"Often at yoga events or in the
yoga/mindfulness community, there's a special emphasis placed on the number
108.
For charity, to start the new year right,
or during equinoxes or solstices, yogis often do 108 sun salutations. Malas
contain 108 beads. But why?
Hindu
Science
According to Shiva Rea, respected
mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of
existence.
It also is the number that connects the
sun, moon, and earth. For instance, the
average distance of the sun and the moon to the earth is 108 times their
respective diameters.
According to yogic tradition, there are 108
pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India, as well as 108 Upanishads and 108
marma points, or sacred places of the body.
In addition, in the Sanskrit alphabet there
are 54 letters; each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. Multiply
that by two and you'll get 108.
Other Religious/Cultural Significance
• The
number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.
• One-hundred
and eight small Buddhas are carved on a single walnut as good luck charm.
• Chinese
astrology says that there are 108 sacred stars.
• The
first space flight lasted 108 minutes on April 12, 1961.
• Penelope
of Ithaca had 108 suitors after believing that her husband, Odysseus King of
Ithaca, was never going to return home.
• Jews
often give gifts and charitable donations in multiples of the number 18,
associated with the Hebrew word "chai," which means life. One-hundred
and eight is a multiple of 18.
• An
official baseball has 108 stitches."
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