Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), author of Autobiography of a Yogi, spent 32 years teaching meditation and the art of spiritual living in the United States. Many of his writings, such as this collection of essays, are now distributed through the Self-Realization Fellowship, an international society he founded.

"Peace," according to Yogananda, "emanates from the soul, and is the sacred inner environment in which true happiness unfolds." One person who achieved this was Jesus; he was always poised, even in stressful situations. Why? He carried inside him "a peaceable kingdom of calmness."

How does one achieve this inner tranquility and even mindedness? Through meditation, through silence, through honoring the Sabbath. Yogananda challenges us to not be enslaved to the "static coming through your mind radio." And he counsels us not to give in to the restlessness of modern life, the toxic poison of anger, or the self-destructiveness of fear. He concludes: "Without regular deposits of peace in your life account, you will run out of strength, calmness, and happiness." Now that's a wise investment to make.