WHY 108?
Have you ever wondered about the significance of the number 108? WHY do we do exactly 108 Sun Salutations or WHY does a mala have accurately 108 beads?
So this question bothered me for quite a while so I did some research.
But first what is a mala? You can say it`s an eastern rosary with 108 beads. The mala is used both in Hinduism and Buddhism for counting mantras, chants or prayers.
108 has been a sacred number for a long time and you can find countless explanations WHY :
SANSKRIT ALPHABET: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet.
Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 x 2 = 108.
TIME: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to past, 36 related to present, and 36 related to future.
ASTROLOGY: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments. 9 x 12 = 108.
PLANETS AND HOUSES: In astrology there are also 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 x 9 = 108.
SUN AND EARTH: The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
PYTHAGOREAN: 1 + 0 + 8 = 9 . Nine is the limit of all numbers which means from 0 to 9 is all one needs to make up an infinite amount of numbers.
STAGES OF THE SOUL: It says that the human soul goes through 108 stages on the entire journey.
HEART CHAKRA: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines forming the heart chakra.
MERU: The largest bead on a Mala. Also called Guru bead which is not part of the 108. It is not tied in the sequence of the other beads. It is the quiding bead, the one that marks the beginning and end of the mala.
And many many more.. but the most stunning thing is, that the number 1 0 8 is found in every single religion. From Christianity to Buddhism over to Hinduism, Islam, Jainism and Taoism as well as in the Sikh Tradition.
If you believe in mythology it says 9 ( 1 + 0 + 8 ) is the number of the goddess.
Or when you look closer at numerology
1 = stands for God or the higher Truth.
0 = stands for emptiness or completeness in a spiritual practice.
8 = stands for infinity or eternity.
There is only one thing left to say: We truly are all connected!
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