"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."

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?"

"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."

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.

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.

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.

"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."

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.

"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."

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.

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."

"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 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."