At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove. Then a certain brahmin approached the Blessed One, and having approached, he exchanged greetings with him.
After the exchange of courteous and polite conversation, he sat down to one side. Seated there, the brahmin addressed the Blessed One: “Venerable Gotama, how many aeons have passed by and gone?”
Truly, brahmin, many aeons have passed by and gone. They are not easy to calculate—whether as ‘so many aeons,’ ‘so many hundreds of aeons,’ ‘so many thousands of aeons,’ or even ‘so many hundreds of thousands of aeons.
“But, venerable Gotama, is it possible to offer a |simile::comparison, illustrative example [upamā]|?”
“It is possible, brahmin,” the Blessed One replied.
“Just like, brahmin, from where this |Ganges::one of the five great rivers of ancient India [gaṅgā]| river springs up and flows into the great ocean, whatever sand lies within this space is not easy to calculate—whether as ‘so many grains of sand,’ ‘so many hundreds of grains of sand,’ ‘so many thousands of grains of sand,’ or even ‘so many hundreds of thousands of grains of sand.’ Even more numerous than that, brahmin, are the aeons that have passed by and gone. They are not easy to calculate—whether as ‘so many aeons,’ ‘so many hundreds of aeons,’ ‘so many thousands of aeons,’ or even ‘so many hundreds of thousands of aeons.’
Why is that? This |cyclic existence::the continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth [saṁsāra]|, brahmin, 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 a long time, brahmin, 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, brahmin, 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]|.”
When this was said, that brahmin said to the Blessed One: “Excellent, venerable Gotama! Excellent, venerable Gotama! Just as if one might set upright what had been overturned, |reveal::uncover [vivarati]| what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way, venerable Gotama, the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been |explained::illustrated [pakāsita]| by you in many ways. I go for refuge to venerable Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the community of bhikkhus. May venerable Gotama remember me as a |lay disciple::one who takes refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha [upāsaka]| who, from this day forward, has gone to refuge for life.