Significance of Bhavana
Bhavana is a multifaceted term significant in various philosophical and spiritual traditions, primarily emphasizing meditative practices and mental cultivation. In Jainism, it relates to spiritual growth through reflections and internalization of teachings, whereas in Buddhism, it embodies mental development aimed at mindfulness and insight. Ayurveda employs Bhavana as a pharmaceutical process to enhance the potency of medicinal formulations. Overall, Bhavana underscores the importance of focused meditation and practice in achieving spiritual and therapeutic advancements.
Synonyms: Contemplation, Meditation, Reflection, Introspection
In Dutch: Bhavana
In Finnish: Bhavana
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Buddhist concept of 'Bhavana'
Bhavana in Buddhism encompasses mental development and cultivation through meditation, focusing on practices like samatha and vipassana. It aims to enhance wholesome thoughts, awareness, and spiritual growth towards achieving enlightenment and liberation.
From: A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada
(1) Bhavana signifies the development of mental training that can lead to jhana, or deep concentration.[1] (2) The practice of mental cultivation that helps restrain the mind and develop wholesome thoughts and actions.[2] (3) Mental cultivation focused on developing mindfulness and insight, crucial for advancing on the path to Nibbana.[3] (4) The practice of mental development or meditation, specifically referencing vipassana practice as a good act leading to liberation.[4] (5) The Buddhist term for development or cultivation of the mind, particularly through meditation practices.[5]
From: Dhammapada (Illustrated)
(1) Mind training or meditation practice aimed at developing qualities such as loving-kindness and true wisdom.[6] (2) The practice or cultivation of meditation aimed at mental development and self-improvement.[7] (3) The process of mental culture and development that leads to good behavior and happiness, often associated with meditation.[8] (4) Meditation or mental development practices aimed at cultivating positive mental states or qualities.[9]
From: Cetasikas
(1) Bhavana means mental development or cultivation, particularly aiming at developing calm (samatha) and insight (vipassana) to facilitate the growth of kusala.[10] (2) Mental development, particularly through the cultivation of mindfulness and understanding of reality.[11] (3) Mental cultivation or development, typically through meditation and understanding the teachings.[12] (4) Mental development or cultivation, often associated with meditation practices.[13]
From: Abhidhamma in Daily Life (by Ashin Janakabhivamsa)
(1) Bhávaná refers to the development or cultivation of the mind, specifically through practices that purify the mind.[14] (2) The practice of mental development or meditation aimed at cultivating mindfulness and insight for better rebirth.[15]
From: A Manual of Abhidhamma
(1) Meditation practice which is divided into two types: samatha (calm) and vipassana (insight).[16] (2) The mental development or cultivation leading to awareness and enlightenment.[17]
From: Patipada (path of practice)
(1) The mental training and development in meditation aimed at cultivating mindfulness and insight.[18] (2) The cultivation of the mind through meditation and mindfulness to progress in spiritual practice.[19]
From: Abhidhamma in Daily Life
(1) Mental development, including practices like samatha, vipassana, and the study or teaching of Dhamma.[20]
From: Patthana Dhamma
(1) Mental cultivation or development, particularly associated with practices leading to jhana; it is essential for enhancing one's spiritual development.[21]
From: Tattvasangraha [with commentary]
(1) Translates to 'Habit' and encompasses habitual behaviors and their impact on feelings and attachments.[22]
From: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
(1) The practice of mental cultivation in Buddhism, which helps in realizing the true nature of dharmas.[23]
Hindu concept of 'Bhavana'
In Hinduism, Bhavana encompasses various processes used in traditional medicine, particularly in Ayurveda, involving the mixing, grinding, and treatment of ingredients with specific substances to enhance their medicinal properties and form individual experiences.
