for love, for peace, for freedom is the force calling us home. This deep longing doesn’t leave us alone. It persists even with a lifetime of disillusionments or “unfulfilled promises.” No matter what spiritual path we have taken or not taken, Gangaji offers all this encouragement: “Let this hunger for Truth have you. It is a glorious feast, and it is time to stop circling the table. You have a place at this feast.”

The sacred hunger for truth, for God, for love, for peace, for freedom is the force calling us...


Many take a spiritual path in life with a sincere desire to contribute to the well-being of all sentient beings. In this month’s episode of Being Yourself, a young man asks, “How can I cultivate the heart of a Bodhisattva?” Gangaji speaks to how we can be true to the Bodhisattva heart in the face of our human, cultural, and spiritual conditioning.

Many take a spiritual path in life with a sincere desire to contribute to the well-being of all...


Many take a spiritual path in life with a sincere desire to contribute to the well-being of all sentient beings. In this month’s episode of Being Yourself, a young man asks, “How can I cultivate the heart of a Bodhisattva?” Gangaji speaks to how we can be true to the Bodhisattva heart in the face of our human, cultural, and spiritual conditioning.

Many take a spiritual path in life with a sincere desire to contribute to the well-being of all...
We naturally value self-reliance and independence, especially in Western culture. Considering our personal survival, the desire to not be dependent on others makes sense, but is it real? In this podcast, Gangaji helps us discover the self we can truly rely on and the self-love that is revealed in that discovery.

“I would like to share with you exactly what I mean when I say self-reliant and how essential it is that you be completely, absolutely, totally self-reliant. First, you have to know what “self” means.”
We naturally value self-reliance and independence, especially in Western culture. Considering our...
As the new year approaches, we can shift our focus from what we think we need to fix and give our full attention to what is already whole and perfect. In this podcast, Gangaji speaks of the catalyst for a deeper awakening—the willingness to “unlearn” and open to what is fresh, alive, and who you are.
As the new year approaches, we can shift our focus from what we think we need to fix and give our...
In The Inherent Effortlessness of Being Who You Are Gangaji makes it clear that true resolution can be discovered when you set aside your cosmologies, theologies, and formulas for that which is much, much closer— the truth of who you are.
In The Inherent Effortlessness of Being Who You Are Gangaji makes it clear that true resolution can...
In Let Yourself Be Found Gangaji shares a teaching story about what is discovered when we are willing to call off the search
In Let Yourself Be Found Gangaji shares a teaching story about what is discovered when we are...
Gangaji speaks to the maturity needed when we are confronted with significant life challenges.
Gangaji speaks to the maturity needed when we are confronted with significant life challenges.
In this podcast, Gangaji speaks about the natural integrity and vigilance revealed when we are truly willing to be humbled.
In this podcast, Gangaji speaks about the natural integrity and vigilance revealed when we are truly...
This month our conversation on the subject of racism continues. Taking us more deeply to the underlying fear that is the source of racism, Gangaji speaks about the fear of death and the fear of our own and others’ freedom. Recalling her early life in Mississippi, she shares the moment when her racist conditioning was first challenged and how that awakening set her on the path to discovering true freedom.

 

Listen to Part 1
This month our conversation on the subject of racism continues. Taking us more deeply to the...
This month Gangaji sits down for an interview on the subject of racism. Gangaji grew up in Mississippi, raised as a white southern girl in the segregated town of Clarksdale. In this interview, she speaks about how her own racist conditioning first began to be dismantled. She invites us not only to meet the cruelty and wrongs of the past 400 years, but also to meet the internal system of racism within our own minds today.

Part One of this interview covers the human patterns of denial, seeking power for survival, meeting the fear that perpetuates racism, and the possibility of serving true freedom for all beings everywhere.
This month Gangaji sits down for an interview on the subject of racism. Gangaji grew up in...
Reckoning with a Cruel White Legacy: In this historic moment, white people have an opportunity to redress the long, cruel legacy of racism in America. Author Ibram X. Kendi said, “The history of racism is a history of denial.” So that is where we begin with this episode: the resolve to end denial and face hard truths. In this recording from 1998, Gangaji recounts an article about Bishop Desmond Tutu. His commitment to truth and reconciliation in South Africa serves as an inspiration to us all.

