Alle afleveringen
182 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
-
Being Yourself Podcast Extra | Feast of Losses
13 december 2022 · 9 min
This month we are happy to share a selection from Jami Sieber and Kim Rosen's new album Feast of Losses. Their new album takes a deep dive into that sacred space where grief and gratitude meet. Their collaboration offers a transmission of such beauty that it stops the mind and opens the heart! This selection from the album features What the Living Do by Marie Howe, with music by Jami Sieber and spoken word by Kim Rosen. Read about their inspiration for this work on the Gangaji Commnuity Blog. Lees meer
Purchase a download of the complete album at jamisieber.com/feast-of-losses
-
Being Yourself | Invitation to the Open Door
22 november 2022 · 17 min
"If your attention is on the story of how you do not deserve what is being offered, this is the continuation of self-denial. There is an open door in this jail, in this prison." Lees meer
When we seek freedom on the spiritual path, it is often freedom from our mind or mental activity. In this podcast, we focus how we can lock ourselves up inside a mental prison, not recognizing the door that is always open.
-
Being Yourself | The End of Not Good Enough
19 oktober 2022 · 17 min
Repeatedly telling the story of "not good enough" is a familiar habit to most of us, an aspect of our human conditioning. But what does it have to do with who you truly are? In this exchange, Gangaji, simply and directly shares how to bring an end to the story and "step into freedom." Lees meer
-
Being Yourself | Being Is Belonging
22 september 2022 · 17 min
"To play the role of yourself, which is the transcendent role, the role of freedom, you have to trust something unknowable." Lees meer
The themes of belonging, freedom from identification, and trusting our direct experience come together in this month's podcast. This powerful interplay of themes opens the mind to the heart and invites an inquiry: What does it mean to be free? Where do you belong?
-
Being Yourself Podcast Extra | One Thing Goin' On
8 september 2022 · 7 min
We have been blessed to hear Aea Luz sing at Gangaji's retreats. Now, we are happy to share her beautiful voice with you. This podcast extra features a new song from Aea that was actually inspired while she was on retreat with Gangaji—One Thing Goin' On. It is taken from of her recently released album, Dust & Light available on aealuz.com. Lees meer
-
#49 Being Yourself | Do You Really Need to Be Special?
20 augustus 2022 · 21 min
A key strategy for our human survival is to "be special." If we stand out in some way, get noticed by others, we may find ourselves better positioned in the "herd." That isn't necessarily a problem, until the drive to be more and more special becomes an addiction and in that, is ultimately destructive. This lively exchange offers great insight into what it means to be absolutely ordinary and still discover what is truly extraordinary. Lees meer
-
#48 Being Yourself | The Resolution of the Longing
14 juli 2022 · 22 min
"Stop all effort to get whatever it is you think will give you fulfillment. All that is required is one instant of truly stopping." Lees meer
The longing for true freedom, for lasting fulfillment is no ordinary desire. Unlike the desires for food, shelter, or social connection that serve our physical survival, true fulfillment cannot be attained, even if we employ spiritual techniques and meditation practices. In this monologue, Gangaji speaks to the resolution of the paradox this extraordinary desire presents in our lives—true fulfillment can only be realized if you don't do anything for its realization.
-
#47 Being Yourself | The Problem Is Not the Problem
16 juni 2022 · 19 min
In dealing with life's hardships, we naturally identify what is broken, what emotions need to be controlled, which circumstances need to get better. That is part of the human drive to survive. But there is something beyond brokenness, beyond any emotions we wish would go away. In the willingness to directly meet the pain we fear, rather than trying to control or get rid of it, there is a life-changing discovery of what is whole, complete, and has no need of fixing. Lees meer
-
#46 Being Yourself | How Will You Liberate the Mind?
17 mei 2022 · 16 min
Our most sublime experiences of acceptance, wholeness, and truth, are commonly followed by a fierce "mind attack." If there is a willingness to investigate what is underneath the experience, there is a revelation of what is untouched in the wake of any mental phenomena. Lees meer
-
#45 Being Yourself | Authentically Yourself: You Can Stop "Faking It"
13 april 2022 · 16 min
"All of your life you have wanted to be who you are. That is what authentic means, isn't it?" Lees meer
Recognizing you are just "faking it" is a moment of discriminating wisdom that reveals an essential choice point. Will you keep faking it? When the desire for the truth of who you are overwhelms every other human desire, the choice becomes clear. In this exchange, Gangaji takes us on a deep dive into the desire for authenticity and the habit of postponement.
