Hollyhock Presenter & Guest Blogs
Presenter's Blogs · 4th July 2009
Cora Wen - Yoga Bloom
Have you ever wondered about the Significance of the number 108? I have looked up many of the symbolgy and would love to hear more....
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A japa mala or mala is a rosary with 108 beads. The mala is used in Hinduism and Buddhism for counting mantras, chants or prayers. 108 has been a sacred number for a long time, and this number is explained in many different ways.
Traditionally, Buddhist have 108 beads, representing the 108 human passions. This number ensures a repetition of a sacred mantra at least 100 times, the extra beads allowing for absentmindedness in counting or loss or breakage of beads.
SMALLER DIVISIONS: 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.
Regardless of the meaning of 108, it is important that if a mala is used for mantras, the mantra be given sincerity, devotion, feeling, and full attention.
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108 may be a precise mathematical operation (e.g. 1 power 1 x 2 power 2 x 3 power 3 = 108), thought to have numerological significance.
MATH POWERS of 1, 2 & 3: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108
SANSKRIT ALPHABET: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.
HARSHAD NUMBER: 108 is a Harshad number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harshad is Sanskrit, and means "great joy")
DESIRES: There are said to be 108 earthly desires in mortals.
LIES: There are said to be 108 lies humans tell.
DELUSIONS: There are said to be 108 human delusions or forms of ignorance.
9 x 12: Both these numbers have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.
TIME: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
ASTROLOGY: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.
PLANETS AND HOUSES: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.
GOPIS OF KRISHNA: In the Krishna tradition, there were 108 gopis or maid servants of Krishna.
1, 0, and 8: 1 is God or higher Truth, 0 is emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 is infinity or eternity.
SUN AND EARTH: The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
NUMERICAL SCALE: The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 ... 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.
DANCE: There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.
PYTHAGOREAN: The nine is the limit of all numbers, all others existing and coming from the same. ie: 0 to 9 is all one needs to make up an infinite amount of numbers.
STAGES OF THE SOUL: Said that Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.
SRI YANTRA: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 x 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.
ANAHATA (HEART) CHAKRA: The chakras are energy lines, and there are s a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. The sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is believed the path to Self-realization.
Join Cora at Hollyhock August 19-23, 2009 for her Stirring the Sea of Energy Yoga Retreat. More info at: http://www.hollyhock.ca/cms/index.cfm?Group_ID=4423
*************************************
A japa mala or mala is a rosary with 108 beads. The mala is used in Hinduism and Buddhism for counting mantras, chants or prayers. 108 has been a sacred number for a long time, and this number is explained in many different ways.
Traditionally, Buddhist have 108 beads, representing the 108 human passions. This number ensures a repetition of a sacred mantra at least 100 times, the extra beads allowing for absentmindedness in counting or loss or breakage of beads.
SMALLER DIVISIONS: 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.
Regardless of the meaning of 108, it is important that if a mala is used for mantras, the mantra be given sincerity, devotion, feeling, and full attention.
***************************************
108 may be a precise mathematical operation (e.g. 1 power 1 x 2 power 2 x 3 power 3 = 108), thought to have numerological significance.
MATH POWERS of 1, 2 & 3: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108
SANSKRIT ALPHABET: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.
HARSHAD NUMBER: 108 is a Harshad number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harshad is Sanskrit, and means "great joy")
DESIRES: There are said to be 108 earthly desires in mortals.
LIES: There are said to be 108 lies humans tell.
DELUSIONS: There are said to be 108 human delusions or forms of ignorance.
9 x 12: Both these numbers have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.
TIME: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
ASTROLOGY: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.
PLANETS AND HOUSES: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.
GOPIS OF KRISHNA: In the Krishna tradition, there were 108 gopis or maid servants of Krishna.
1, 0, and 8: 1 is God or higher Truth, 0 is emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 is infinity or eternity.
SUN AND EARTH: The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
NUMERICAL SCALE: The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 ... 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.
DANCE: There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.
PYTHAGOREAN: The nine is the limit of all numbers, all others existing and coming from the same. ie: 0 to 9 is all one needs to make up an infinite amount of numbers.
STAGES OF THE SOUL: Said that Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.
SRI YANTRA: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 x 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.
ANAHATA (HEART) CHAKRA: The chakras are energy lines, and there are s a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. The sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is believed the path to Self-realization.
Join Cora at Hollyhock August 19-23, 2009 for her Stirring the Sea of Energy Yoga Retreat. More info at: http://www.hollyhock.ca/cms/index.cfm?Group_ID=4423
more on the 108 malas
Comment by Cora Wen - Yoga Bloom on 31st July 2009
There are still many more demonstrations of how 108 is a significant number, so look out for them and send me a note if you find it interesting...!
I will also be presenting a talk on "Name That Pose" which introduces some of the myths and legends behind the Yoga pose names... come and join us!
There are still many more demonstrations of how 108 is a significant number, so look out for them and send me a note if you find it interesting...!
I will also be presenting a talk on "Name That Pose" which introduces some of the myths and legends behind the Yoga pose names... come and join us!