The general Western notion of the nature of time is that time is linear and progressive. The three major monotheistic religions of the world today (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) view the concept of time as being linear. They believe in an absolute beginning to Creation (which I will refer to as 'Point A') and an absolute end to Creation ('Point C') with a definite middle lying in-between those two extremities ('Point B') and can be depicted as a straight, forward-travelling line like this: A (beginning)----->B (middle)----->C (end). This conception of time is, naturally, limited and finite. However, the conception of time in the East is quite different to that in the West. In the religion of Hinduism and its offshoot religion Buddhism, the nature of time is non-linear and cyclical. God (Brahman) is viewed as being beginningless and endless, and this two-way notion of eternity also extends to the process of creation. There is no 'year dot' to be found, nor any cosmic cataclysm that will destroy everything in this physical universe forever. Hinduism propounds the idea of life-cycles of the physical universe. It believes the physical universe to be an entity in and of itself that undergoes an infinite number of deaths and rebirths. Thus, Hindu sages envisaged the cosmos as having a cyclical nature. God in the form of Lord Brahma ('Brahma' being a title given to the creator of the physical universe) creates all the gross physical constructs within his particular universe at the start of his day, which is equivalent to 4.32 billion Earth years on his planet. Each such period of manifestation ('Day Of Brahma') and non-manifestation ('Night Of Brahma') is known as a 'kalpa'. Once his day ends, he goes to 'sleep' during his night, which is also of the duration of 4.32 billion years. During this period of cosmic rest or dissolution, the seemingly differentiated physical universe in its entirety becomes withdrawn, inert and unmanifest, merging (or rather being transferred) into the One. It is a period of dissolution of the visible into the invisible, the heterogenous into the homogenous. Brahma is said to hold his position as the Creator of this universe for 100 of his years, and then his physical body, as therefore the physical universe by extension, are both re-absorbed into the Absolute once again. After a 100 (in Brahma's scale of time) years of non-manifestation have elapsed, another Lord Brahma is created and instated so creation of the physical universe can start afresh. This eternally repetitive process extends forever into the past and also extends forever to the future. 'Our' Lord Brahma is said to be a little over halfway through his life in this universe, it is said that at the moment we are in his 51st year (and thus we are in the 51st year of this physical universe, according to our Brahma's measurement of time). So what numerical figure do many Hindus give as being the current age of this universe?

155 trillion years

And how long is Lord Brahma's lifespan in Earth years?

311 trillion and 40 billion years

Anyway, now that I've mentioned a few things I consider intriguing about the cyclical conception of time (I personally consider 'Time' to be non-linear and cyclical)... what do you think? Is time linear or non-linear?