ภาวนาคือการทำให้มีให้เป็นขึ้นมา ตั้งแต่บริกรรมภาวนา บริกรรมนิมิต ไปจนถึงดวงอัปปนาสมาธิและดวงธรรม แต่ละขั้นตอนล้วนต้องทำให้มีให้เป็นซ้ำ ๆ ด้วยความเพียร และคำว่าภาวนาในทานศีลภาวนาก็หมายถึงขั้นตอนของสมาธินี้เองBhāvanā means bringing something into being — from mantra recitation and the mental image, all the way to the sphere of full absorption and the dhamma sphere. Every stage must be brought into being repeatedly through diligence, and the word "bhāvanā" in the phrase "giving, morality, meditation" refers to this very stage of concentration.
Someone asked: how many meanings does the word "bhāvanā" (meditation/development) have?
Bhāvanā Means Bringing Something Into Being
Pra Ajarn explained that bhāvanā means bringing something into being. When we practice meditation, we are bringing a -state, or , into being for the first time. That dhamma-state, once brought into being in each present moment, induces pure energy to flow in, making it clean and pure. Once we've brought purity into being to the point of gathering a mass of purity, the presence of light, or of , arises. Gathering the mass of that feeling turns the bright sphere into a clear sphere — bringing each stage into being in turn: from a bright sphere to a clear sphere, from a clear sphere to a sphere of full absorption (appanā-) that can be shrunk, expanded, and moved forward, sideways, or backward — meaning it becomes controllable.
From Mantra Recitation to the Dhamma Sphere: Bringing Each Stage Into Being
We must bring each developmental stage into being, in order to enter the middle path, starting from the most basic foundation — mantra recitation and the mental image — which must be brought into being within the mind, until the sound of the recited mantra becomes a sound more beautiful than any ever heard in the human world. This sound arises on its own, strengthening our faith, developing further into a mental image that appears on its own as a Buddha image or a sphere of light, deepening our faith further — bringing into being a light that flickers between dark and bright until it becomes continuous. From continuous light, it develops into the full presence of a bright sphere; from a bright sphere, into a clear, bright sphere; from a clear bright sphere, into the sphere of full absorption; from the sphere of full absorption, it moves to the body's center, , causing a "falling to the center," and the dhamma sphere then appears. Every one of these stages is called bhāvanā — the act of bringing something into being.
Repeat With Diligence Until It Truly Comes Into Being
Having practiced, we must ask ourselves: has this refined stage truly come into being yet, or not? If not, we bring it into being one stage at a time, gradually, developing with diligence and perseverance, bringing each stage into being in turn. As long as it hasn't yet come into being, we repeat, again and again, continuously, until it does. This very act of bringing something into being is what's called bhāvanā.
"Bhāvanā" in "Giving, Morality, Meditation" Is This Same Stage of Concentration
The questioner then asked: does the word "bhāvanā" in the mantra "sammā-arahaṃ" carry the same meaning as "bhāvanā" in the phrase "giving, morality, meditation" (dāna--bhāvanā)? Pra Ajarn confirmed that yes, it does — in "giving, morality, meditation," the word "bhāvanā" refers to concentration itself, the stage of concentration that must be brought into being. This differs from morality, which is complete once undertaken — one need only reflect on thereafter. Giving is simply the act of giving. Concentration, though, is the ongoing act of bringing something into being — which is why a separate term, bhāvanā, is used for it. It must be brought into being, again and again, before it can truly succeed and become firmly established.