Saṁyutta Nikāya 15.5
Translators: sujato
Linked Discourses 15.5
1. Paṭhamavagga
Chapter One
Pabbatasutta
A Mountain
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati …pe… ārāme …pe….
At Sāvatthī.
Atha 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,
“kīvadīgho nu kho, bhante, kappo”ti?
“Sir, how long is an eon?”
“Dīgho kho, bhikkhu, kappo.
“Mendicant, an eon is long.
So 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.”
“Sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?
“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”
“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca.
“It’s possible,” said the Buddha.
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, mahāselo pabbato yojanaṁ āyāmena yojanaṁ vitthārena yojanaṁ ubbedhena acchinno asusiro ekagghano.
“Suppose there was a huge stone mountain, a league long, a league wide, and a league high, with no cracks or holes, one solid mass.
Tamenaṁ puriso vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena kāsikena vatthena sakiṁ sakiṁ parimajjeyya.
And as each century passed someone would stroke it with a fine cloth from Kāsi.
Khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhu, mahāselo pabbato iminā upakkamena parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya, na tveva kappo.
By this means the huge stone mountain would be worn away before the eon comes to an end.
Evaṁ dīgho, bhikkhu, kappo.
That’s how long an eon is.
Evaṁ 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.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Why is that?
Anamataggoyaṁ, bhikkhu, saṁsāro.
Transmigration has no known beginning. …
Pubbā koṭi …pe…
yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhu, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ, alaṁ virajjituṁ, alaṁ vimuccitun”ti.
This is quite enough for you to become disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed regarding all conditions.”
Pañcamaṁ.