-
#44 Being Yourself | Where There Is No War
16 maart 2022 · 13 min
Many have taken a spiritual path to escape the pain of human suffering that flows from war and injustice. But the truth is, we are never separate from it all. Where can we discover the strength and the capacity to bear that pain? How can our lives be beacons of true peace? Lees meer
-
You Are Home | Gangaji Podcast Music Extra
22 februari 2022 · 4 min
A new composition from Scott Reich blends Gangaji's spoken word with his music. Listening is an opportunity to drop deeply into the message, "You, yourself, are Home."
-
#43 Being Yourself | Feeling Unseen
10 februari 2022 · 12 min
If you were totally and completely seen and heard, what would that give you? Lees meer
As human beings living in relationship to each other, we play many different roles: partner, mother, father, son, daughter, or co-worker. In these roles, we may have the experience of not being seen or feeling invisible. In this inquiry, Gangaji takes us into the direct experience of "not being seen" to discover what is actually not being seen.
-
#42 Being Yourself | Get More Sober
20 januari 2022 · 22 min
"The willingness to be silence is the willingness not to be who you think you are. To not get what you think you need. Not have what you think you have. There is a nakedness in that." In her latest podcast, Gangaji and interviewer Mark Groves share a compelling conversation about what it means to be still, to stop. How does our fear of silence lead us away from our true self, especially in the midst of our active and often chaotic sensory world. Where do silence and sobriety meet? Lees meer
-
#41 Being Yourself | The Fire of the Living Prayer
28 december 2021 · 14 min
"There is some force that is seeking itself. That desires itself. That is praying for itself." Lees meer
As we begin a new year, you can take a moment for reflection. You can tell the truth about what you are desiring, what you are hoping for, what you are praying for as you walk on your spiritual path. Sharing her own personal experience, Gangaji also invites you to inquire into the source of your prayers and see what it reveals.
-
Being Yourself December Podcast Extra
20 december 2021 · 7 min
Musician and composer Scott Reich incorporates Gangaji's spoken word into a his new composition entitled "This Space of Stillness." Lees meer
"I write music to create a place of refuge - for myself, and for all who are drawn to a place of deeper peace."
-
#40 Being Yourself | We Are Not Here to Escape the Trouble
10 december 2021 · 13 min
"We are here to retreat from the trouble, so that actually when the trouble returns, we have a bigger capacity, a stronger foundation to meet whatever appears." Lees meer
When we choose to walk on a spiritual path, our first aspiration may be to transcend our problems or at least transcend the world's problems. From the mundane to the catastrophic, problems are part of living a human life. So where is peace? What if true fulfillment is realized when we actually stop trying to transcend what Gangaji calls "trouble?"
-
# 39 Being Yourself | A Prayer for Peace
15 november 2021 · 17 min
"Maybe grace, deliverance comes to get you. Knocks on your door and says, 'You have a chance to be at peace.' In your willingness to take that chance, to accept that invitation to be at peace, then you have an opportunity to share this peace, everywhere." Lees meer
Living our daily lives, we may find ourselves actually attracted to war. We can also be fed up with that attraction. We can recognize that there is no need to postpone peace in our own minds. In this podcast, Gangaji speaks about the roots of war and the opportunity of being at peace for ourselves and the world.
-
#38 Being Yourself | Is Understanding Enough?
20 oktober 2021 · 14 min
The human desire for understanding is powerful. We naturally want to understand where we fit in or how best to fix a problem. Understanding satisfies particular needs in our daily life, but on the spiritual path, is understanding enough? Gangaji addresses the crucial difference between realization and understanding that transforms our life experience. Lees meer
-
#37 Being Yourself | The Power of Illusion. The Illusion of Power
8 september 2021 · 21 min
When we are willing to set aside our beliefs, our thoughts, our powers of mind for an instant, the peace we long for and search for, is immediately revealed. 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. Lees meer
"You live your life in Truth, you live your life knowing that even though 'my breath changes, and my feelings change, and my body changes,' this Peace does not change. It is here, always."
