What is it that dies? A log of wood dies to become a few planks. The planks die to become a chair. The chair dies to become a piece of firewood, and the firewood dies to become ash. You give different names to the different shapes the wood takes, but the basic substance is there always. If we could always remember this, we would never worry about the loss of anything. We never lose anything; we never gain anything. By such discrimination we put an end to unhappiness. (118-119)
Swami SatchidanandaWe donโt exhaust the Bible even after reading it hundreds of times. Each time we read it we see it in a new light. That is the greatness of the holy scriptures. They are that way because they were created by holy prophets who experienced the truth. Each time we read these works we elevate ourselves to see a little more. (81)
Swami Satchidananda. . . I feel we donโt really need scriptures. The entire life is an open book, a scripture. Read it. Learn while digging a pit or chopping some wood or cooking some food. If you canโt learn from your daily activities, how are you going to understand the scriptures? (233)
Swami SatchidanandaWhen even one virtue becomes our nature, the mind becomes clean and tranquil. Then there is no need to practice meditation; we will automatically be meditating always. (151)
Swami Satchidananda[O]ur own bodies are changing every second. Yet we take the body to be our Self; and, speaking in terms of it, we say, โI am hungryโ or โI am lameโ; โI am blackโ or โI am white.โ These are all just the conditions of the body. We touch the truth when we say, โMy body aches,โ implying the body belongs to us and that therefore we are not that. (87)
Swami Satchidananda