Namasté! Introduction to 108 Days of Meditation & Reflection

108 Days of Meditation & Reflection

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There is a reasoning behind the choice of a 108-day cycle.

Since time immemorial 9 x 12 or 108 has been studied, analyzed, interpreted, applied. Think about these facts from the Surya Siddhanta (4-5th c b.c.e.), an ancient Indian astronomical work: The distances between the Sun and the Earth, the distances between the Moon and the Earth, the way the planet rotates and its effect on us all – all these things have been studied carefully. The ancient astronomers found that diameter of the Sun multiplied by 108 equals the distance between Sun and Earth, and the diameter of the Moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance between Earth and Moon. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. This is one of the reasons we have 108 beads in a mālā (माला). The brilliant mathematicians of the Vedic age considered the number 108 to represent the oneness and wholeness of existence, and as noted above, provides an extraordinary connection among the sun, the moon, and the earth (cf. masculine principle, feminine principle, and material principle). Those figures are remarkably accurate and coïncide with modern instrumental measurements and scientific calculations. The number 108 also has significant ritual meaning. There are said to be 108 sacred sites in India. There are 108 Upanisads. Hindu deities have 108 names. There are 108 marma (मर्म) points or sacred ‘vital points’ on the human body. In homoerotic yogic tantra, the number 108 represents spiritual completion. The japamālā (जपमाला) used to count māntra (मन्त्र) repetitions has 108 beads (plus one “guru bead”); prāṇāyāma (प्राणायाम)  is frequently completed in 108 cycles; the Surya Namaskar (सूर्यनमस्कार) (“sun salutations”) is frequently done in 9 sequences of 12 āsanas, totalling 108. The ancient yogis, based on the observations of the cosmic movements and astronomical calculations, believed that performing our exercises and practices in abhyāśa (अभ्याश) in sets of 108, we would be able to align the microcosm (ourselves) with the macrocosm (the cosmos), in the rhythm of creation, and thus vanquish saṃsāra (संसार) or wandering from birth to birth. The Vedic scholars were not alone in their fascination with the number 108. The Sarsen Circle at Stonehenge is 108 feet in diameter; the temple at Lamanai, an ancient Mayan temple in Belize, is 108 feet tall; the mortuary temple at Tikal, Guatemala, and in the temple of Kukulkan at Chitzen Itza, the dimension of 108 figures significantly in the architecture. Particularly in Mesoamerica, these temples and ritual structures were designed and constructed to house the souls of great men but were also ritually designed to connect human beings not only with the sun and celestial bodies, but also to the Divine Creator. Do you note the connections? In yogic disciplines we often toss the saying “As above, so below” around. The saying comes from alchemy. But that’s not the only connection between the celestial 108 and our bodies: there are 108 nadis converging to form anāhata (अनाहत), 108 marma-s (मर्म), pressure or vital points, sacred foci on the human body. In Jainism, a child of Sanatanadharma, there are 108 virtues. Some forms of Tai Chi have 108 movements. In Buddhism temples there are 108 steps representing the 108 steps to enlightenment. In Tibetan Buddhism there are 108 delusions. In Japanese Zen Buddhism, a temple bell is intoned 108 times at the end of the year, ritually closing a cycle reminding the believer of the 108 temptations that must be overcome to achieve nirvana. Need I go on? Reflecting on these facts, we have to wonder whether we will ever be able to fully fathom the mystical meaning of 108. Perhaps, but like all else and, as the Greek mathematician Archimedes taught: “Mathematics [understood to be the hidden order of the cosmos] will reveal its secrets…only to those who approach it with love.” It seems only reasonable that I chose 108 days as the meditation/reflection cycle for these Homoerotic Tantra℠:Mascul-IN-Touch℠ daily spiritual practices. Thank you for joining me!

Peace and Joy! ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ Oṃ  śānti, śānti, śāntiḥ || Dāka Karuṇā दाक करुणा (William

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