A series of parallel universes containing one billion worlds, according to traditional Indian cosmology.

A “thrice thousandfold universe,” i.e., a billionfold universe, sometimes called a “third-order great chiliocosm” (tṛtīya­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu), consisting of a billion worlds, i.e. a million chiliocosms (q.v.), or a thousand dichiliocosms (q.v.). Explained in UT22084-047-001-291.

A term from Abhidharma cosmology referring to one thousand dichiliocosms, or one billion world systems.

This term in Abhidharma cosmology refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms,” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mt. Meru, continents, sun, and moon, as well as desire, form, and formless realms, heavens of gods, etc.

A term from Abhidharma cosmology referring to one thousand dichiliocosms, or one billion world systems.

A “thrice thousandfold universe,” i.e. a billionfold universe, sometimes called a “third-order great chiliocosm” (tṛtīya­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu), consisting of a billion worlds, i.e. a million chiliocosms (q.v.), or a thousand dichiliocosms (q.v.). In the verse of the Tibetan source the term has been abbreviated to stong gsum.

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Meru, continents, sun, and moon, as well as desire, form and formless realms, heavens of gods, etc.

A “thrice thousandfold universe,” i.e. a billionfold universe, sometimes called a “third-order great chiliocosm” (tṛtīya­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu), consisting of a billion worlds, i.e. a million chiliocosms (q.v.), or a thousand dichiliocosms (q.v.).

Sometimes translated as a billionfold universe. A “great, third order thousandfold” universe (i.e. 1,000³ fold), consisting of a thousand “middle order thousandfold” (1,000² fold) universes, each of which consists of a thousand “first order thousandfold” (1,000 fold) universes, each containing a thousand world systems each with their own Mount Meru, sun and moon, four continents, eight subcontinents, peripheral ring of mountains, etc.

A thousand groups of a thousand groups of a thousand four-continent worlds, which makes one universe that can be the field of activity of a buddha.

A thousand groups of a thousand groups of a thousand four-continent worlds, which makes one universe that can be the field of activity of a buddha.

A vast third-order universe comprising one thousand dichiliocosms, i.e., one billion world systems according to traditional Indian cosmology. See also UT22084-026-001-2676.

Lit. “three-thousand-great-thousand-world realm.” Each of these is composed of one thousand realms, each of which contains one thousand realms, each of which contains one thousand realms = one thousand to the third power = one billion worlds.

Sometimes rendered “trichiliocosm,” this term refers to a container (dhātu) of worlds (loka) numbering one thousand to the third power, which equals one billion. It is sometimes contrasted with smaller groups of worlds translated herein as “a galaxy of a thousand worlds” and “a galaxy of a hundred thousand worlds.” While in English, the cosmos refers to the entire universe of many billions of galaxies, in present usage following Buddhist cosmology, it may represent only one of many universes.

In this translation of the term trisāha­sramahā­sāha­sraloka­dhātu, Paul Harrison (2006, p. 145, n. 45) uses the word “galaxy” to “represent a group of a thousand systems,” and understands a “trigalactic system (trisāhasra)” as a “system which consists not of three galaxies but of a galaxy of galaxies of galaxies of worlds, that is to say, as a galaxy cubed (1,000³ worlds),” which, he says “is also known as a megagalaxy (mahāsāhasra).”