<p>As far as I know, the words used in Buddhist Kalpa in a lot of cases, </p>

<p>for example: Existence, life reduced (when life human destiny decreased from 84,000 years to 10 years),increased lifetime (as opposed to lifetime reduction),</p>

<p>Sub-Kalpa (approximately 16 million years),</p>

<p>Mid-Kalpa (20 sub-life),</p>

<p>Big-Kalpa (4 centered life = 1.3 billion years),</p>

<p>and countless Kalpa ..etc</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-12T15:20:07.003Z
2014-11-12T15:20:07.003Z
iCrazybest
<p>It is not possible for anyone to have any idea of what an aeon (world cycle / kappa) is. It is equivalent to eternity. Only by a simile you will get an idea of it. The Buddha offers two vivid similes to suggest the eon's duration.</p>

<p>A maha kappa or aeon is generally taken to mean a world cycle. How long is a world cycle? In Samyutta ii, Chapter XV, the Buddha used the parables of the hill and mustard-seed for comparison:</p>

<p>Suppose there was a solid mass, of rock or hill, one yojana (eight miles) wide, one yojana across and one yojana high and every hundred years, a man was to stroke it once with a piece of silk. That mass of rock would be worn away and ended sooner than would an aeon.</p>

<p>Suppose there was a city of iron walls, one yojana in length, one yojana in width, one yojana high and filled with mustard-seeds to the brim. There-from a man was to take out every hundred
years a mustard-seed. That great pile of mustard-seed would be emptied and ended sooner than would an aeon.</p>

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2016-07-08T00:52:08.590Z
2016-07-08T00:52:08.590Z
Saptha Visuddhi
<p>As per Lord Buddha &quot; Kalpa&quot; cant be counted in Numbers but he replied for a Monks question &quot; could you give and example of the time of a Kalpa.</p>
<p>Lord Buddha answered &quot;yes I can give you and example&quot;</p>
<p>Imagine a Square wall with the height, width and length of 16 Km. Fill it with Mustard seeds and imagine for every 100 years one mustard seed will be removed. After a unimaginable time the Square wall will have no more seeds but yet a &quot; Kalpa&quot; is not yet over.</p>

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2022-11-09T10:25:46.103Z
2022-11-09T10:25:46.103Z
Stein
<p>A paragraph in the <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html#fnt-21" rel="nofollow">Maha-Parinibbana Sutta</a> states:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>The Blessed One said: "Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practiced, employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and
  brought to perfection the four constituents of psychic power could, if
  he so desired, remain throughout a world-period (<strong>kappa</strong>) or until the end of
  it.  The Tathagata, Ananda, has done so. Therefore the Tathagata
  could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the
  end of it."</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Commentary:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>Kappam va tittheyya kappavasesam va. Comy. takes kappa not as "world-period" or "aeon," but as ayu-kappa, "life span," and explains
  avasesa (usually "remainder") by "in excess."</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Therefore, a 'kappam' or 'kalpa' is not always calculated in the same way. Sometimes a 'kalpa' ('period of time') is very short. </p>

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2016-07-08T01:26:12.580Z
2016-07-08T02:49:03.700Z
2016-07-08T02:49:03.700Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>Wikipedia's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpa_%28aeon%29#Buddhism" rel="nofollow">Kalpa(aeon) in Buddhism</a> article says,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In another simple explanation, there are four different lengths of kalpas. A regular kalpa is approximately 16 million years long (16,798,000 years<sup><code>[1]</code></sup>), and a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas, or about 16 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa is roughly 320 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small kalpas. A great kalpa is 4 medium kalpas, or around 1.28 trillion years.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I just went through the Visuddhimagga, and could not find where or how that time in years is calculated.</p>

<p>I was wondering how to calculate it.
Please explain how it's calculated, with reference to scripture where Lord Buddha mentioned it, and/or where the calculation or the result of the calculation is described, perhaps in the Thripitaka or Visuddhimagga?</p>

<hr>

<p><sup><code>[1]</code></sup> Wikipedia's reference is to a book:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Epstein, Ronald B.(2002). Buddhist Text Translation Society's Buddhism A to Z p. 204. Buddhist Text Translation Society. ISBN 0-88139-353-3, ISBN 978-0-88139-353-8.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Perhaps that book may have a reference to where they found it, but I still haven't find that book.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-09T16:21:53.190Z
Wikipedia says, "The definition of a kalpa equaling 4.32 billion years is found in the Puranas (specifically Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana)." So doesn't this seem to be a question about Sanskrit, and not a question about Buddhism? Also that Wikipedia article says that, within Buddhism, the word is given various definitions in the Visuddhimagga: therefore not the Tripitaka.
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-10T05:37:47.603Z
Aeon(kalpa) is also mentioned in Hindhu Religon. That's why they mentioned about Puranas.I'm not asking about it. Under the topic Buddhism , article says "A regular kalpa is approximately 16 million years long (16,798,000 years[1]), and a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas, or about 16 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa is roughly 320 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small kalpas. A great kalpa is 4 medium kalpas, or around 1.28 trillion years." and at the start mentions about Visuddhimagga... I just go through the Visuddhimagga and could not find time in Years.
Imantha Ahangama
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-10T05:46:59.880Z
The article has taken the time periods from a book named "Buddhism A to Z" by Epstein, Ronald... I think the book may have a reference about where they found it. I still couldn't find the book.
Imantha Ahangama
<theravada><philosophy><science><visuddhimagga><tipitaka>
How to calculate the number of years in a kalpa?
# How to calculate the number of years in a kalpa?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-09)

