Рухани өркендеу және ой-сананың дамуы

Concept in Indian religions, signifying contemplation and spiritual cultivation
the Sanskrit/Pali term

Bhāvanā (Pali; Sanskrit: भावना, also bhāvanā) literally means "development" or "cultivating" or "producing" 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.

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 bhavanas 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:

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" or "development of consciousness." kāya bhāvanā, translated as "development of body." 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. 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 (Sanskrit; Pali: jhāna), as practiced in samādhi, the 8th limb of the eightfold path.

In Jainism, bhāvana refers to "right conception or notion" or "the moral of a fable".