>[!abstract] >Buddhist temporal cosmology describes how the universe comes into being and is dissolved. Like other Indian cosmologies, it assumes an infinite span of time and is cyclical. This does not mean that the same events occur in identical form with each cycle, but merely that, as with the cycles of day and night or summer and winter, certain natural events occur over and over to give some structure to time. The basic unit of time measurement is the *mahākalpa* or "Great Eon". The length of this time in human years is never defined exactly, but it is meant to be very long, to be measured in billions of years if not longer. (Wikipedia, 2025). >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): — >- **West** (similar): — >- **East** (different): — >- **South** (downstream): —