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miscellaneous postings by Lawrence R. Spencer

...and other stuff, READING MATTER, UNIVERSES

NUMBER 108: LOST AND FOUND

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The popular American TV show “Lost” made many esoteric references to the number “108” (a series that I never watched personally)

 Apparently, the series includes quite a few references to Buddhism. For example, the sum of “the numbers” (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42) is 108, and “the numbers” must be entered into a computer every 108 minutes. One hundred eight is also the number of days “the Oceanic 6” have spent on the island. And Jacob tells Hurley to rotate the mirror in the lighthouse to a heading of 108°.

The following is a collection of information about the number “108” (reference links included):

One hundred [and] eight (or nine dozen) is an abundant number and a semiperfect number. It is a tetranacci number.

It is the hyperfactorial of 3 since it is of the form 1^1 \cdot 2^2 \cdot 3^3.

108 is a number that is divisible by the value of its φ function, which is 36. 108 is also divisible by the total number of its divisors (12), hence it is a refactorable number.

In Euclidean space, the interior angles of a regular pentagon measure 108 degrees each.

There are 108 free polyominoes of order 7.

In base 10, it is a Harshad number and a self number.

The equation 2\sin\left(\frac{108^\circ}{2}\right) = \phi results in the Golden ratio

Importance in Astronomy and Astrology

The earth cycle is supposed to be of 2160 years = 20 x 108. The distance between the Earth and Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Sun. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The distance between the Earth and Moon is 108 times the diameter of the Moon. The universe is made up of 108 elements according to ancient texts. The current periodic table claims a few more than 108.

There are 12 constellation and 9 arc segments. 9 times 12 equal 108. The 9 planets travelling through the 12 signs constitute the whole of existence. 9 x 12 = 108. The 27 nakshatras or lunar constellations spread over the 4 elements – fire, earth, air, water or the 4 directions – north, south, east, and west. This also constitutes the whole of existence. 27 x 4 = 108.

Source: http://humanityhealing.net (http://s.tt/13wja)

Religion and the arts

The number 108 is considered sacred in many Eastern religions and traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and connected yoga and dharma based practices. The individual numbers 1, 0, and 8 represent one thing, nothing, and everything (infinity). 108 represents the ultimate reality of the universe as being (seemingly paradoxically) simultaneously One, emptiness, and infinite.

Hinduism

RudrakshaFor example, Hindu deities have 108 names, while in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, there are 108 gopis of Vrindavan. Recital of these names, often accompanied by counting of 108-beaded Mala, is considered sacred and often done during religious ceremonies. The recital is called namajapa. Accordingly, a mala usually has beads for 108 repetitions of a mantra.

The distance of Sun from Earth divided by diameter of Sun and distance of Moon from Earth divided by diameter of Moon is approximately equal to 108. It is claimed that the great sires of Vedanta knew this relationship and thus 108 is a very important number in Vedantic chantings.

Buddhism

Likewise, Tibetan Buddhist malas or rosaries (Tib. ཕྲེང་བ Wyl. phreng ba, “Trengwa”) are usually 108 beads;[1] sometimes 111 including the Guru Bead(s), reflecting the words of the Buddha called in Tibetan the Kangyur (Wylie: Bka’-‘gyur) in 108 volumes. Zen priests wear juzu (a ring of prayer beads) around their wrists, which consists of 108 beads.[2]

Japa Mala, or Japa beads, made from Tulasi wood. Consisting of 108 beads in total + the head bead.

The Lankavatara Sutra has a section where the Bodhisattva Mahamati asks Buddha 108 questions[3] and another section where Buddha lists 108 statements of negation in the form of “A statement concerning X is not statement concerning X”.[4] In a footnote, D.T. Suzuki explains that the Sanskrit word translated as “statement” is “pada” which can also mean “foot-step” or “a position.” This confusion over the word “pada” explains why some have mistakenly held that the reference to 108 statements in the Lankavatara refer to the 108 steps that many temples have.[5]

In some schools of Buddhism it is believed that there are 108 defilements.[6] In Japan, at the end of the year, a bell is chimed 108 times in Buddhist temples to finish the old year and welcome the new one. Each ring represents one of 108 earthly temptations a person must overcome to achieve nirvana.

Ancient artifacts

The pre-historic monument Stonehenge is about 108 feet in diameter. [3]

Other References

In the neo-Gnostic teachings of Samael Aun Weor, an individual has 108 chances (lifetimes) to eliminate his egos and transcend the material world before “devolving” and having the egos forcefully removed in the infradimensions.[7]

Martial arts

  • According to Marma Adi and Ayurveda, there are 108 pressure points in the body, where consciousness and flesh intersect to give life to the living being.[8]
  • The Chinese school of martial arts agrees with the South Indian school of martial arts on the principle of 108 pressure points.[9][10]
  • 108 number also figures prominently in the symbolism associated with karate, particularly the Gōjū-ryū discipline. The ultimate Gōjū-ryū kata, Suparinpei, literally translates to 108. Suparinpei is the Chinese pronunciation of the number 108, while gojūshi of Gojūshiho is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 54. The other Gōjū-ryū kata, Sanseru (meaning “36”) and Seipai (“18”) are factors of the number 108.[2]
  • The 108 of the Yang long form and Wing Chun, taught by Yip Man having 108 movements are noted in this regard.[5]
  • Several different Taijiquan long forms consist of 108 moves.
  • Paek Pal Ki Hyung, the 7th form taught in the art of Kuk Sool Won, translates literally to “108 technique” form. It is also frequently referred to as the “eliminate 108 torments” form. Each motion corresponds with one of the 108 Buddhist torments or defilements.

