1. Bهَثَ
“becoming”, (form of) rebirth, (state of) existence, a “life.” There are 3 states of existence conventionally enumerated as kāma˚ rūpa˚, arūpa˚; or sensual existence, deva-corporeal, formless existence (cp. rūpa) DN.ii.57; DN.iii.216; SN.ii.3 SN.iv.258; AN.ii.223; AN.iii.444; Mnd.48; Cnd. s.v. dhātu B. Vism.210 = DN-a.i.34; Vism.529; Vb-a.204
■ Another view is represented by the division of bhava into kamma˚; and upapatti˚; (uppatti˚), or the active functioning of a life in relation to the fruitional, or resultant way of the next life (cp. Cpd. 43) Vb.137 Vism.571; Vb-a.183; also in def. of bhava at Cnd.471 (kamma˚ and paṭisandhika punabbhava)
■ In the “causal chain” (Paṭicca-samuppāda, q.v.) bhava is represented as condition of birth (jāti), or resultant force for new birth
■ See Snp.361, Snp.514, Snp.742, Snp.839, Snp.923 Snp.1055, Snp.1133; Dhp.348; Mnd.274; Vb.294, Vb.358; Vism.556 sq.; Dhp-a.iv.221; Sdhp.33, Sdhp.333, Sdhp.335
■ On itibhav’ ābhava see iti, and add ref. Vb.375
■ A remarkable use of bhava as nt. (obstr.) to bhū (in cpd.) is to be noted in the def. given by Bdhgh. of divya = divi bhavaṃ (for divi-bhū) Kp-a.227; Snp-a.199; and mānasaṃ = manasi bhavaṃ (for manasi-bhū) Kp-a.248, cp. Pāṇini iv.3, 53 Similarly āroga bhava health Dhp-a.i.328 for ˚bhava-Cp. anu˚, vi˚, sam˚.
-agga the best (state of) existence, the highest point of existence (among the gods) Ja.iii.84; Vb.426; Mil.132; Kp-a.179, Kp-a.249; Snp-a.17, Snp-a.41, Snp-a.507; often as highest “heaven” as opposed to Avīci, the lowest hell; thus at Ja.iv.182; Ja.vi.354; Mil.336. -aṅga constituent of becoming, function of being, functional state of subconsciousness i.e. subliminal consciousness or subconscious life-continuum, the vital continuum in the absence of any process (of mind, or attention) (thus Mrs Rh. D. in Expos. 185 n.), subconscious individual life See on term Cpd. 26 sq., 265–267; & cp.; Dhs trsl. 134, Ja.vi.82; Mil.299 sq.; Vism.164, Vism.676; Dhs-a.72, Dhs-a.140 Dhs-a.269; Dhp-a.i.23; Vb-a.81, Vb-a.156 sq., Vb-a.406.
2. Bhāva
- being, becoming, condition, nature; very rarely by itself (only in later & C. literature, as e.g. Ja.i.295 thīnaṃ bhāvo, perhaps best to be translated as “women’s character,” taking bhāva = attabhāva); usually -˚, denoting state or condition of, and representing an abstr. der. from the first part of the cpd. e.g. gadrabha˚ ʻasininityʼ Ja.ii.109 Thus in connection with
- adjectives: atthika˚; state of need Pv-a.120; ūna˚; depletion Snp-a.463; ekī˚; loneliness Vism.34; sithill˚; (for sithila˚ in conn. with kṛ bhū) relaxation Vism.502
- adverbs. upari˚; high condition MN.i.45; pātu˚; appearance Snp.560; vinā˚ difference Snp.588.
- nouns & noun-derivations: atta˚ individual state, life, character Snp.388 (= citta Snp-a.374) asaraṇa˚; state of not remembering Dhp-a.iii.121; samaṇa˚ condition of a recluse Snp.551
- forms of verbs: nibbatta˚; fact of being reborn Dhp-a.iii.121; magg ārūḷha˚; the condition of having started on one’s way Vv-a.64; baddha˚; that he was bound; suhita˚; that they were well Ja.iv.279. The translation can give either a full sentence with “that it was” etc. (Vv-a.64 “that he had started on his way”), or a phrase like “the fact or state of,” or use as an English abstract noun ending in -ness (atthika-bhāva needfulness, eki loneliness), -ion (ūna˚ depletion, pātu˚ manifestation) -hood (atta˚ selfhood), or -ship (samaṇa˚ recluseship). Similarly in Com. style: sampayutta- bhāvo (m.) Dhp-a.iii.94, for *sampayuttattaṃ (abstr.); bhākuṭikassa bhāvo = bhakuṭiyaṃ Vism.26; sovacassassa bhāvo sovacassatā Kp-a.148; mittassa bh. = mettaṃ Kp-a.248 Here sometimes bhava for bhāva.
- (in pregnant specifically Buddhistic sense) cultivation or production by thought, mental condition, esp. a set mental condition (see der. bhāvanā). Sometimes (restricted to Vin J) in sense “thinking of someone,” i.e. affection, love sentiment
- in combination khanti, diṭṭhi, ruci, bhāva at Vin.ii.205; Vin.iii.93; Vin.iv.3, Vin.iv.4
- in Jātaka passages Ja.v.237; Ja.vi.293 (bhāvaṃ karoti, with loc., to love)- abhāva (late, only in C. style) not being, absence want Pv-a.25; abl. abhāvato through not being, in want of Pv-a.9, Pv-a.17
■ sabhāva (sva + bhāva) see sep.
fr. bhū, cp. Vedic bhāva
In the wild
- bhava Dhammapada 236 (dhp236:2)
- bhava Dhammapada 238 (dhp238:2)
- bhavaṁ Digha Nikaya 10 (dn10:1.3.1)
- bhavaṁ Digha Nikaya 10 (dn10:1.3.6)
- bhavaṁ Digha Nikaya 10 (dn10:1.30.8)
- bhavaṁ Digha Nikaya 10 (dn10:1.4.13)
6 of 264 attestations shown.
Pali text and translations from SuttaCentral (Bilara), dedicated to the public domain (CC0). PTS Pali–English Dictionary entries, public domain.