Wikipedia's [Kalpa(aeon) in Buddhism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpa_%28aeon%29#Buddhism) article says,

> In another simple explanation, there are four different lengths of kalpas. A regular kalpa is approximately 16 million years long (16,798,000 years`[1]`), and a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas, or about 16 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa is roughly 320 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small kalpas. A great kalpa is 4 medium kalpas, or around 1.28 trillion years.

I just went through the Visuddhimagga, and could not find where or how that time in years is calculated.

I was wondering how to calculate it.
Please explain how it's calculated, with reference to scripture where Lord Buddha mentioned it, and/or where the calculation or the result of the calculation is described, perhaps in the Thripitaka or Visuddhimagga?

---

`[1]` Wikipedia's reference is to a book:

> Epstein, Ronald B.(2002). Buddhist Text Translation Society's Buddhism A to Z p. 204. Buddhist Text Translation Society. ISBN 0-88139-353-3, ISBN 978-0-88139-353-8.

Perhaps that book may have a reference to where they found it, but I still haven't find that book.

**Tags:** theravada, philosophy, science, visuddhimagga, tipitaka

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Wikipedia says, "The definition of a kalpa equaling 4.32 billion years is found in the Puranas (specifically Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana)." So doesn't this seem to be a question about Sanskrit, and not a question about Buddhism? Also that Wikipedia article says that, within Buddhism, the word is given various definitions in the Visuddhimagga: therefore not the Tripitaka.  
> **username_0**: Aeon(kalpa) is also mentioned in Hindhu Religon. That's why they mentioned about Puranas.I'm not asking about it. Under the topic Buddhism , article says "A regular kalpa is approximately 16 million years long (16,798,000 years[1]), and a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas, or about 16 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa is roughly 320 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small kalpas. A great kalpa is 4 medium kalpas, or around 1.28 trillion years." and at the start mentions about Visuddhimagga... I just go through the Visuddhimagga and could not find time in Years.  
> **username_0**: The article has taken the time periods from a book named "Buddhism A to Z" by Epstein, Ronald... I think the book may have a reference about where they found it. I still couldn't find the book.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-11-12. Score: 2

As far as I know, the words used in Buddhist Kalpa in a lot of cases,

for example: Existence, life reduced (when life human destiny decreased from 84,000 years to 10 years),increased lifetime (as opposed to lifetime reduction),

Sub-Kalpa (approximately 16 million years),

Mid-Kalpa (20 sub-life),

Big-Kalpa (4 centered life = 1.3 billion years),

and countless Kalpa ..etc


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-07-08. Score: 1

It is not possible for anyone to have any idea of what an aeon (world cycle / kappa) is. It is equivalent to eternity. Only by a simile you will get an idea of it. The Buddha offers two vivid similes to suggest the eon's duration.

A maha kappa or aeon is generally taken to mean a world cycle. How long is a world cycle? In Samyutta ii, Chapter XV, the Buddha used the parables of the hill and mustard-seed for comparison:

Suppose there was a solid mass, of rock or hill, one yojana (eight miles) wide, one yojana across and one yojana high and every hundred years, a man was to stroke it once with a piece of silk. That mass of rock would be worn away and ended sooner than would an aeon.

Suppose there was a city of iron walls, one yojana in length, one yojana in width, one yojana high and filled with mustard-seeds to the brim. There-from a man was to take out every hundred
years a mustard-seed. That great pile of mustard-seed would be emptied and ended sooner than would an aeon.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-11-09. Score: 0

As per Lord Buddha " Kalpa" cant be counted in Numbers but he replied for a Monks question " could you give and example of the time of a Kalpa.

Lord Buddha answered "yes I can give you and example"

Imagine a Square wall with the height, width and length of 16 Km. Fill it with Mustard seeds and imagine for every 100 years one mustard seed will be removed. After a unimaginable time the Square wall will have no more seeds but yet a " Kalpa" is not yet over.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2016-07-08. Score: 0

A paragraph in the [Maha-Parinibbana Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html#fnt-21) states:

> *The Blessed One said: "Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practiced, employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and
> brought to perfection the four constituents of psychic power could, if
> he so desired, remain throughout a world-period (**kappa**) or until the end of
> it. The Tathagata, Ananda, has done so. Therefore the Tathagata
> could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the
> end of it."*

Commentary:

> *Kappam va tittheyya kappavasesam va. Comy. takes kappa not as "world-period" or "aeon," but as ayu-kappa, "life span," and explains
> avasesa (usually "remainder") by "in excess."*

Therefore, a 'kappam' or 'kalpa' is not always calculated in the same way. Sometimes a 'kalpa' ('period of time') is very short.


---