“When you are seeking nothing but the truth, and in that seeking, you are willing to see everything, then closure is a by-product. Peace is revealed, harmony is revealed, to be your own self.”

 
Reckoning with a Cruel White Legacy: In this historic moment, white people have an opportunity to...
What is revealed when we stay conscious in the midst of great upheaval? When we are willing to inquire with an open mind, we can move beyond simply coping with disaster and discover a life-changing truth untouched by any loss. Recorded in March of 2011 following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, this monologue is relevant to the times we find ourselves in now, confronting a worldwide pandemic.
What is revealed when we stay conscious in the midst of great upheaval? When we are willing to...
Mistakenly, we define who we are by the roles we play in the theater we call our lives. Then we further define ourselves with our evaluations of how well or how poorly we play those roles. When Gangaji first met Papaji, he told her to stop everything. In her willingness to stop everything and just be, Gangaji saw past the roles (mother, daughter, spiritual seeker, wife, student) and recognized her true face. It is possible for all of us to recognize our true face—the truth of who we are. Then every role we are given can be played fully and authentically. We can live freely, resting in the truth of who we are.
Mistakenly, we define who we are by the roles we play in the theater we call our lives. Then we...
Together we are facing a global pandemic. It is something none of us has ever faced, something that is truly unknown. Naturally fear arises in uncertainty, fear that can lead to panic. How can we meet this moment with our natural intelligence?
Together we are facing a global pandemic. It is something none of us has ever faced, something that...
When we are filled with doubt and overwhelm, and all seems to be falling apart, there is the potential through self-inquiry to discover home. This enlivening exchange with Gangaji, recorded in Santa Fe in 1998, demonstrates how in our willingness to fall apart, we ultimately see what falls away and what remains—the home that is real.
When we are filled with doubt and overwhelm, and all seems to be falling apart, there is the...
Is your inner critic running your life? The inner critic tells us how we are not enough, how we should be more, how we should be better than we think we are. Thinking about what is wrong with us can eat up our lives and ultimately distracts us from the essential truth. In this episode of Being Yourself, Gangaji demonstrates how to confront the inner-critic without judgment, and finally end the war between ego and superego.
Is your inner critic running your life? The inner critic tells us how we are not enough, how we...
Where is your attention? Our minds are designed to recognize what is “wrong” and needs fixing. This aspect of our ego serves our survival as human animals. There is nothing wrong with this aspect of our ego, but if we only look for what is wrong and neglect to honor what is already whole and free, then we suffer unnecessarily. Wherever you find yourself, you can take this moment to shift your attention to what is right: the wonder of existence itself.
Where is your attention? Our minds are designed to recognize what is “wrong” and needs fixing....
"The Door is Open."

How can you discover freedom and peace exactly where you are right now, in your current circumstances, without changing anything? This month reading a former prisoner’s letter, Gangaji speaks to the egoic prisons we live our lives in, and how it is possible to recognize the door to freedom that is already open.

Learn more about Gangaji's Prison Program.

 
"The Door is Open." How can you discover freedom and peace exactly where you are right now, in your...
We all play many roles in our lives: parent, child, student, seeker, teacher, boss, and many, many more. But what do we want our lives to be used for? In this episode, Gangaji shares her own experience of being in the role of teacher and addresses how the roles we play can serve the deepest truth—the truth of who we are.

Being Yourself host, Barbara Denempont, welcomes a special guest this month, Hillary Larson this month. Hillary shares her own experience of roles ending and beginning, and what her journey to the Amazon rain forest revealed to her about finding home.

Plus Hillary has a special invitation for you. You can join Hillary in supporting Gangaji's podcast and other programs through a matching grant. Find out how your monthly pledge can be doubled for a full year.

