In Hindu tradition, the
MukhyaShivaganas (attendants of Shiva) are 108 in number and hence
Shaiva religions, particularly
Lingayats, use
malas of 108 beads for prayer and meditation.
Similarly, in
Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Lord
Krishna in
Brindavan had 108 followers known as
gopis. Recital of their names, often accompanied by the counting of a 108-beaded
mala, is often done during religious ceremonies.
The Sri Vaishnavite Tradition has 108
Divya Desams (temples of
Vishnu) that are revered by the 12 Alvars in the Divya Prabandha, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses. There are also 18
pithas (sacred places).[citation needed]
The
Sudarshana Chakra is a spinning, discus weapon with 108 serrated edges, generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of
Vishnu.
In
Jainism, the total number of ways of Karma influx (Aasrav). 4 Kashays (anger, pride, conceit, greed) x 3 karanas (mind, speech, bodily action) x 3 stages of planning (planning, procurement, commencement) x 3 ways of execution (own action, getting it done, supporting or approval of action).[citation needed]
Buddhism
In
Buddhism, according to
Bhante Gunaratana[3] this number is reached by multiplying the senses smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight, and consciousness by whether they are painful, pleasant or neutral, and then again by whether these are internally generated or externally occurring, and yet again by past, present and future, finally we get 108 feelings. 6 × 3 × 2 × 3 = 108.
Tibetan Buddhist malas or rosaries (Tib. ཕྲེང་བ Wyl. phreng ba, "Trengwa" ) are usually 108 beads;[4] sometimes 111 including the
guru bead(s), reflecting the words of the
Buddha called in
Tibetan the
Kangyur (Wylie: Bka'-'gyur) in 108 volumes.
Zen priests wear
juzu (a ring of prayer beads) around their wrists, which consists of 108 beads.[5]
The
Lankavatara Sutra has a section where the Bodhisattva Mahamati asks Buddha 108 questions[6] and another section where Buddha lists 108 statements of negation in the form of "A statement concerning X is not a statement concerning X."[7] In a footnote, D.T. Suzuki explains that the Sanskrit word translated as "statement" is pada which can also mean "foot-step" or "a position". This confusion over the word "pada" explains why some have mistakenly held that the reference to 108 statements in the Lankavatara refer to the 108 steps that many temples have.[8]
In
Japan, at the end of the year, a
bell is chimed 108 times in Buddhist temples to finish the old year and welcome the new one. Each ring represents one of 108 earthly temptations (
Bonnō) a person must overcome to achieve
nirvana.
Other references
In the neo-
Gnostic teachings of
Samael Aun Weor, an individual has 108 chances (lifetimes) to eliminate his egos and transcend the material world before "devolving" and having the egos forcefully removed in the
infradimensions.[9]
Martial arts
Many East Asian martial arts trace their roots back to Buddhism, specifically, to the Buddhist Shaolin Temple. Because of their ties to Buddhism, 108 has become an important symbolic number in a number of martial arts styles.
According to
Marma Adi and
Ayurveda, there are 108 pressure points in the body, where consciousness and flesh intersect to give life to the living being.[10]
The Chinese school of martial arts agrees with the
Indian school of martial arts on the principle of 108 pressure points.[11][12]
108 number figures prominently in the symbolism associated with
karate, particularly the
Gōjū-ryū discipline. The ultimate Gōjū-ryū kata, Suparinpei, literally translates to 108. Suparinpei is the
ChineseFoochow language pronunciation of the number 108, while gojūshi of Gojūshiho is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 54. The other Gōjū-ryū kata, Sanseru (meaning "36") and Seipai ("18") are factors of the number 108.[5]
The 108 moves of the Yang Taijiquan long form and 108 moves in the
Wing Chunwooden dummy form, taught by
Ip Man, are noted in this regard.[8]
The
Eagle Claw Kung Fu style has a form known as the 108 Locking Hand Techniques.[13] This form is considered the essence of the style, consisting of an encyclopedia of
Chin Na techniques, and is said to be passed down from the founder General
Yue Fei.[13]
Paek Pal Ki Hyung, the 7th form taught in the art of
Kuk Sool Won, translates literally to "108 technique" form. It is also frequently referred to as the "eliminate 108 torments" form. Each motion corresponds with one of the 108 Buddhist torments or defilements.
In the Cambodian martial art of
Bokator, there are 108
kbach in gates 1 through 8 of the hand-to-hand combat techniques.
108 degrees Fahrenheit is the internal temperature at which the
human body's vital organs begin to fail from overheating.
The distance of
Earth from the
Sun is about 108 times the diameter of the Sun (actually closer to 107.51, as per definition of the
AU). Actual ratio varies between 105.7 (
Perihelion) and 109.3 (
Aphelion).
The distance between the
Earth and the
Moon is also about 108 times the diameter of the Moon. The coincidence that the Sun and Moon both have approximately the same ratio between their diameters and their distances to Earth means their
apparent sizes in Earth's sky are about the same, which is what makes
total solar eclipses possible.
108 is the number that the Belgian cyclist
Wouter Weylandt wore when he crashed fatally in the
Giro d'Italia on May 9, 2011. As a tribute, many supporters held replicas of his race number by the side of the road
the next day. The organization of the Giro d'Italia decided not to issue race number 108 in future editions, to commemorate him.
An official Major League Baseball
baseball has 108 stitches.[15]
In 2016 the
Chicago Cubs (
MLB) won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, ending the longest championship drought in North American professional sports. The Cubs' win came in the 10th inning with 8 runs (108).
^Subramaniam, P. (1994). Shu Hikosaka; Norinaga Shimizu; G. John Samuel (eds.). Varma Cuttiram வர்ம சுத்திரம்: A Tamil Text on Martial Art from Palm-Leaf Manuscript. Translated by M. Radhika. Madras: Institute of Asian Studies. pp. 90 & 91.