time immemorial; the infinite past
Buddhist term referring to the beginningless, immeasurably distant past; used in doctrinal contexts to describe the eternal nature of existence or the long journey toward enlightenment.
The suffering of samsara continuing since time immemorial.
Since the infinite past, the Buddha has been trying to save sentient beings.
Also a Buddhist term for an extremely long, immeasurable past, but often used in a more general sense of 'eternity' or 'remote antiquity'.
Means 'ancient times' or 'remote antiquity' in a secular, historical sense, without the Buddhist connotation of beginninglessness.
A Sino-Japanese Buddhist term composed of 無始 (beginningless) and 曠劫 (vast kalpa, an immeasurably long period). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the concept of an infinite past in Mahayana doctrine.