धर्म , ध्यान एवं समाधी - आचार्य महाप्रज्ञ
If one does not know how to swim, he needs a boat to cross the river. If he wanted to cross the river of life, he would need a special kind of boat. Bhavana is such a boat. One can use it at any time he likes; it is capable of carrying him to any destination he likes to go to. Bhavana means repeating an idea or thought time and again। According to Patanjali, meditation has three forms: Dharana (idea or image formation), Dhyana (contemplation) and Samadhi (ecstasy)। According to the Jain discipline, they are: Bhavana, Dhyana and Samadhi, Dharana and Bhavana are one and the same thing। Bhavana may be defined as concentration of the mind on some subject, mental or objective। It is the first stage, Dhyana is the second and Samadhi the third। Bhavana, contemplation on some object and Japa (chanting of a Mantra) belong to the same category। The difference in the terms has been dictated by practical necessities। Japa means concentration on the image of some person or object and absorption in ...