Measurements In The Buddhism

When we discuss about the teachings of the Buddhism, There are some distance and time measurements related with those teachings. It is important to identify them to understand some Dhamma explanations. In here I'm going to Introduce those measurement in briefly.

Yodun

When we are talking about the distance in the Buddhism we use Yodun measurement. There are many explanations about this. Some say it is the distance of a strong archer can shoot an arrow. Some say it is a 1 mile or less.Some say it is 16 miles.There is no exact explanation for this. But most people believe it as 16 miles (25.75 Km)

Asankhya

Asankhya is used in many ways. Some times it is used to describe the infinity. Some times it has been used to implement huge numbers. Some are

Asankhya = 10¹⁴⁰
Asankhya = 10¹³³
Asankhya = 10⁹²
Asankhya = 10¹⁶¹

Kalpa

Kalpa is used to measure very long time periods in the Buddhism. There are 4 types of Kalpa.

• Maha Kalpa
• Asankhya Kalpa
• Anthak Kalpa
• Ayu Kalpa

Maha Kalpa

Maha Kalpa is the most largest and unimaginable time period. Buddha has explained it with two examples.

• Lets say there is a stone with 1x1x1 Yodun (25x25x25 km³), and someone is going to rub it with a soft cloth once in every 100 years. The depreciation time of that stone is even less than a Kalpa.
• Lets say there is a city surrounded by a iron cube with 1x1x1 Yodun , and someone is going insert a tiny mustard into it once in every 100 years. The filling time of that cube is even less than a Kalpa.

The creation and the destruction of the world (Chakkawala)  is a circle. It happens again and again.The time duration of a single round (creation & destruction) is a Maha Kalpa

Asankhya Kalpa

 Asankhya Kalpa = 1/4 x Maha Kalpa

There are 4  Asankhya Kalpa for a single creation and destruction round.

• Sanwatta -  time taken for this world to be destroyed(There are 3 ways which the world can be destroyed.It can be destroyed from the fire (Thejo Sanwatta),water (Apo Sanwatta),gas (Wayo Sanwatta))
• Sanwattattai - time after the destruction (empty space)
• Wiwatta - time taken for the world to form
• Wiwattattai - stable time period of the world and living beings arise in this period

Anthak Kalpa

Anthak Kalpa = 1/64 x Asankhya Kalpa (Some says 1/20 x Asankhya Kalpa)

Before come to a Sanwatta Kalpa, living beings can  extinct and arise several times. So without the destruction of the world, livings beings can extinct (few of them will survive) and arise. The time duration between one extinction to an another extinction is called as a Anthak Kalpa.

This extinctions can be happened in 3 ways, 

• Famine extinctions (famine Anthak Kalpa)
• Plague extinctions (plague Anthak Kalpa)
• Weapons/wars extinctions (weapons/wars Anthak Kalpa)

During these extinctions, humans life span increases and decreases time to time (it depends on their good (increase) or bad (decrease) behaviors). It can goes between 10 years to a Asankhya. So we can describe Anthak Kalpa with the time duration between 10 years life span to an another 10 years life span.

10 years life span -> a Asankhya - >10 years life span

The births of the Buddhas can be happen only during the decreasing time periods. But it should not be less than the 100 years life span.

Ayu Kalpa

The maximum life span of a human in his living era. In the Gauthama Buddha's time, life span is 120 and at that time the Ayu Kalpa = 120 years. When in the next Buddha's (Mithree Buddha) time, the life span of a human is 10,000 years. So in that time,  Ayu Kalpa = 10,000 years.