A new study published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Nature) explores the meaning of Bhāvanā within Integrated Amrita Meditation®-35 (IAM®-35), a practice developed by Satguru Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), 2023 World Leader for Peace and Security Award recipient, nature.com.
The paper, “Defining Bhāvanā through the PAL framework: grounded theory insights from long-term IAM®-35 practitioners”, examines how 27 experienced meditators describe their lived experience of Bhāvanā, an ancient contemplative principle meaning “bringing into being.”
Using grounded theory, the researchers propose the PAL framework, identifying:
- Prerequisites for practice
- Aspects of the meditation process
- Levels of Bhāvanā experience
Findings show that Bhāvanā is an immersive process integrating awareness, memory, and multisensory engagement. Practitioners reported transformative experiences of personal and spiritual unity, bridging ancient contemplative traditions with modern experiential insights.
This contribution builds on Amma’s decades of work integrating compassion, ethics, and meditation into practical frameworks for well-being and peace. It also resonates with the broader movement for democratic AI and digital governance, where BGF and world leaders stress the role of ethics and human dignity in shaping the future.
🔗 Read the full article in Nature
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05783-y
