At Sāvatthi.
Then several bhikkhus approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near to him, they paid homage and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, those bhikkhus said this to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, how many |aeons::an aeon is the lifespan of a world system, a vast cosmic time span [kappa]| have passed and gone by?”
“Many aeons, bhikkhus, have passed and gone by. It is not easy to count them as so many aeons, or so many hundreds of aeons, or so many thousands of aeons, or so many hundreds of thousands of aeons.”
“Then, is it possible to give a simile, venerable sir?”
“It is possible, bhikkhus,” the Blessed One said.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, there were four disciples here each with a life span of a hundred years, living a hundred years, and each day they were each to recollect a hundred thousand aeons. There would still be aeons not yet recollected by them when those four disciples each with a life span of a hundred years, living a hundred years, would pass away at the end of a hundred years. It is not easy to count them and say that they are so many aeons, or so many hundreds of aeons, or so many thousands of aeons, or so many hundreds of thousands of aeons.
For what reason? Bhikkhus, this |cyclic existence::wandering from one state of existence to another, the cycle of birth and death, moving on continuously [saṁsāra]| is without a discoverable beginning. A first point is not evident of beings who, obstructed by |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]| and fettered by |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]|, run on and wander in this cycle of existence. For such a long time, bhikkhus, you have experienced |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|, |agony::intense suffering, anguish [tibba]|, and |calamity::disaster [byasana]|, the |cemetery::charnel ground [kaṭasī]| has been filled up with your bones. Therefore, bhikkhus, it is enough |to become disenchanted::to become disillusioned [nibbindituṃ]|, |to become detached::to become dispassionate [virajjituṁ]| and |to become free from::to be liberated from [vimuccituṃ]| |all conditions::all formations, all activities, all fabrications [sabbasaṅkhāra]|.”