 
We all play many roles in our lives: parent, child, student, seeker, teacher, boss, and many, many...
What if the last obstacle to discovering true freedom and fulfillment is just a thought? Often hiding in plain sight, our common doubts— “I am stuck,” “I am separate,” “I can’t help it”—are how we create our reality and suffer unnecessarily. In this episode of Being Yourself, Gangaji offers a radical invitation and demonstrates how being aware of what we are actually thinking can open the door to freedom. We all have the capacity to see through our doubting thoughts into the vast simplicity of who I am—freedom itself.
What if the last obstacle to discovering true freedom and fulfillment is just a thought? Often...
One of the ways we commonly define ourselves is by our “problems.” In this episode of Being Yourself, Gangaji powerfully challenges the assumptions we have about our problems and what it means if we can or cannot find the respective solutions. If we can’t solve our day-to-day problems, does that exclude us from living a free and authentic life? What really is the last obstacle that keeps one from discovering natural fulfillment?
One of the ways we commonly define ourselves is by our “problems.” In this episode of Being...
When we let go of our worldly desires we often replace them with spiritual desires. When we want enlightenment what is it that we imagine enlightenment will give us? Really? In this podcast Gangaji dares us to set aside all our desires, for just one moment, and to discover what is here, completely fulfilled, and awake.
When we let go of our worldly desires we often replace them with spiritual desires. When we want...
Chasing success and avoiding failure are natural aspects of our human drive to survive. On the spiritual path, however, ending our struggle with avoiding failure offers a profound realization. This illuminating dialogue between Gangaji and a retreat participant gives us a fresh look at failure, perhaps one you have never considered. Gangaji challenges all of our assumptions and leads us to the recognition of what is deeper than either success or failure ... and is always here.
Chasing success and avoiding failure are natural aspects of our human drive to survive. On the...
“Enlightenment at the core is heart opening, and heart opening reveals wisdom. And wisdom is mercy. It’s impossible to be merciful to anyone else if your heart is closed to yourself.”

We continue the investigation into self-hatred with this episode of Being Yourself. Gangaji speaks to the necessity of “kissing the toad” if you truly want to be free of patterns of self-hatred and live a life rooted in self-love.
“Enlightenment at the core is heart opening, and heart opening reveals wisdom. And wisdom is...
This month, Gangaji begins an exploration into the many facets of self-hatred. Our first installment in a series begins with the egoic cycle of inflation and deflation. How do we get off this wheel of suffering? We are all familiar with feeling great and feeling horrible, but what does that have to do with who we are? This powerful monologue helps us see how the egoic structure works, and that is possible to stop perpetuating patterns of avoidance and patterns of grasping.
This month, Gangaji begins an exploration into the many facets of self-hatred. Our first installment...
We have looked at how we project onto the so-called “other” and the unnecessary suffering that projection generates. This month, we look at how we relate to ourselves as an object in our own minds, overlooking our true face.  Objectification also leads to unhappiness and suffering. In this episode, Gangaji offers the possibility to completely simplify our narratives saying, “The ultimate universal remedy to suffering is I AM.”
We have looked at how we project onto the so-called “other” and the unnecessary suffering that...
Projection is an aspect of our human minds that allows us to survive and to function, but projection can also lead us to suffer unnecessarily in all kinds of relationships and within our our minds. In the extreme, when we project fear and hatred onto the so-called "other", tragically it can manifest into horrendous violence. So what can we do as individuals? In this episode, Gangaji addresses how  we end the trance of projection and recognize what is here, now.
Projection is an aspect of our human minds that allows us to survive and to function, but projection...
In this podcast, we take a look what drives our desire for purpose and consider, what is our deepest purpose. In two powerful exchanges, Gangaji addresses how the deep fear of being nobody, and the search to be a somebody, becomes its own burden.
In this podcast, we take a look what drives our desire for purpose and consider, what is our deepest...
Gangaji speaks to the essential mistake we make on the spiritual path and offers her own resolution for the new year and beyond. Take a listen to Resolve & Resolution, a loving and passionate monologue taken straight out of the archives...
Gangaji speaks to the essential mistake we make on the spiritual path and offers her own resolution...
"Our magical thinking cannot change the universe." ~ Gangaji