From: Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 4: Iatrochemistry
(1) The process applied to the mixture, which involves rubbing and mixing the ingredients.[24] (2) A process of subjecting the compound to treatment with decoctions for enhancement.[25] (3) A process in the preparation where the compound is subjected to a specific method of treatment to enhance its medicinal properties.[26] (4) A process in Ayurvedic medicine involving repeated mixing with specific juices or decoctions to enhance the medicinal properties.[27] (5) A process mentioned in which the mixture is treated with specific substances (biles) in succession.[28]
From: Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 2: Minerals (uparasa)
(1) A process that involves the use of specific substances, including cowdung and cow's urine, to treat or solidify mercury.[29] (2) The process of subjecting shilajatu to specific treatments with decoctions or juices for strengthening.[30] (3) A method of layering or processing in Ayurveda which, when applied to essence of mica, helps it assume a black appearance signifying its readiness for use.[31] (4) A method involving rubbing Haritala with various juices multiple times to enhance its purification.[32] (5) A method used to treat the separated layers of mica with the juice of tanduliyaka and sour liquid.[33]
From: Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 3: Metals, Gems and other substances
(1) A term indicating a process or practice involving meditative concentration or visualization, particularly in the context of spiritual or medicinal applications.[34] (2) A process that involves repeated application or treatment with specific substances to achieve desired effects on iron.[35] (3) A process of subjecting metals to a specific treatment multiple times, enhancing their purification.[36] (4) A process involving the application of specific substances repeatedly as part of the preparation or incineration of iron.[37] (5) A process of treatment involving the application of certain substances, such as blood of bugs, to diamonds.[38]
From: Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 1: Initiation, Mercury and Laboratory
(1) A technique of rubbing and mixing ingredients repeatedly to improve their properties in the metal transformation processes.[39] (2) The process of adding or mixing substances with mercury to enhance its properties.[40] (3) A traditional alchemical procedure involving repeated applications of ingredients such as juices and flowers to empower mercury for transformation.[41] (4) A process that involves rubbing or treating a substance with another to enhance its properties.[42] (5) The process of subjecting a metal to treatment with juices from corresponding plant groups for color alteration.[43]
From: Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 5: Treatment of various afflictions
(1) A process involving the mixing and treatment of ingredients with other substances for medicinal preparation.[44] (2) A traditional method of processing herbs or ingredients to enhance their therapeutic properties.[45]
From: Vakyapadiya of Bhartrihari
(1) The concept of 'bringing about', related to the root of a verb expressing action.[46] (2) The process of giving form to consciousness, illustrating how experiences shape understanding.[47] (3) The tendency to act according to the nature of the different classes of beings, which can be inherited or arise in this life.[48] (4) A term relating to the notion of development or a process in association with action expressed through suffixes.[49]
From: Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)
(1) Describes the tendency to act in accordance with one's inherent nature, accompanying the manifestations of Pratibha.[50]
From: Laghu-yoga-vasistha
(1) Mental formations or thoughts that create individual experiences in the world.[51] (2) The process of thought formation or mental contemplation that can lead to attachments or liberation depending on its nature.[52]
From: Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya Vartika
(1) A form of meditation intended to cultivate awareness, noted as unnecessary for realizing Brahman.[53]
From: Vastu-shastra (Introduction to Indian architecture)
(1) A term describing a grand mansion and its architectural features, referenced in the context of building types.[54]
From: Parama Samhita (English translation)
(1) A house set aside for worship, where divine grace is believed to extend only to the family conducting the worship.[55]
From: Bhajana-Rahasya
(1) The mood or sentiment cultivated during devotional practices that lead to deeper engagement and connection with the divine.[56]
Jain concept of 'Bhavana'
In Jainism, Bhavana encompasses meditative practices and reflections essential for spiritual growth, internalizing teachings, and supporting religious exercises, along with referring to heavenly realms and the abodes of the Bhavanavasi devas.
