Beyond Words presents the essence of Swami Satchidananda’s teachings, including his gentle humor, practical wisdom, profound insights and deep vision. Through stories, puns, parables, and examples, he enables his readers to discover for themselves the peace and joy that is within us all. Spiritual awakening or enlightenment is an experience that is beyond the spoken or written word, beyond even the grasp of the finite mind. Still, we have to use words, even to talk about spiritual truths. We are all searching for inner peace and happiness.

This book offers insight into how you can find what you are searching for through the ancient wisdom of the East, which is beyond words but Sri Swamiji makes easily accessible. As he explains in this book: “We are peace personified, we are happiness personified and when we miss that happiness, we want it again. In whatever we do, we are looking for that happiness. Can anybody ever say, ‘I’m doing all this because I want to be unhappy?' No. Even the people who want to end their lives want to be happy by putting an end to their unhappiness. They are after that happiness even at the cost of their life...."

"If you want to see peace in the world outside, you must first see to it that your own mind is at peace. If you want to see a world free of greed, hatred and jealousy, you must first see that your own mind is free of those qualities. As long as there are disturbances in your own mind, you will see disturbances in the world outside. So first put the person together and automatically you will be helping to put the world together. Find the peace in yourself so that you can help others realize their own peace."