In this month's episode of Gangaji's new podcast, Being Yourself, Gangaji challenges our deeply held concepts about hope and hopelessness. Sharing a very personal story she illuminates how hope can become an obstacle in our lives. What if giving up hope could show you a deeper freedom? Would you be willing to let it go?
"Our magical thinking cannot change the universe." ~ Gangaji In this month's episode of Gangaji's...
This month on the premiere of Being Yourself....
....the archetypal and very human experience of feeling separate from God, truth, love, each other and even from ourselves.
This month on the premiere of Being Yourself.... ....the archetypal and very human experience of...
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.
Six years ago, we started on a journey and we called it A Conversation with Gangaji. The original...
There's a lot of debate, and perhaps some strong opinions, about what it means to take the spiritual bypass.  It doesn't necessarily mean addressing every emotion that comes up. But it also doesn't mean pretending everything is fine when it's not.  When Gangaji says you don't have to process everything or fix yourself in order to be free, what exactly does that mean?  Would you take the bypass in order to be free?
There's a lot of debate, and perhaps some strong opinions, about what it means to take the spiritual...
Stevie Leppard had everything anyone could want on the outside, lots of money, fancy cars, a successful career, but on the inside his own self-hatred felt intolerable. Suicide seemed like the only way out. It was grace that would eventually save him, but it was a fierce grace.  How Stevie would go on to meet Gangaji is just part of his amazing story.
Stevie Leppard had everything anyone could want on the outside, lots of money, fancy cars, a...
What does your life stand for?  What do you really want?  If the answer is freedom then what does that look like? Does the answer you come up with match your life, how you live your life? Is there something you’re holding onto that keeps you from truly realizing what it means to be free? These are potent questions. And what happens in this particular exchange with Gangaji is different because it is the beginning and end of all conversations.
What does your life stand for?  What do you really want?  If the answer is freedom then what does...
It was the middle of the night.  Harriet Watson was driving down a dark, snow-covered road alone, barely able to see what was in front of her.  Suddenly, she was startled by a loud thud.  In the moments that followed, her life would change forever.  From the frustration of a life of rigid rules and beliefs to the experience of profound freedom, this story is a testament to the trustworthiness of life.
It was the middle of the night.  Harriet Watson was driving down a dark, snow-covered road alone,...
With rare exceptions, human beings are innately good. Being in alignment with that goodness feels spacious.  We can be greedy, cranky, critical, jealous, but being good? Now that’s seems like an infinitely better way to go. The problem is that being good can be a trap unto itself. Does our capacity for a deeper awaking rely on our willingness to cultivate this goodness within us? Or are we inherently good, without doing a thing?
With rare exceptions, human beings are innately good. Being in alignment with that goodness feels...
Control might ultimately be an attempt to fend off our deepest fears.  It can show up in all sorts of ways in our everyday lives.  It can interfere with relationships.  It can also be exhausting.  Some people are self-described “control freaks.”  For others, control can show up in more subtle ways.  Fessing up to our control issues is a pretty tender thing, but when the source of it is finally met,  the possibilities are endless.
Control might ultimately be an attempt to fend off our deepest fears.  It can show up in all sorts...
When trauma happens, it can change the trajectory of a life. It can color how we see the world around us. We can retreat. We can act out. And we can certainly spend our lives running from it, managing it or even trying to heal it. How do we come to terms with even the deepest of wounds without suffering from the identification as someone who has been hurt or wronged in some way? This episode takes a surprising turn and is one of the most revealing conversations so far.
When trauma happens, it can change the trajectory of a life. It can color how we see the world...
When you see Kim Rosen on stage performing poetry, she exudes a distinct sense of certainty. But the truth is that for a period of her life she suffered from a particular type of fear that was profoundly painful. Her prayer to be released from it's confines would be answered two different times. And both times that grace came in the form of a poem. In the end, Kim’s story wasn’t about making her fear go away. It was about meeting it and doing life anyway, in a most extraordinary way.
When you see Kim Rosen on stage performing poetry, she exudes a distinct sense of certainty. But the...
Gangaji has always said that inquiry isn't theoretical, it's about real life. This episode is a perfect example of that. Gangaji experienced a serious injury recently. She's going to give us an update, but we're also going to take this as an opportunity to continue our conversation on the body. Difficult things happen to people, no matter the level of their awareness, so how does that play out with someone like Gangaji? How do we face our fear of losing when unexpected things happen in life? Gangaji addresses all of the above, and more, on this new episode of Gangaji Radio.
Gangaji has always said that inquiry isn't theoretical, it's about real life. This episode is a...
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.
Six years ago, we started on a journey and we called it A Conversation with Gangaji. The original...
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