Gangaji

{{Short description|American spiritual teacher and writer (born 1942)}}

{{Infobox writer

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| birth_name = Merle Antoinette Roberson

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1942}}

| birth_place = Texas, U.S.

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| occupation = Spiritual writer

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| alma_mater = University of Mississippi

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Gangaji ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɑː|ŋ|ɡ|ə|dʒ|i}} {{respell|GAHNG|gə-jee}}; born Merle Antoinette Roberson in Texas, 1942) is an American Neo-Advaita spiritual teacher and writer.{{Cite journal |last=Lucas |first=Phillip Charles |date=2011-11-01 |title=When a Movement Is Not a Movement |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/nr/article/15/2/93/70569/When-a-Movement-Is-Not-a-MovementRamana-Maharshi |journal=Nova Religio |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=93–114 |doi=10.1525/nr.2011.15.2.93 |issn=1092-6690|url-access=subscription }}

Early life

Gangaji was born Merle Antoinette Roberson{{cite book | last=Altman | first=Michael J. | date=2022-04-28 | chapter=Spirituality: The hippies and the seekers find India | doi=10.4324/b22841 | title=Hinduism in America: An introduction | series=Religion in America | publication-place=London | publisher=Routledge | isbn=978-1-138-38938-0 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QaFhEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT173}}{{cite book | last=Vliegenthart | first=Dave | title=The secular religion of Franklin Merrell-Wolff: An intellectual history of anti-intellectualism in modern America | publication-place=Leiden | publisher=Brill | series=Numen Book Series | issn=0169-8834 | year=2018 | isbn=978-90-04-36107-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsZKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA270 | page=270}}{{cite book | last=Wessinger | first=Catherine | chapter=The second generation leaders of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) | editor-last=Hammer | editor-first=Olav | editor-last2=Rothstein | editor-first2=Mikael | title=Handbook of the Theosophical current | series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion | publication-place=Leiden | publisher=Brill | date=2013-01-09 | isbn=978-90-04-23596-0 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0VozAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 | pages=33-50, at p. 44}} in Texas in 1942, and grew up in Mississippi.{{cite book |last1=Gangaji |first2=Roslyn |last2=Moore |title=Just Like You, An Autobiography |publisher=Do Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=0-9646999-2-3 |page=137}}

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

Teachings

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

A video of Gangaji teaching about peace was used in the video game The Witness.{{Cite web |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=2016-01-25 |title=The Witness: The Kotaku Review |url=https://kotaku.com/the-witness-the-kotaku-review-1754919626 |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Grubb |first=Jeff |date=2016-09-13 |title=The Witness: What it means |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/the-witness-what-it-means/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}

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. The two reunited three months later, and also merged their foundations.{{Cite news |last=Plain |first=Robert |date=October 14, 2006 |title=Spiritual leaders' split leads to consolidation of groups |url=http://www.dailytidings.com/2006/1014/stories/1014_gangaji.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516202057/http://www.dailytidings.com/2006/1014/stories/1014_gangaji.php |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |work=Ashland Daily Tidings}}

Bibliography

=Books=

{{cite book |title=You are That! |year=1995 |publisher=Satsang Press |isbn=0-9632194-3-X |ref=none}}
{{cite book |title=Freedom and Resolve |year=1999 |publisher=Gangaji Foundation |isbn=1-887984-01-1 |ref=none}}
(with Roslyn Moore) {{cite book |title=Just Like You |year=2003 |publisher=DO Publishing |isbn=0-9646999-2-3 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |title=The Diamond in Your Pocket: Discovering Your True Radiance |year=2007 |publisher=Sounds True |isbn=978-1-59179-272-7 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |title=Hidden Treasure: Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story |year=2011 |publisher=Penguin Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-58542-887-8 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |title=Freedom and Resolve, Finding Your True Home in the Universe |year=2014 |publisher=Hampton Roads Publishing |isbn=978-1571747211 |ref=none}}

=Chapters=

{{cite book |editor-first=Rita |editor-last=Robinson |title=Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Wisdom: The Feminine Face of Awakening |publisher=O Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-84694-068-2 |pages=209–231 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |editor1-first=Ed |editor1-last=Shapiro |editor2-first=Deb |editor2-last=Shapiro |title=Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World |publisher=Sterling Ethos |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4027-6001-3 |pages= |ref=none}}