Can we talk about the number 108 in Japanese culture

I just found out that 108 is a sacred number in Japanese Buddhism. It's the number of earthly desires we're supposed to overcome, and that's why they ring the bell 108 times on New Year's Eve. I had no idea there was a whole taboo around this number being tied to human suffering and attachment. Has anyone else run into numbers being considered taboo or loaded in other cultures?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_fox1d ago

108 is just a number and people are reading way too much into it lol.

hannaho521d ago

My cousin's wedding was on the 8th of June, 2008, and my aunt still insists that date is the reason the marriage didn't last, @taylor_fox. Numbers take on a life of their own once people start attaching stories to them.