Thank you Hamid for sharing this profound/delightful video!

Gangaji: Chasing Desires, Overlooking Fulfillment

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Exploration of Wants, Peace, and Awareness
Analysis of a dialogue exploring the nature of desires, the pursuit of peace, and the discovery of inner stillness.

    

Main Themes:

1. The Paradox of Wants and Peace: The conversation begins with the Participant grappling with the concept of “wants.” She expresses a desire to “not be so wanting,” ultimately revealing that her deepest desire is for peace. Gangaji guides her to recognize that the peace she seeks is not something to be attained, but rather is already present. This is a key point: the pursuit of external desires often obscures the inherent peace within. As the Participant notes, “I notice when my mind talks about these wants that I leave the present.” The pursuit of wants leads to a departure from the present moment and from peace. Gangaji concurs: “You leave the peace…the illusion of Go in search of the illusion. That’s what Maya is.
2. The Mind’s Illusory Search: The dialogue highlights how the mind creates the illusion that peace lies in the fulfillment of desires or in achieving a particular state. This is described as “Maya” or the “play of the mind.” Gangaji explains that the mind searches for a “permanent peace or certain peace” but this is an illusion. The search itself is seen as the primary obstacle to experiencing the peace that is already present. This constant seeking leads to a departure from the present moment, which is where peace can be found.
3. Present Moment Awareness: Gangaji emphasizes the importance of focusing on the present moment, stating, “I’m only talking about this moment ever. Nothing else is relevant.” Gangaji encourages the Participant to stop looking for peace and to instead notice that it is already there in the present moment. The act of stopping the search is presented as a key to experiencing peace. Gangaji asks, “Just right now will you stop looking. Is peace absent?” The Participant discovers that the answer is no. By stopping the search, the presence of peace can be realized.
4. The Nature of Inner Stillness: The dialogue delves into the exploration of inner stillness. After recognizing her frustration, fear, and hopelessness, the Participant is guided to “fall into” these feelings to reach the still place underneath them. This is not a flat or stagnant stillness but “a still place that is vibrating…It’s alive.” This vibrant stillness is where peace resides and who she really is. This is crucial: underneath surface-level emotions lies a dynamic stillness that is one’s true nature.
5. Metaphor of Death and Unclarity: Gangaji uses the metaphors of death and unclarity to illustrate how one must let go of preconceived notions and expectations in order to experience inner peace. “This is a kind of like death. Like the experience of death, only now it’s cloudiness, unclarity.” The act of allowing unclarity to “have you totally” is a way to release the mind’s attempt to control and understand. When the unclarity is met without judgment or the need to transcend it, the spaciousness and stillness of awareness are revealed. The conversation notes that “in an instant of actually letting unclarity be there, there was no unclarity.”
6. The Deeper Experience: Gangaji introduces the concept of “deeper” not as something heavier or more still, but as more spacious: “Less present to who you think you are. More present to who you are. That’s deeper and that’s endlessly deep. Because then you find yourself everywhere.” Deeper means finding oneself everywhere, in all mind states and emotions, by fully inhabiting them without resistance.
7. The Challenge of Belief: The conversation touches on the challenge of believing that peace is readily available. Because the culture does not teach this, the mind searches and goes back to patterns of desire. “Because the experience of what is always here is so unconfirmed in our culture, in our lives, in our churches, that we don’t believe it. We don’t think it could be that easy.” The Participant confirms this when she immediately looks for the “unclarity” again, even after experiencing its absence.

    

Key Ideas/Facts:

• Peace is inherent: The core idea is that peace is not something to be achieved, but an inherent quality of being that is always present. “So what is it you want? Peace. And where were you looking at? Oh. Anywhere. Nowhere.”
• Desires are often rooted in a search for peace: Despite appearing as desires for specific things, many desires are ultimately attempts to find the peace that is already present. “You mean following the desires will take you to peace? No… that’s what’s underlying the desire.”
• The mind creates illusion through the search: The mind creates the illusion that peace lies outside, leading to an endless search and a departure from the present. “I got it. It was all very clear, and now I’m trying to, get it. Recall it…It’s very good… Yes. Exactly. That’s that’s the secret. It gets easier and easier. The challenges get harder and harder.”
• Present moment awareness is key to experiencing peace: Focusing on the present moment, without judgment or searching, allows the inherent peace to be experienced. “Right now will you stop looking. Is peace absent? No. That’s right.”
• Inner stillness is a vibrant awareness: Inner stillness is not empty or dull, but a dynamic and alive presence that lies beneath surface-level emotions. “Is this a still place that is flat? Or is this a still place that is vibrating?”
• Experiencing “unclarity” can lead to clarity: By fully embracing moments of confusion or unclarity, without trying to fix or escape them, one can find clarity and spaciousness. “Just be that unclarity, so that you will know directly what unclarity is in this moment.”
• Deeper means more spaciousness, not more stillness: The deepening awareness isn’t about a heavier stillness, but about becoming spacious enough to encompass all experiences as part of your true nature. “Less present to who you think you are. More present to who you are. That’s deeper and that’s endlessly deep.”

   

Conclusion:

This dialogue provides a powerful framework for understanding the nature of desires and the path to inner peace. It suggests that true peace is not found through external pursuits or the fulfillment of desires, but through a shift in awareness, a willingness to fully inhabit the present moment, and an acceptance of all experiences. The core message is that who you truly are is always here, peacefully, in stillness, and that it is accessible by stopping the mind’s illusory search.