Kappa or aeon is an incalculable time period that can
generally be taken as world cycles. Once Buddha discoursed few similes to show
the longevity of an aeon, two such similes are;
- Suppose there was a solid mass, of rock or hill, one yojana (sixteen miles) in length, width and height. Once every hundred years, a man will come and stroke it once with a piece of silk cloth. That mass of rock would be worn away and ended sooner than would an aeon.
- Suppose there was a perimeter of iron walls, one yojana in length, width and height, & filled with mustard-seeds to the brim. Every hundred years a man will come and remove a one mustard-seed. That great pile of mustard-seed would be emptied and ended sooner than would an aeon.
Sometimes Buddhas will appear & exist in an aeon or some
aeons are can be there without Buddhas, such aeons are called suñña kappa
(empty or void aeon). An aeon in which one or more Buddhas appear is called a
Buddha kappa. There are five types of Buddha kappas or aeons based on the
appearing of Buddhas, namely:
• Sara kappa - in which only one Buddha appears
• Manda kappa - in which two Buddhas appear
• Vara kappa - in which three Buddhas appear
• Saramanda kappa - in which four Buddhas appear
• Bhadda kappa - in which five Buddhas appear
The present kappa is a Bhadda (auspicious) kappa; of its
five Buddhas, four have already appeared, namely: Kakusada, Konagamana, Kassapa
and Gotama, the fifth Mettaya has yet to appear. The interval of time that
elapses between one Buddha kappa and the next can vary from one kappa to one
asankheyya of kappas. ‘Asankheyya’ literally means ‘innumerable’, 1 is followed
by 140 zeros!
May all beings be well and happy & attain the fruit of
Nibbana.
Suranda Weediyage
BA, Tripitakachariya, Dip in Pali/ Buddhism (Pali & Buddhist University of Sri Lanka), HNDBF,
surandalk@gmail.com
http://www.thebuddhadhamma.wordpress.com
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