Bhavana

Bhāvanā (Pali;[1] Sanskrit: भावना, also bhāvanā[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 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.

  1. ^ a b Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25), p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā," retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" at [1].
  2. ^ a b 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 Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ See various translations cited in the notes below.
  4. ^ Matthieu Ricard has said this in a talk.
  5. ^ Nyanatiloka (1980), p. 67.