| http://www.zen-forum.com/a13/b2002/c12/d1/e783/z7
A really long passage about the relevance of the number 108 in real life.
From it:
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From Perfect wisdom Edward Conze
The 108 Names of the holy perfection of wisdom
Homage to the blessed perfection of wisdom
The jinas of the past, future and present, to them all you are a lovely mother.
The Jinas, O goddess, are your sons. To have no own-being is your own-being.
Of the names of the lovely Mother of the Buddhas I will now speak.
If you want ample merit, listen !
The perfection of wisdom is:
1 All-knowledge 2 Knowledge of the modes of the path 3 Knowledge of all modes 4 reality-limit 5 Suchness 6 Non-falseness 7 Unaltered suchness 8 True reality 9 what truly is 10 Unpervertedness 11 Emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness 12 the state of non-existence 13 absence of own-being 14 having non-existence for own-being 15 dharmahood 16 Dharma-element 17 the stabilty of Dharma 18 the fixed sequence of Dharma 19 the mark of Dharma 20 absence of self in dharmas ( and absence of own-being in them ) 21 a being 22 a living soul 23 a person 24 a personality 25 and of individuality 26 inexpressible 27 not to be talked about 28 bereft of thought, mind and consciousness 29 unequalled 30 equal to the unequalled 31 without sense of ownership 32 without self-conceit 33 unimpeded 34 free from impediments 35 absolutely beyond all impediments 36 Mother of all the Buddhas 37 genetrix of all bodhisattvas 38 support of all disciples, nurse of all Pratyekabuddhas 39 support of the entire world 40 inexhaustible store of equipment with merit 41 a torrential descent of cognitions, achievements of 42 the various wonderworking powers, 43 the purification of the heavenly eye 44 the clarification of the heavenly ear 45 the cognition of the thoughts of others 46 the recollection 48 holy, pure and immaculate, 49 sacred and majestic 50 firmly established in the applications of mindfullness 51 associated with the strength of the right exertions 52 associated with the four roads to psychic power, achievement 53 the purification of the faculties 54 of the powers 55 of the unblemished jewel of the seven limbs of enlightenment 56 of the gift of seven prizes 57 exhibition of the eightfold path 58 achievement of the exhibition of the attainment of the nine successive stations 59 acquisition of the ten sovereignities 60 achievement of the dwelling on the ten stages 61 perfect achievement of the ten powers 62 adornment of the ten All-bases 63 aqcuisition of the ten cognitions 64 achievement of the destruction of the ten inimical evil tendencies 65 perfect accomplishment of the trances 66 achievement of the transcending of the formless world 67 praised by all the fully enlightened Buddhas 68 achievement of all cognitions
69 emptiness of subject 70 emptiness of object 71 emptiness of subject and object 72 emptiness of emptiness 73 great emptiness 74 ultimate emptiness 75 conditioned emptiness 76 unconditioned emptiness 77 infinite emptiness 78 emptiness without beginning and end 79 emptiness of non-repudiation 80 emptiness of the essential original nature 81 emptiness of all dharmas 82 emptiness of own-marks 83 emptiness of non-apprehension 84 emptiness of non-existence 85 emptiness of own-being 86 emptiness of the non-existence of own-being
87 no birth 88 non-production 89 non-stopping 90 non-annihilation 91 non-eternity 92 not one thing 93 not many things 94 not coming 95 not going away 96 the full meditational development of conditioned co-production
absence 97 of thought-construction 98 of all inclination towards entities or their signs 99 something to be known 100 from the very beginning unsupported by any foundation 101 non-dual 102 undivided 103 entrance into the quiet calm of purified understanding 104 identical with the unobstructed and stainless ether 105 neither existing nor expressible in words 106 her own-being like a dream, her true nature like an illusion 107 like unto a fiery circle 108 the one single taste of all dharmas
Any who recites these 108 names of the perfection of wisdom is freed for ever from all the states of woe. All the Buddhas bring him to mind, and all the Bodhisattvas constantly and always protect, guard and defend him.
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Whatever this is, I think it's safe to say it was used as inspiration by the writers. Now the question is do they have a plan with this plot, or are they going episode by episode?
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