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The Significance of 108

 
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Milan Fiori

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:47 pm    Post subject: The Significance of 108 Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

So this has been bugging me for quite awhile now. I've been noticing for a very long time now, 108 seems to be a significant number, especially in Anime and Japanese original video games.

I've been seeing things like the 108 pound canon in One Piece, or there are 108 members of a holy guard, or 108 pages in a holy book, and just things of other usually 'religious' or otherwise holy in nature.

So I'm curious is this number actually has any meaning in like Buddism or Shintoism or any other popular Eastern Religion? And has anybody else noticed the common 108 theme in the games and anime they play and watch?
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Failure_Urn

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I think the one piece 108 pound cannon is really the number 36 multiplied by 3, one for each of his swords, and is from the 36 passions of Buddhism. I do not know the significance of this, but thats where it came from.

Edit* Found this after looking a little

Quote:
There are various explanations for the significance of the number 108

Ancient cosmology included 9 planets & 12 constellations. 9 X 12 = 108. Represents totality, the universe
The Sanskrit alphabet has 54 letters, each has 2 aspects: male & female. 54 X 2 = 108. Sanskrit letters correspond to energies of the subtle body, 108 recitations purifies them
After reciting 100 mantras, 8 extra mantras are done to compensate for errors
6 senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and consciousness) multiplied by 3 reactions (positive, negative, or indifference) makes 18 "feelings." Each of these feelings can be either "attached to pleasure or detached from pleasure" making 36 "passions"-- each of which may be manifested in the past, present, or future. All the combinations of all these things makes a total of 108, which are represented by the beads in the ojuzu.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_prayer_beads#Number_Of_Beads_And_ Significance
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Yvl

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I was always told it was the number of temptations to overcome in the BUddhist faith or something to that effect.
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Ikano

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Hmm....from what I know/heard from my father...it has something to do with dates/calendars....something about 108 being divisible by 36....and 36 being of some importance...

I'm not sure the exact details....someone explained it to me a long time ago which I've mostly forgotten >.<
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

In terms of Suikoden at least the 108 comes from the ancient chinese book Shui Hu Zhuan (Water Margin) which was written in the 11th century. Again the number 36 is prevalent in this book, as there are 36 stars of heaven and 72 stars of earth. If you are tracing it back further than that then I guess it must be a buddhist number of significance as others have said.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

108 is a divine number in religion (probably since it can be split in many other holy numbers, like 9x12 and 4x27 and 3x6x6; and because it has some interesting mathematical traits). It is primarily associated with God in Hinduism, mainly Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva (Shiva's and Krishna's favorite, and Ganesh's lucky number; it's also the number of their names), and with God in the Abrahamic faiths (God's name has 216 letters for example) or the Heavenly Jerusalem (which has 72 outer gates and 36 inner gates), and it is also important in Daoism, Buddhism and even ancient European polytheism.
108 is used in countless Hindu temples for various measurements, and the same applies to the architecture of many Roman Catholic cathedrals.

That's why 108 is considered to be significant, and that's why it is used in stories like Shui Hu Zhuan, Lost or One Piece.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I would be interested in learning as to why 108 has become such a cornerstone of the religious. iscalio has pointed out many various and seperate cultures uses. I find it interesting to notice similarities in, otherwise, different cultures. Who here has realised how many cultures have a version of the phoenix myth? No matter what it is called, it always is a bird of fire that had an influence in creation.

Edit: I just looked up phoenix on wiki, and though there were more than I know of, they missed atleast one. They mentioned one native american tribe now using it as there symbol, but failed to note that native americans believed in a "Red Bird". I only know of this from a piece of art at one of my mom's friends' house that I read.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Yeah, like you said true perception, it's intersting to see how culture is usually quite similar over the whole world. EVERY culture on earth for example has a Dragon Myth. Which suggests that dragons were real. So, this 108 might suggest that it really DOES have significance on earth.

However, what were you saying Iscalio about the heavenly jerusalem having 72 outer gates and 36 inner ones? I've never heard that before, could you give me some sources so I could research it further?
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