Asaṃkhyeya-kalpa
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asaṃkhyeya-kalpa (P. asaṅkyeyya-kappa; T. bskal pa grangs med pa, བསྐལ་པ་གྲངས་མེད་པ་; C. asengqi jie 阿僧祇劫) is translated as "incalculable eon," "infinite eon," "measureless eon," etc.
The Treasury of Precious Qualities states:
- There is also a so-called measureless kalpa (grangs med bskal pa), which, despite its name, does not refer to an infinite lapse of time but to a specific period defined in the Abhidharma as consisting of ten kalpas.[1]
In the Sanskrit Mahayana tradition, the bodhisattva path to buddha is said to take three incalculable eons.[2]
A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma states:
- An interim aeon (antarakappa) is the period of time required for the life-span of human beings to rise from ten years to the maximum of many thousands of years, and then fall back to ten years. Twenty such interim aeons equal one incalculable aeon (asankheyyakappa), and four incalculable aeons constitute one great aeon (mahākappa).[3]
See also
Notes
- ↑ Jigme Lingpa 2001, Glossary entry for "kalpa".
- ↑ Buswell & Lopez 2014, s.v. asaṃkhyeyakalpa.
- ↑ Bhikkhu Bodhi 2000, s.v. Chapter V.
Sources
Bhikkhu Bodhi, ed. (2000), A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma, Pariyatti Publishing
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University- Jigme Lingpa (2001), Treasury of Precious Qualities, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, Shambhala