1.1Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati …pe… ārāme …pe….At Sāvatthī.

1.2Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and asked him,1.3“kīvadīgho nu kho, bhante, kappo”ti?“Sir, how long is an eon?”¹

1.4“Dīgho kho, bhikkhu, kappo.“Mendicant, an eon is long.1.5So na sukaro saṅkhātuṁ ettakāni vassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasahassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassāni iti vā”ti.It’s not easy to calculate how many years, how many hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of years it lasts.”

2.1PTS 2.182“Sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”

2.2“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca.“It’s possible,” said the Buddha.

2.3“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, mahāselo pabbato yojanaṁ āyāmena yojanaṁ vitthārena yojanaṁ ubbedhena acchinno asusiro ekagghano.“Suppose there was a big rocky mountain, a league long, a league wide, and a league high, with no cracks or holes, one solid mass.2.4Tamenaṁ puriso vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena kāsikena vatthena sakiṁ sakiṁ parimajjeyya.And as each century passed someone would stroke it once with a fine cloth from Kāsi.2.5Khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhu, mahāselo pabbato iminā upakkamena parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya, na tveva kappo.By this means the big rocky mountain would be worn away before the eon comes to an end.2.6Evaṁ dīgho, bhikkhu, kappo.That’s how long an eon is.2.7Evaṁ dīghānaṁ kho, bhikkhu, kappānaṁ neko kappo saṁsito, nekaṁ kappasataṁ saṁsitaṁ, nekaṁ kappasahassaṁ saṁsitaṁ, nekaṁ kappasatasahassaṁ saṁsitaṁ.And we’ve transmigrated through many such eons, many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands.

2.8Taṁ kissa hetu?Why is that?2.9Anamataggoyaṁ, bhikkhu, saṁsāro.This transmigration has no known beginning. …2.10Pubbā koṭi …pe…2.11yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhu, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ, alaṁ virajjituṁ, alaṁ vimuccitun”ti.This is quite enough for you to become disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed regarding all conditions.”

2.12Pañcamaṁ.