Bhāvanā (Pali;[1]Sanskrit: भावना, alsobhāvanā[2]) literally means "development"[3] or "cultivating"[4] or "producing"[1][2] in the sense of "calling into existence".[5] It is an important concept inBuddhist practice (Patipatti). The wordbhavana normally appears in conjunction with another word forming a compound phrase such ascitta-bhavana (the development or cultivation of the heart/mind) ormetta-bhavana (the development/cultivation ofloving-kindness). When used on its own,bhavana signifiescontemplation and 'spiritual cultivation' generally.
Bhavana derives from the wordBhava meaningbecoming or the subjective process of arousing mental states.
To explain the cultural context of the historical Buddha's employment of the term, Glenn Wallis emphasizesbhavana's sense of cultivation. He writes that a farmer performsbhavana 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:
I imagine that when Gotama, the Buddha, chose this word to talk about meditation, he had in mind the ubiquitous farms and fields of his native India. Unlike our words 'meditation' or 'contemplation,' Gotama’s term is musty, rich, and verdant. It smells of the earth. The commonness of his chosen term suggests naturalness, everydayness, ordinariness. The term also suggests hope: no matter how fallow it has become, or damaged it may be, a field can always be cultivated — endlessly enhanced, enriched, developed — to produce a favorable and nourishing harvest.[6]
O Puruṣottama, Supreme Person! O Bhūta-bhāvana, creator of beings! O Bhūteśa, father of all created beings! O Deva-deva, God of gods! O Jagat-pati, Master of the universe! You alone know Yourself by Your own potency.
In thePali Canonbhāvanā 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"[8][9] or "development of consciousness."
kāya-bhāvanā, translated as "development of body."[8]
mettā-bhāvanā, translated as the "cultivation"[10] or "development of benevolence."[11]
paññā-bhāvanā, translated as "development of wisdom"[12] or "development of understanding."
samādhi-bhāvanā, translated as "development of concentration."[13]
In addition, in the Canon, the development (bhāvanā) ofsamatha-vipassana is lauded.[14] Subsequently,Theravada teachers have made use of the following compounds:
samatha-bhāvanā, meaning the development of tranquility.[5]
vipassanā-bhāvanā, meaning the development of insight.[5]
The wordbhavana 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 calleddhyana (Sanskrit; Pali:jhāna), as practiced insamādhi, the 8th limb of the eightfold path.
^Glenn Wallis, Bhavana: A Guide to Classical Buddhist Meditation, 2009, draft copy, p. 7"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved2011-04-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^abSee, e.g.,DN 33.1.10(48), trans. by Walshe (1995), p. 486; and,MN 36, trans. by Ñāṇamoli & Bodhi (2001), pp. 332–343. Both DN 33 and MN 36 juxtaposecitta-bhāvanā withkāya-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 MNcommentary explains that "development of the body" refers toinsight and "development of mind" refers tosamādhi.
^See, e.g.,Sn 1.8,Metta Sutta, trans. byThanissaro (2004).Archived 2017-05-13 at theWayback Machine The compoundmetta-bhāvanā does not actually exist in this sutta, but the sutta famously mentions that one should "cultivate" (bhāvaye) a limitless heart ofmetta.
[Layperson Visākha:] "Now what is concentration, lady, what qualities are its themes, what qualities are its requisites, and what is its development [samādhibhāvanāti]?"
[Bhikkhuni Dhammadinnā:] "Singleness of mind is concentration, friend Visakha; thefour frames of reference are its themes; thefour right exertions are its requisites; and any cultivation, development, & pursuit of these qualities is its development."
Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) &Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2001).The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications.ISBN0-86171-072-X.
Nyanaponika Thera (trans.) & Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans., ed.) (1999).Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Aṇguttara Nikāya. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.ISBN0-7425-0405-0.
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