Let me put a link to the quote in the sutta:
The English translation there is: “The Realized One has developed and cultivated the four bases of psychic power, made them a vehicle and a basis, kept them up, consolidated them, and properly implemented them. If he wished, the Realized One could live for the proper lifespan or what’s left of it.”
What you quoted in your original comment was: ““The Realized One has developed and cultivated the four bases of psychic power, made them a vehicle and a basis, kept them up, consolidated them, and properly implemented them. If he wished, the Realized One could live on for the eon or what’s left of the eon.”
- So, the actual translation does not say eon.
Now the Pali verse is: “Tathāgatassa kho, ānanda, cattāro iddhipādā bhāvitā bahulīkatā yānīkatā vatthukatā anuṭṭhitā paricitā susamāraddhā. Ākaṅkhamāno, ānanda, tathāgato kappaṁ vā tiṭṭheyya kappāvasesaṁ vā”ti.”
- Kappa means a lifetime. It is incorrect to translate kappa as an “eon.”
An eon is a “mahā kappa” not a “kappa.”
- As I pointed out in my comment above, the lifetime of a human (kappa) during the time of the Buddha was similar to today, about 100 years.
- At the time of that conversation with Ven. Ananda, Buddha was about 80 years old. He told Ven. Ananda that he could live for another 20 years or so because he had cultivated “cattāro iddhipāda.”
- Even a Buddha would not be able to live for a mahā kappa, which is several billion years!
- The English translations in both links are fine. They say either “lifespan” or “kappa” indicating a lifetime of about 100 years. You seem to have misinterpreted it as a mahā kappa.
- I would say this is a common mistake many people make.
Please make it a habit to quote a reference properly. That will save a lot of time for others.