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The physical universe is said to consist of countless world-systems
spread out through space. Each is roughly equivalent to a planet,
but they also exist in thousand-fold clusters, galactic groupings
of these clusters, and super-galactic groupings of these
galaxies. Within
this vast universe,
with no known limit, are
other inhabited worlds
where beings also go through the
cycle of rebirths.
Just as beings go through a series of lives, so do
world-systems: they evolve, remain for a period, come to an end,
and are then quiescent before re-evolving. Each phase takes an
"incalculable" eon, and the whole cycle takes a "great" eon.
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