This wonderful book has been transcribed from five lectures on Buddhist philosophy by the late Venerable Mahathera Madawela Punnaji. It follows on the heels of his successful book, Letting Go of ‘Self’: Lessons in Buddhist Psychology (June 2021, Amazon). Life Examined: Lessons in Buddhist Philosophy reveals the pitfalls of an unexamined life and shows how a change in our philosophy of life can free us from suffering by:

•Exploring how human thinking evolved up to the present.

•Discovering how the Buddha’s thinking surpassed all human thinking with an extraordinary view of life.

.•Learning stepwise the meaning of truth, goodness, happiness, existence, and non-existence.

•Integrating and experiencing the above philosophical analyses into your life and verifying them in your own experience.

•Living an authentic life guided by the Buddha’s philosophy with confidence.

Book Review by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

From the teachings of a brilliant and dedicated monk, and beautifully edited by Mahendra Wijayasinghe, this is clear and helpful overview of central ideas from the original teachings of the Buddha - particularly as they are approached in the Theravadan tradition centered in Southeast Asia. These ideas are not mere abstractions, but potent catalysts for personal transformation. A boon and a blessing to explore, with benefits rippling through the person reading this book and onward to touch many others.

Rick Hanson is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 31 languages – with over a million copies in English alone. He has lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, taught in meditation centers worldwide, and been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. Two of his books are Neuro Dharma and Buddha’s Brain. (https://www.rickhanson.net/)

Book Review by Leigh Brasington

A very nice dive into Epistemology, Ethics, Aesthetics and Ontology. These are all explained in very clear detail including different philosophical approaches and, most importantly, how they are taught in Buddhism. Definitely worth reading.

Leigh Brasington is a disciple of the late Sister Ayya Khema and author/teacher of jhāna meditation in the US and elsewhere (http://www.leighb.com/). He is the author of “Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhānas.”

Bhante Punnaji’s intensive, scientific research into original Buddhism produced many books, including Return to Tranquility; Ascending the Supernormal Eightfold Way; Buddha the Radical Shrink: Buddhist Psychotherapy; and Beyond the Horizon of Time - Is Reincarnation Buddhist?

In Letting Go of ‘Self,’ he teaches that the ‘self’- identity or ‘notion of self’ is indeed a tragedy because it carries with it all the miseries of life. The Buddha and his Awakened disciples let go of the ‘self’- identity, which all Buddhists attempt to do in their practice. It involves sacrificing what one cherishes most, the feeling of ‘being.’ Bhante Punnaji explains how we can turn our lives into a joyful existences by gaining freedom from the ‘notion of self.’ Those who feel their ‘self’-identity crushed or rejected struggle the most with letting go; they can be defensive and anchored to their ‘notion of self.’ Yet freedom lies only in letting go of one’s false ‘self.’

Students and seekers of all backgrounds will find this simple, logical presentation indispensable.

Book Review by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

Monastically trained teachers, with a life of deep practice, are often the best guides to the deep teachings of the Buddha. This book is no exception, with its comprehensive unpacking of the myriad mental activities that are conventionally bundled together and construed as "I" or "me" or "mine." As the Buddha pointed out, this presumption of a kind of unified, unchanging, and independent entity "inside" us is both unfounded in our direct experience, and a fundamental source of much suffering and harm - as we believe ourselves to be separated and isolated and beleaguered, take life oh so personally, get attached to "my" views, and seek to defend and glorify "me, myself, and I." Grounded in deep practice and great scholarship, this is a wonderful, useful book.

This book explains the “why” and “how” of Satipatthāna meditation within the framework of the Eightfold Way for anyone seeking stepwise instructions to begin practicing Satipatthāna.

Teachings and practices unique to this book:

Satipatthāna is introspection and not mindfulness. It is the result of introversion of attention (sammā sati) followed by constant observation (sampajañña) of the inner unconscious reactions to external events, memories, and imaginations.

• The two essential yet often overlooked techniques to purify the mind before beginning satipatthāna meditation.

• Breathing meditation (Ānāpānasati) is an exercise in relaxation rather than concentration; and risk of a hypnotic state by concentrating rather than relaxing the body and calming the mind.

• Emphasize relaxing the body, purifying the mind, and achieving happiness through constant awareness of inner unconscious emotional reactions.

• Daily Q & A sessions and an exclusive 30-year collection of Qs & As on Buddhism and meditation with the author.

• The Seven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga) is Insight Meditation (Vipassana).