In many countries, religions and cultures number 108 is considered special since olden times. Mystical qualities are ascribed to it; it is even an item of worship somewhere. According to it the whole philosophies are built, sacred ceremonies are performed. However number 108 could be met not only in ancient ceremonies of nations of the world.
Let's consider the given moment fr om a position of the most ancient conceptions about the world. In the nature both chaotic and divine structures i.e. ordered exists. Divine structures are characterised by stability, and chaotic processes are transition fr om one stable condition to another. As it is known from physics, orderliness in crystals (diamond), metals (iron), substances (water) and minerals leads to fantastic qualities of these matters. When contemplating the nature ancient people aspired to be in harmony with it and to get qualities and properties of various substances and elements for self-development. One of Yoga problems is achievement of orderliness in a human body to get a resonance with natural structure. Then energy of the nature is transferred to the human, and this energy is also an information about the nature (possibility for clairvoyance of the human), and also qualities of a matter are transferred which the person couldn’t possibly have before.
The divine measure of beauty created in the nature is the Golden section. Concept of the Golden section was concerned before far distinctly as it is considered to be now - with other underlying reason and other philosophy. In particular, in "a gold-bearing" pentagon the internal corner equals 108o. A rectangle with such relation of the parties was named a gold rectangle. It also has interesting qualities. If a square is cut from gold rectangle, there will be again a gold rectangle. This process can be continued indefinitely. The Golden section is present at all aspects of our life (a body of a human, internals, fauna and flora, DNA molecules, a galaxy, etc.). To construct jantra arches and corners are used, this confirms the usage of various properties and qualities formed by certain ratios for achievement of various purposes.
Some numbers of many nations are considered sacred, magic since olden times. This numbers are symbolically displaying and embodying some secret of the nature. To a certain degree number 108 is one of this numbers, it origins from the Vedic numerology, in point of fact - from Vedic culture - the most ancient on a planet. Number 108 is considered in Veda as a miraculous number of perfection and success. Having made in any kind of activity 108 attempts (trainings, repetitions, etc.), a person reaches a certain degree of perfection and this experience is reliably fixed in memory and remained during all his life.
Ancient Hindus were excellent mathematicians. Number 108 could be a product of exact mathematical action (for example, 11 x 22 x 33 = 108) which, as it was thought, had special numerological value.
In the mathematician powers 1, 2 and 3:
1 raised to the first power is 1;
2 raised to the second power is 4 (2x2);
3 raised to the third power is 27 (3x3x3).
1x4x27=108
The Sanskrit alphabet: there are 54 letters, each letter is man (Shiva) and female (Shakti), 54 x 2 = 108.
Marmas: Marmas resemble to the energy crossings named chakras with an exception that marmas are formed by less quantity of crossing energy channels. There are 108 marmas in a subtle body.
Shri Jantra: There are marmas on Shri Jantra wh ere three lines are crossed, and there are 54 of such crossings. Each crossing has man (Shiva) and female (Shakti) qualities. 54 x 2 = 108. Thus, there are 108 points which define Shri Jantra as well as a human body.
9 multiplied by 12: Both of these numbers, as the story goes, had spiritual value in many traditions. 9 multiplied by 12 is 108.
Heart Chakra: charkas are crossings of energy channels and as it is said there are in total 108 energy channels convergent to form heart chakra. One of them is Sushumna, it leads to the top chakra and as it is said it is a way to Self-realisation.
Time: It is said that there are 108 feelings, 36 are connected with the past, 36 are connected with the present, and 36 are connected with the future.
Astrology: there are 12 constellations, and 9 parts of a line which named namshas or chandrakalas. 9 multiplied by 12 equal 108. Candra is the moon, and kala are divisions within a whole.
Number 108 obviously designates something global and universal:
· In Islam number 108 is used for a designation of God.
· In the Indian tradition there are 108 forms of dance.
· In hatha-yoga there are 108 basic "asanas" (poses) of medical yoga.
· In a human body there are 108 painful points.
· There are 108 especially honoured temples in India.
· There are 108 prayer wheels are placed round the stupa Boudhanath in Katmandu which pilgrims walk round 108 times, there also 108 niches with divine beings are placed.
· In precious necklaces of Gods there are 108 strings of pearls, 108 stones.
· In Japan the bell of a Zen temple rings 108 times to announce approach of New Year.
It is sacral number in the Buddhism:
· It symbolizes the whole existence.
· The Kanjur (collection of the Buddha’s sayings) consists of 108 tomes.
· In Buddhist temples bell rings 108 to overcome 108 passions obstructive people to reach the Enlightenment.
· Classical quantity of beads in the Buddhist prayer beads equals 108 (sometimes prayer beads could have divisors of beads: 54, 27 or 18) this codifies certain points of the teaching. They symbolise 108 kinds of the desires which darken human spirit and prevent him in his way to the enlightenment:
This number is reached by multiplying the senses smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight, and consciousness (6) by whether they are painful, pleasant or neutral (3), and then again by whether these are internally generated or externally occurring (2), and yet again by past, present and future (3), finally we get 108 feelings 6∙3 = 18; 18∙2 = 36; 36∙3 = 108
The modern science has discovered that number 108 prevails in Solar system:
· Average speed of Earth rotation within an elliptic orbit round the Sun is 108 thousand km/hour (107,15). But when Earth becomes closer to the perihelion the speed reaches this figure.
· The volume of the Earth is nearly 108∙1010 kilometers ( 108,32073×1010).
· The distance between the Sun and the Earth (1,496•1011 meters) is equivalent to 108 diameters of the Sun (1,392•109 metres), and if to be more exactly – 107,5.
· The diameter of the Sun approximately equals 108+1 diameters of the Earth (1,274•107 meters).
· 108 minutes is time of flight around the Earth with the most stable orbit. Just this time of Gagarin flight has transferred humanity to the new level of reality realization.
Triple repetition of the information helps to place it to our temporary memory for considering but if we 108 times repeat something, this will remain in our memory forever. This knowledge gives us an opportunity to make a choice on a way of our evolutionary development, to choose our qualities and properties which could be developed and improved. If the information is silly and superficial, you just shouldn’t consider it, shouldn’t rattle on it, shouldn’t give a run-through it inside your consciousness many times. As a rule, it will disappear in the morning. For this reason it is said that tomorrow is a new day. Important things will remain in the morning, and silly things will disappear as footsteps on sand.
The vital information that is capable to change our consciousness, to relieve us of sufferings, to purify our soul, could be preserved forever in the heart. Therefore in many spiritual traditions sacred treatises are learned by heart. It is important to read and re-read the same spiritual commandments, sacred recommendations, prayers to make them a part of your consciousness. You can read a mantra 108 times at home sitting in front of the computer, but it is also possible and necessary to go to the nature, to geoabnormal places wh ere powerful energy streams gush out from the earth and to practice mantra singing and prayers reading not only 108 times, but more. This is some kind of indicator of what we represent. If we remember only mucks this means only they are interested to us. But if spiritual truths, sayings of sages and words of the holy people fixed in our consciousness, this means that we have a chance to reach high level of self-comprehension. For the same reason classical prayer beads consist of 108 beads. A prayer repeated 108 times with a help of prayer beads becomes a part of our memory and transforms our life into continuous meditation.