108 is pretty much a sacred number in the Hindu-Buddhist civilizational sphere. Rosaries east of the Indus have 108 beads, the Nepalese parliament has 108 seats. The poses of Bhârata Natyam dancing, the number of gopî-s (cowgirls) enamoured of Krishna, the number of sacred sites in the tradition of Vishnu worship, the number of Buddhist arhat-s (realized saints), and many other sacred sets are all conventionally counted as 108. (http://koenraadelst.voiceofdharma.com/a ... hy108.html)
Mostly, the author in the above article puts it down to mathematical reasons coupled with distances in space
Mathematically, there's details about 108 being the sum of 6² + 6² + 6² (thus involving the number 666), or that it equals 9 times 12, the product of two smaller sacred numbers.It could have been otherwise, but it so happens that the distance between the earth and the sun equals about 108 (actually 107-odd) times the sun’s diameter. Likewise, it so happens that the distance between the earth and the moon equals about 108 (actually 109-odd) times the moon’s diameter. That sun and moon look equally big in the earthly sky is the immediate result of their having the same ratio between distance and diameter. Moreover, it so happens that the sun’s diameter approximately equals 108 times the earth’s diameter.
So it happens that 108 tends to crop up a lot in certain places. Does anyone know of any other instances where it plays an important role, or any other reasons behind it? Because the Suikoden world wouldn't be the same without it.
