by Sri Swami Satchidananda, from the book Adversity and Awakening:”The major cause of worry is the loss of people or the loss of material things in our lives. You may have lost someone or some thing. But don’t lose something else: your peace of mind. With the proper understanding you will realize you never came with anything and you are not going to go with anything.

It’s the mind that wants to cling to things, to possess things. As pure Self you don’t own anything. You utilize things in order to serve well. We come empty-handed and go empty-handed. In the meantime, if things come, enjoy them. Things are simply loaned for our use, they are not ours to possess. And if they go, accept that also. Realize there must be a good reason; because what we need will always be provided. But remember: What you need will be provided, not necessarily what you want….Death is nothing but changing the forms.

What you sow you reap. Don’t worry about the future and don’t worry about the past. A great thinker said the past and the future are not even visible. But what is visible? The golden present. Think of the golden present, sow what is necessary, what is right. Sow good thoughts, sow good deeds, and I am sure you will reap good fruits. There is no question about it. What you do comes back to you. What you sow, you reap. So do the right thing in the present, and don’t worry about the future. The people who worry about the future miss the present as well. You have something right now. You have it in the hand, something nice to eat; don’t think, “What will happen if I am hungry tomorrow?” By the time you find that out, someone will have snatched it from you. Always remember the golden present. Never miss it. A happier life is not given to you by someone else. Not even God can give you a happier life. Remember that. Happiness is in you. If you take care not to lose it, it is always there.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti”