Gangaji

Gangaji
BornMerle Antoinette Roberson
1942 (age 82–83)
Texas, U.S.
OccupationSpiritual writer
Gangaji

Gangaji (/ˈɡɑːŋɡədʒi/ GAHNG-gə-jee; born Merle Antoinette Roberson in Texas, 1942) is an American Neo-Advaita spiritual teacher and writer.[1]

Early life

Gangaji was born Merle Antoinette Roberson[2][3][4] in Texas in 1942, and grew up in Mississippi.[5] After graduating from the University of Mississippi, she married her first husband and had a child, then became a teacher in Memphis, Tennessee.[5][1] The couple moved to California and later divorced.[5] Gangaji became interested in spirituality, then met and married her second husband, Eli Jaxon-Bear.[5][1] For a time, the two operated a Tibetan Buddhism Dharma center overseen by Kalu Rinpoche.[1] Gangaji and Jaxon-Bear went to India where she met H. W. L. Poonja, better known as Papaji.[1] Afterwards, Gangaji devoted herself to teaching satsangs.[1]

Teachings

Gangaji holds satsangs which are strongly influenced by Ramana Maharshi and Papaji.[1] She started the Gangaji Foundation, which sponsors live events and publishes her books and other media.[1]

A video of Gangaji teaching about peace was used in the video game The Witness.[6][7]

Personal life

In October 2005, Gangaji and husband Eli Jaxon-Bear separated after he admitted to a three-year affair with an adult female student.[8] The two reunited three months later, and also merged their foundations.[8]

Bibliography

Books

  • You are That!. Satsang Press. 1995. ISBN 0-9632194-3-X.
  • Freedom and Resolve. Gangaji Foundation. 1999. ISBN 1-887984-01-1.
  • (with Roslyn Moore) Just Like You. DO Publishing. 2003. ISBN 0-9646999-2-3.
  • The Diamond in Your Pocket: Discovering Your True Radiance. Sounds True. 2007. ISBN 978-1-59179-272-7.
  • Hidden Treasure: Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story. Penguin Publishing Group. 2011. ISBN 978-1-58542-887-8.
  • Freedom and Resolve, Finding Your True Home in the Universe. Hampton Roads Publishing. 2014. ISBN 978-1571747211.

Chapters

  • Robinson, Rita, ed. (2007). Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Wisdom: The Feminine Face of Awakening. O Books. pp. 209–231. ISBN 978-1-84694-068-2.
  • Shapiro, Ed; Shapiro, Deb, eds. (2009). Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World. Sterling Ethos. ISBN 978-1-4027-6001-3.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lucas, Phillip Charles (2011-11-01). "When a Movement Is Not a Movement". Nova Religio. 15 (2): 93–114. doi:10.1525/nr.2011.15.2.93. ISSN 1092-6690.
  2. ^ Altman, Michael J. (2022-04-28). "Spirituality: The hippies and the seekers find India". Hinduism in America: An introduction. Religion in America. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/b22841. ISBN 978-1-138-38938-0.
  3. ^ Vliegenthart, Dave (2018). The secular religion of Franklin Merrell-Wolff: An intellectual history of anti-intellectualism in modern America. Numen Book Series. Leiden: Brill. p. 270. ISBN 978-90-04-36107-2. ISSN 0169-8834.
  4. ^ Wessinger, Catherine (2013-01-09). "The second generation leaders of the Theosophical Society (Adyar)". In Hammer, Olav; Rothstein, Mikael (eds.). Handbook of the Theosophical current. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Leiden: Brill. pp. 33–50, at p. 44. ISBN 978-90-04-23596-0.
  5. ^ a b c d Gangaji; Moore, Roslyn (2003). Just Like You, An Autobiography. Do Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 0-9646999-2-3.
  6. ^ Totilo, Stephen (2016-01-25). "The Witness: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  7. ^ Grubb, Jeff (2016-09-13). "The Witness: What it means". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  8. ^ a b Plain, Robert (October 14, 2006). "Spiritual leaders' split leads to consolidation of groups". Ashland Daily Tidings. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.

Further reading

  • Downing, Jerry N. (2000). Between Conviction and Uncertainty. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-4627-1.