''Bhāvanā'' (
Pali;
[Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā," retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" a]
Sanskrit: भावना, also ''bhāvanā''
[Monier-Williams (1899), p. 755, see "Bhāvana" and "Bhāvanā", retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Cologne" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0755-bhAvodaya.pdf .]) literally means "development" or "cultivating" or "producing"
in the sense of "calling into existence".
[ Nyanatiloka (1980), p. 67.] It is an important concept in
Buddhist practice (''Patipatti''). The word ''bhavana'' normally appears in conjunction with another word forming a compound phrase such as ''citta-bhavana'' (the development or cultivation of the heart/mind) or ''metta-bhavana'' (the development/cultivation of lovingkindness). When used on its own, ''bhavana'' signifies
contemplation and 'spiritual cultivation' generally.
Etymology
''Bhavana'' derives from the word ''
Bhava'' meaning ''becoming'' or the subjective process of arousing mental states.
To explain the cultural context of the historical Buddha's employment of the term, Glenn Wallis emphasizes ''bhavana''s sense of cultivation. He writes that a farmer performs ''bhavana'' when he or she prepares soil and plants a seed. Wallis infers the Buddha's intention with this term by emphasizing the terrain and focus on farming in northern India at the time in the following passage:
Hinduism
In
Hindu literature, bhavana is a concept that is often attributed to deities, such as
Krishna in the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
:
Buddhism
In the
Pali Canon ''bhāvanā'' is often found in a compound phrase indicating personal, intentional effort over time with respect to the development of that particular faculty. For instance, in the Pali Canon and post-canonical literature one can find the following compounds:
:* ''
citta-bhāvanā'', translated as "development of mind"
[See, e.g., DN 33.1.10(48), trans. by Walshe (1995), p. 486; and, MN 36, trans. by Ñāamoli & Bodhi (2001), pp. 332-343.]
Both DN 33 and MN 36 juxtapose ''citta-bhāvanā'' with ''kāya-bhāvanā''. In DN 33, it is said that there are three types of development: of body (''kāya''), of mind (''citta''), and of wisdom (''paññā''). In end notes to MN 36, Bodhi (pp. 1228-29, nn. 382, 384) states that the MN commentary explains that "development of the body" refers to insight and "development of mind" refers to ''samādhi''. or "development of consciousness."
:* ''kāya-bhāvanā'', translated as "development of body."
:* ''
mettā-bhāvanā'', translated as the "cultivation" or "development of benevolence."
:* ''
paññā-bhāvanā'', translated as "development of wisdom" or "development of understanding."
:* ''
samādhi-bhāvanā'', translated as "development of concentration."
In addition, in the Canon, the development (''bhāvanā'') of ''
samatha-
vipassana'' is lauded.
[See, e.g., in MN 151, the Buddha states that a bhikkhu who has developed '' samatha- vipassana'' (or any of the seven sets of Enlightenment-conducive qualities) "can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states" (trans., Ñāṇamoli & Bodhi, 2001, p. 1145). Additionally, AN 4.170 identifies three ways in which an arahant develops ''samatha-vipassana'': ''samatha'' first; ''vipassana'' first; or both in tandem (Nyanaponika & Bodhi, 1999, p. 114; and]
Thanissaro, 1998b).
See also the paracanonical Nett 91 (Rhys Davids & Stede, 1921-25, p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā", retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:3558.pal). Subsequently,
Theravada teachers have made use of the following compounds:
:* ''
samatha-bhāvanā'', meaning the development of tranquility.
:* ''
vipassanā-bhāvanā'', meaning the development of insight.
The word ''bhavana'' is sometimes translated into English as '
meditation' so that, for example, ''metta-bhavana'' may be translated as 'the meditation on loving-kindness'. Meditation is properly called ''
dhyana
Dhyana may refer to:
Meditative practices in Indian religions
* Dhyana in Buddhism (Pāli: ''jhāna'')
* Dhyana in Hinduism
* Jain Dhyāna, see Jain meditation
Other
*''Dhyana'', a work by British composer John Tavener (1944-2013)
* ''Dhyan ...
'' (Sanskrit; Pali: ''jhāna''), as practiced in
''samādhi'', the 8th limb of the eightfold path.
Jainism
In
Jainism, ''bhāvana'' refers to "right conception or notion" or "the moral of a fable".
See also
*
Ānāpānasati (''
Ānāpānasati Sutta
The ''Ānāpānasati Sutta'' (Pāli) or ''Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra'' (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," Majjhima Nikaya 118, is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (''anapana'') as an initial ...
'')
*
Anussati
*
Samatha
*
Vipassanā
* ''
Metta Sutta''
* ''
Mangala Sutta''
*
Buddhist meditation
*
Self-cultivation
Self-cultivation or personal cultivation () is the development of one's mind or capacities through one's own efforts. Self-cultivation is the cultivation, integration and coordination of mind and body. Although self-cultivation may be practiced ...
Notes
Sources
* Ireland, John D. (trans.) (1997). ''The Udāna & the Itivuttaka''. Kandy:
Buddhist Publication Society. . Retrieved 9 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" (1999, excerpts) at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/iti/iti.intro.irel.html.
*
Monier-Williams, Monier (1899, 1964). ''A Sanskrit-English Dictionary''. London: Oxford University Press. . Retrieved 2008-12-09 from "Cologne University" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/index.php?sfx=pdf.
* Ñāamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) &
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2001). ''The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. .
*
Nyanatiloka Mahathera, ''Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Terms And Doctrines'',
Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, fourth Edition, 1980
* Nyanaponika Thera (trans.) & Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans., ed.) (1999). ''Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Aguttara Nikāya''. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. .
*
Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead:
Pali Text Society. Retrieved 2008-12-09 from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
*
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1995). ''Pabhassara Sutta: Luminous'' (
AN 1.49-52). Retrieved 9 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an01/an01.049.than.html.
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). ''Samadhi Sutta: Concentration'' (
AN 4.41). Retrieved 11 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.041.than.html.
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998a). ''Culavedalla Sutta: The Shorter Set of Questions-and-Answers'' (
MN 44). Retrieved 11 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.044.than.html.
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998b). ''Yuganaddha Sutta: In Tandem'' (
AN 4.170). Retrieved 11 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.170.than.html.
* Thanissaro, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2004). ''Karaniya Metta Sutta: Good Will'' (
Sn 1.8). Retrieved 9 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.than.html.
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''Ekadhamma Suttas: A Single Thing'' (
AN 1.21-24). Retrieved 9 December 2008 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an01/an01.021-040.than.html.
* Walshe, Maurice (1995). ''The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Dīgha Nikāya''. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. .
{{Buddhism topics
Buddhist meditation
Mindfulness (Buddhism)
Buddhist philosophical concepts
Hindu philosophical concepts