02/11/2026
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📌 Why the Number 108 is Sacred in Buddhism?
The Walk for Peace is nearing its end, and today marks Day 108. Rather than being just another count in the journey, the number 108 has long been used in Buddhism to describe the range of human experience and mental reaction. Understanding this perspective offers deeper context to the path of human life.
In Buddhism, the number 108 isn’t just a random number. As Buddha taught about understanding the mind, it represents the total landscape of human mental disturbance and the disciplined path toward clarity. Think of it like a map of the mind.
There are four parts that shape how we experience life: the senses, the feelings, the reactions, and the time frames. Let’s break it down.
1️⃣ We Experience Life Through Six Senses
Buddhism teaches that everything we experience comes through six gateways:
▪️Eyes (what we see)
▪️Ears (what we hear)
▪️Nose (what we smell)
▪️Tongue (what we taste)
▪️Body (what we feel through touch)
▪️Mind (our thoughts, memories, and emotions)
These senses are how life reaches us. They form the foundation of perception, and understanding them helps practitioners recognize how awareness arises and how reactions begin.
2️⃣ Every Experience Feels One of Three Ways
Whenever something reaches us through the senses, we usually feel it as:
▪️Pleasant
▪️Unpleasant
▪️Neutral
For example, throughout a normal day you might hear music you enjoy, creating a pleasant feeling, or hear a harsh noise that produces discomfort, which feels unpleasant, while many background sounds pass by without strong reaction and remain neutral. These shifts happen constantly, often without conscious notice, shaping mood and behavior moment by moment.
This continuous process forms the emotional tone of daily experience.
3️⃣ We React in Two Possible Ways
For each feeling, we respond in one of two directions:
▪️With attachment or aversion (wanting more, pushing away, craving, resisting)
▪️With mindfulness and letting go (accepting, observing, staying balanced)
This is where Buddhist practice comes in learning to respond wisely instead of reacting automatically. The path of mindfulness trains individuals to recognize impulses without being controlled by them.
4️⃣ We Relate to Experiences Across Time
Our mind doesn’t stay in one moment. We connect experiences to:
▪️The past
▪️The present
▪️The future
We remember, we experience, and we anticipate. Thoughts about yesterday, awareness of today, and expectations of tomorrow all influence how experiences are interpreted and felt.
Putting It All Together. If we combine all of these:
6 senses
3 feelings
2 reactions
3 time frames
We get:6 × 3 × 2 × 3 = 108
This represents the full range of mental patterns and experiences that shape our inner life. It’s not meant to be mathematical science. It’s symbolic, a way of saying that this number reflects the complete landscape of human experience and the many ways perception can influence suffering or clarity.
As the Walk for Peace reaches Day 108, it invites reflection on both the physical journey and the inner journey. I don’t know if this is exactly why the walk spans 108 days, but this number holds important meaning in Buddhism, and there is valuable learning connected to it. It reminds us of the patterns of the mind and the ongoing practice of awareness.
The Walk for Peace doesn’t end when the walking stops. The message continues in how we live, observe, and respond each day.
Follow Mindful Walk for daily peace, learning from Buddhist teachings, and practicing mindfulness in everyday life. ❤️🙏
Article by Mindful Walk
