The term bhavaṅga first appears in the Paṭṭhānapakaraṇa of Pali Abhidhamma-pitaka. There, bhavaṅga precedes reflection (āvajjana) in the process of perception (Paṭṭhāna, PTS, II, pp. 34, 159, 160, 169). This is the only occurrence of the word bhavaṅga as far as Pali canon is concerned. The use of the word in these particular contexts suggests, though not directly, that bhavaṅga is that from which all thought processes emerge, when necessary condition are present. The word is widely used in the post-canonical literature, especially the Milindapañha, Visuddhimagga, and the Abhidhamma commentaries [Upali Karunaratne, "Bhavaṅga" in "Encyclopaedia of Buddhism", Government of Sri Lanka, 1971, p. 17]
Terjemahan:
Istilah bhavaṅga muncul pertama kali dalam Paṭṭhānapakaraṇa dari Abhidhamma-pitaka. Di dalam kitab ini, bhavaṅga mengawali refleksi (āvajjana) dalam proses persepsi (Paṭṭhāna, PTS, II, pp. 34, 159, 160, 169). This adalah satu-satunya kemunculan kata bhavaṅga sepanjang Pali Kanon dijadikan rujukan. Penggunaan kata tersebut dalam konteks ini menyarankan, meski pun tidak secara langsung, bahwa bhavaṅga adalah sumber bagi semua proses pikiran yang muncul, ketika kondisi yang dibutuhkan ada. Kata bhavaṅga dipergunakan secara luas dalam pasca-literatur kanon khususnya Milindapañha, Visuddhimagga, dan Kitab-kitab komentar dari Abhidhamma. [Upali Karunaratne, "Bhavaṅga" in "Encyclopaedia of Buddhism", Government of Sri Lanka, 1971, p. 17]