Bhikkhu Ñānananda is a Buddhist monk of Sri Lanka. Before his ordination he was an assistant lecturer in Pali at the University of Peradeniya. After entering the Buddhist Order in 1969 he has resided mostly in remote hermitages.

In this book the author, a contemplative Buddhist monk, draws from his broad knowledge of the Buddha's teachings to shed new light on a perennial problem of philosophy, indicated by the book's title. This work focuses upon two important but controversial terms found in the Buddha's discourses-papañca and papañcasaññā-saṅkhā. The author sees these terms as referring to the mind's conceptual proliferation, its tendency to create a screen of concepts by which it misinterprets the basic data of experience. He shows the characteristic Buddhist teaching of "non-self" to have new dimensions of significance, not only in the context of Buddhism but also in relation to philosophy, psychology, and ethics. Copious quotations from the Buddhist texts provide increased knowledge and new interpretations of obscure passages. This book will serve as a stimulating source of insights into the deep meaning of the Dhamma.