Asaṃkhyeya


An is a Hindu/Buddhist name for the number 10140, or alternatively for the number as it is described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. The value of the number is different depending upon the translation. It is in the translation of Buddhabhadra, in that of Shikshananda and in that of Thomas Cleary, who may have made an error in calculation. In these religious traditions, the word has the meaning of 'incalculable'.

Origin

Asaṃkhyeya is a Sanskrit word that appears often in the Buddhist texts. For example, Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have practiced for four great asaṃkhyeya kalpas before becoming a Buddha.
The word "" in Sanskrit literally means "innumerable" in the sense of "infinite." It is also a title of the Hindus deities Vishnu and Shiva.
The word appears in Stanza 27 of the Vishnu Sahasranama, "Asankyeyo-aprameyaatmaa": one who has innumerable names and forms.