-
#36 Being Yourself | Entering This Space of Stillness
15 augustus 2021 · 12 min
Perhaps your search for peace and happiness has taken you down many different roads. It may be rooted in a desire for security, spiritual attainments, personal power, or even just an end to feeling afraid. In this monologue, Gangaji shares how it is possible to discover the limitless peace of being that is not subject to our ideas, definitions, or circumstances. Lees meer
"What this appearance in your consciousness is about, first of all and finally, is to invite you to this space of stillness that is your heart, now."
-
# 35 Being Yourself | Cutting Our Addiction to Thought
21 juli 2021 · 22 min
Many spiritual seekers hope to realize a "quiet mind" What is actually possible given the stream of thoughts that go through our minds every day? In this month's podcast, Gangaji speaks to the life-changing opportunity to "overhear your stories" and stop following any thought no matter how elevated or mundane the thought is. BONUS: Gangaji reads a powerful report from a prisoner who is participating in her Freedom Inside course by mail, and has a brief conversation about working with prisoners. Lees meer
-
Being Yourself | June Podcast Extra |What Blocks Your Fulfillment?
21 juni 2021 · 3 min
Take a moment to join Gangaji for a short, but revealing inquiry: "What blocks your fulfillment?"
-
#34 Being Yourself | The End of Ignorance is the Gold of Self-Realization
9 juni 2021 · 16 min
"To be true to the eternal truth of yourself is to ignore nothing." Lees meer
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."
-
#33 Being Yourself | Helplessly Human
21 mei 2021 · 19 min
"The more you are willing to face the helplessness of being human, the more being human is not the problem." Lees meer
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.
-
#32 Being Yourself | Sacred Hunger
23 april 2021 · 16 min
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." Lees meer
-
#31 Being Yourself | Letting Go of Control
12 maart 2021 · 18 min
At its root the desire for control is an infantile thought: "What I want is what I should have." We do have a limited capacity to control many things within our life circumstances, our relationships, or our emotions. But when we try to control what cannot be controlled, we suffer and cause others to suffer. On this podcast, Gangaji speaks to what that moment of letting go of control really is and what it reveals. She shares it "is the opportunity to realize what doesn't need to be controlled to be free, to be happy, to recognize itself." Lees meer
-
#30 Being Yourself | The American Dream and the Bodhisattva Heart
14 februari 2021 · 14 min
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. Lees meer
-
#29 Being Yourself | Self-Reliance, Self-Love
15 januari 2021 · 11 min
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. Lees meer
"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."
-
#28 Being Yourself | True, Living Freshness
18 december 2020 · 13 min
As the new year approaches, we can to 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. Not a concept or memory of who you are, but as a true, living freshness. Also: We share a song in tribute to Amber Terrell. Lees meer
-
#27 Being Yourself | The Inherent Effortlessness of Being Who You Are
20 november 2020 · 21 min
On the spiritual search we often ask, "What do I have to do?" to find resolution and fulfillment. We look for "masters" of spirituality and enlightenment who we hope will tell us how to behave or will direct us in practices necessary for true happiness. Gangaji makes 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. Lees meer
-
#26 Being Yourself | Let Yourself Be Found
16 oktober 2020 · 15 min
Since 1990, Gangaji has shared Papaji's invitation to call off the search. This essential teaching serves our conscious discovery of who we truly are and is profoundly relevant to living our daily lives. In this recording, Gangaji shares a teaching story, written by a sangha member, that is relatable and true. What is discovered when we are willing to completely call off the search and simply let ourselves be found? Lees meer
-
#25 Being Yourself | When You're Tested by Life
22 september 2020 · 15 min
"Our minds can be agitated and we can still be aware of what is at peace, regardless of circumstances." Lees meer
Gangaji speaks to the maturity needed when we are confronted with significant life challenges. It is absolutely possible to live our lives fully as Peace and as human beings with choices. In the midst of the challenges, we may find ourselves in individually and collectively, what is our response? Will we contribute to the "collective angst" or dive ever more deeply, and consciously, into the peace that is always present.