From: Bhagavati-sutra (Viyaha-pannatti)
(1) The first type of heaven mentioned where souls can be lodged.[57] (2) Refers to realms or divisions where different Indras, along with their respective bodyguard gods, reside; includes a total of 6,000 for other Indras.[58] (3) The term used for the abodes of the Bhavanavasi devas, indicating the spaces they occupy.[59]
From: Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra
(1) (भावना, bhavana), refers to supporting clause to mahavratas.[60] (2) Meditations focused on various aspects of existence and understanding, crucial for spiritual development.[61]
From: Uttaradhyayana Sutra
(1) Religious exercises or meditative practices that lead to specific kinds of spiritual development or deterioration.[62] (2) A term that likely refers to the meditative practices or reflections that lead to spiritual growth and understanding.[63]
From: Yogadrstisamuccaya of Haribhadra Suri (Study)
(1) The practice of internalizing and embodying the essence of the teachings through repeated contemplation.[64]
The concept of Bhavana in scientific sources
Bhavana refers to a crucial Ayurvedic process involving the mixing of powdered materials with liquids to enhance medicinal potency, efficacy, and transformation through trituration and levigation, ensuring improved therapeutic properties of herbal formulations and treatments.
From: International Ayurvedic Medical Journal
(1) A traditional Ayurvedic practice of trituration and processing herbs with liquids to enhance their therapeutic properties.[65] (2) A pharmaceutical process involving the addition of liquid herbal extracts to materials to facilitate their absorption and efficacy.[66] (3) A pharmaceutical process in Ayurveda that involves mixing herbal juices or decoctions with powders for enhancing medicinal properties.[67] (4) An important Samskara that alters a drug's potency and characteristics through the mixing of ingredients, enhancing its properties.[68] (5) The process of impregnation or levigation in Ayurveda, where medicinal substances are mixed with liquid ingredients to enhance their efficacy.[69]
From: World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
(1) Bhavana refers to a process of mixing and trituration with a liquid, enhancing the medicinal properties of the formulation.[70] (2) A process of triturating medicinal substances until they reach a desired consistency, often used in preparing Ayurvedic medicines.[71] (3) A process in Ayurveda involving the trituration of ingredients with a specific liquid to enhance the properties of the formulation, employed in the preparation of Yashada Bhasma.[72] (4) The process of wet grinding with various juices to enhance the properties of medical formulations like Tribhuvan Kirti Ras.[73] (5) A process of levigation or mixing with specific media to enhance the properties of materials in Ayurvedic preparation.[74]
From: Journal of Ayurveda and Holistic Medicine
(1) The process of incorporating a liquid into a powder to enhance its qualities, used in the preparation of Khageshwara Rasa.[75] (2) The process of trituration mentioned in the preparation of herbal formulations to enhance their efficacy.[76] (3) A pharmaceutical process in Ayurveda where a powdered substance is mixed with liquid until the liquid is absorbed, enhancing the drug's properties.[77] (4) The method involving addition of liquids to powdered metals and grinding them, used for different purification needs.[78] (5) A process in Ayurveda where powdered drugs are treated with liquids to enhance their potency and effectiveness.[79]
From: AYU (Journal of Research in Ayurveda)
(1) A special method in Ayurveda for enhancing the bioavailability of drugs by triturating them with the Svarasa or decoction of another drug during preparation.[80] (2) A process in Ayurvedic practice where substances are mixed with liquids to enhance therapeutic properties.[81] (3) A process where two or more materials are uniformly mixed to induce medicinal properties and reduce particle size.[82] (4) The process of levigation used in Bhasma preparation, where the metal is mixed with specific liquids for effective transformation.[83]
From: Ancient Science of Life
(1) A technique in Ayurvedic medicine where materials are processed with liquids, such as lime juice or water, to enhance their properties.[84] (2) A term referring to the traditional preparation methods in Ayurveda, which were applied to create Amalaki Rasayana.[85] (3) The process of triturating with added liquids to prepare a mixture, often used in the preparation of Kajjali during Marana.[86]
From: Ayushdhara journal
(1) The method of steeping powders of herbs or minerals with liquid substances before trituration, aimed at enhancing their properties and efficacy.[87] (2) Medicinal preparations involving specific processes meant to enhance the qualities and effectiveness of the primary ingredient, as used in the preparation of Gandhak Rasayana.[88]
From: Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine
(1) A process in Ayurvedic preparations where one substance is coated with another to enhance its medicinal efficacy.[89]