-
#24 Being Yourself | Exploring Our Natural Integrity
25 augustus 2020 · 13 min
"Finally, integrity means honesty. But honesty is a moving target because of our conditioning. We have to be willing to be humbled in the recognition that what we perceived as being honest or truthful was revealed to be just a conditioned "version" of truth." Lees meer
When we recognize what we have long overlooked or denied, we can have one of the most valuable experiences a human being can have: to be humbled. In this podcast, Gangaji speaks about the natural integrity and vigilance revealed when we are truly willing to be humbled.
-
#23 Being Yourself | Meeting the Roots of Racism Within Part Two
23 juli 2020 · 22 min
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. Lees meer
-
#22 Being Yourself | Meeting the Roots of Racism Within
9 juli 2020 · 28 min
This month Gangaji sits down for an interview on the subject of racism. Gangaji grew up in Mississippi, raised 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. Lees meer
-
#21 Being Yourself | Reckoning with a Cruel White Legacy
12 juni 2020 · 15 min
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 inspiration to all. Lees meer
"When you are seeking nothing but truth, and in that seeking you are willing to see everything then closure is by-product. Peace is revealed, harmony is revealed, to be your own self."—Gangaji
-
#20 Being Yourself | Staying Conscious in Turbulent Times
22 mei 2020 · 16 min
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. Lees meer
"In our sophistication as human life forms, in our worldliness, in our psychological astuteness, in our pursuit of happiness, we too often lose the direct experience of the boundlessness of love that is life."
-
#19 Being Yourself | Stop Everything. Just Be.
22 april 2020 · 19 min
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. Lees meer
-
#18 Being Yourself | Opening to Fear, Opening to Yourself
26 maart 2020 · 25 min
"When fear is experienced as energy, as feelings, without a story attached to it, without thoughts defining it, when it is not fought or made war with, what is it? What is it in your experience?" Lees meer
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? With the willingness to investigate, to open to the fear we may be experiencing, we can discover what is at the core of fear, what is at the core of what isn't wanted or desired. In opening to fear, you open to yourself, you open to "what is in the heart of the heart." Selected from a live online meeting Gangaji held on March 22, 2020, Gangaji responds to questions about the pandemic and guides us in an inquiry.
-
#17 Being Yourself | The Home that is Real
4 maart 2020 · 15 min
"Thank God you haven't been able to escape the dissatisfaction with life as it is prescribed."—Gangaji Lees meer
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.
-
#16 Being Yourself | Meeting the Inner Critic Without Judgment
18 februari 2020 · 15 min
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. Lees meer
-
#15 Being Yourself | Honoring Life Itself
14 januari 2020 · 15 min
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. Lees meer
-
# 14 Being Yourself | Free of the Noose
18 december 2019 · 21 min
"The door is open." Lees meer
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.
-
#13 Being Yourself | How Will Your Life Be Used?
12 november 2019 · 46 min
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. Also: In a special interview, Hillary Larson, host of A Conversation with Gangaji, tells us about her recent trip to the Amazon rain forest. Along with sharing her own experience of roles ending and beginning, she tells us what her journey to a very far away place revealed about finding home. Lees meer
-
#12 Being Yourself | Doubting the Vast Simplicity
18 oktober 2019 · 14 min
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. Lees meer
-
#11 Being Yourself | The Last Obstacle to Discovering Natural Fulfillment
19 september 2019 · 20 min
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? Lees meer
-
#10 Being Yourself | What Will Enlightenment Give Me?
14 augustus 2019 · 16 min
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 just for one moment, and discover what is already here, completely fulfilled, and awake. Lees meer
"If you have nothing, you only have yourself. When you truly only have yourself, you are awake."
-
#9 Being Yourself | The Joy of Failure
19 juli 2019 · 22 min
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. Lees meer
-
# 8 Being Yourself | Kissing the Toad: The Key to Self-Love
13 juni 2019 · 16 min
"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." Lees meer
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.