In literature

In other fields

  • An official Major League Baseball baseball has 108 stitches.[11]
  • In the Manga and Anime series Shikabane Hime Aka and Shikabane Hime Kuro (Corpse Princess), the shikabane himes must hunt 108 evil undead corpses in order to ascend to heaven.
  • The atomic number of hassium.
  • The number of Mbit/s of a non-standard extension of IEEE 802.11g wireless network using channel bonding.
  • There are 108 Stars of Destiny to collect in the video game Suikoden distributed by Konami for PlayStation
  • 108 is the name of a community of and for open source developers, created by Red Hat.[12]
  • There are 108 cards in a deck of UNO cards.
  • There are 108 Code Crowns in Digimon Xros Wars.
  • Volume expansion of freezing water is roughly 108%.

 EMRI – Emergency Services

108 degrees Fahrenheit is also the internal temperature at which the human body‘s vital organs begin to fail from overheating.In India, 108 (1-0-8) is the toll-free emergency telephone number. Calls are handled by GVK EMRI (GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute), the only professional Emergency Service Provider in India today, handling medical, police and fire emergencies.

Highways and Roads

OTHER SIGNIFICANCES OF THE NUMBER 108

The Indian Subcontinent rosary or set of mantra counting has 108 beads. 108 has been a sacred number in the Indian Subcontinent for a very long time. This number is explained in many different ways.

The ancient Indians were excellent mathematicians and 108 may be the product of a precise mathematical operation (e.g. 1 power 1 x 2 power 2 x 3 power 3 = 108) which was thought to have special numerological significance.

Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2×2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108

Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.

Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 x 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.

9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.

Heart Chakra: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.

Marmas: Marmas or marmastanas are like energy intersections called chakras, except have fewer energy lines converging to form them. There are said to be 108 marmas in the subtle body.

Time: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.

Astrology: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.

Planets and Houses: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.

Gopis of Krishna: In the Krishna tradition, there were said to be 108 gopis or maid servants of Krishna.

1, 0, and 8: 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.

Sun and Earth: The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.

Numerical scale: The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 … 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.

Smaller divisions: The number 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so that some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.

Islam: The number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.

Jain: In the Jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively.

Sikh: The Sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads.

Chinese: The Chinese Buddhists and Taoists use a 108 bead mala, which is called su-chu, and has three dividing beads, so the mala is divided into three parts of 36 each.

Stages of the soul: Said that Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.

Meru: This is a larger bead, not part of the 108. It is not tied in the sequence of the other beads. It is the quiding bead, the one that marks the beginning and end of the mala.

Dance: There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.

Pythagorean: The nine is the limit of all numbers, all others existing and coming from the same. ie: 0 to 9 is all one needs to make up an infinite amount of numbers.

...and other stuff, BULLSHIT, FREE ADVICE, LIVES

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (1984) by GEORGE ORWELL

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 Nineteen Eighty-Four (first published in 1949) by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party.  Life in the Oceanian province of Airstrip One is a world of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public mind control, accomplished with a political system euphemistically named English Socialism (Ingsoc), which is administered by a privileged Inner Party elite. Yet they too are subordinated to the totalitarian cult of personality of Big Brother, the deified Party leader who rules with a philosophy that decries individuality and reason as thought crimes; thus the people of Oceania are subordinated to a supposed collective greater good. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party who works for the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue), which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism. His job is to re-write past newspaper articles so that the historical record is congruent with the current party ideology.  Because of the childhood trauma of the destruction of his family — the disappearances of his parents and sister — Winston Smith secretly hates the Party, and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother.

As literary political fiction and as dystopian science-fiction, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a classic novel in content, plot, and style. Many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink,  thoughtcrime,  Newspeak,  and memory hole, have become contemporary vernacular since its publication in 1949.  Moreover, Nineteen Eighty-Four popularized the adjective Orwellian, which refers to official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of the past in service to a totalitarian or manipulative political agenda.

George Orwell “encapsulate[d] the thesis at the heart of his unforgiving novel” in 1944, and three years later wrote most of it on the Scottish island of Jura, during the 1947–48 period, despite being critically tubercular. On December 4, 1948, he sent the final manuscript to the Secker and Warburg editorial house who published Nineteen Eighty-Four on June 8, 1949.  By 1989, it had been translated in to some 65 languages, the greatest number for any English-language novel at the time.

The title of the novel, its terms, its Newspeak language, and the author’s surname are contemporary bywords for privacy lost to the State; while the adjective Orwellian connotes a totalitarian dystopia characterized by government control and subjugation of the people. As a language, Newspeak applies different meanings to things and actions by referring only to the end to be achieved, not the means of achieving it; hence, the Ministry of Peace (Minipax) deals with war, and the Ministry of Love (Miniluv) deals with brainwashing and torture. The Ministries do achieve their goals; peace through war, and love of Big Brother through mind control.  (Wikipedia.org)

...and other stuff, ART, BULLSHIT, FREE ADVICE, INSIDE THE BOOK, LIVES, MOVING PICTURES, READING MATTER, UNIVERSES

THE BAD WAR: (BEFORE, AFTER, NOW AND BEYOND)

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the bad war“The Bad War: The Truth Never Taught About World War II”

“On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the “Florence of the Elbe” to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 135,000 people. It was the single most destructive bombing of the war—including Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and all the more horrendous because little, if anything, was accomplished strategically, since the Germans were already on the verge of surrender.  During the 75 years that have now passed since the end of the grand history-altering event known as World War II, only a single narrative of the great conflict has been heard. It is a story which the architects of the New World Order have implanted, no, POUNDED into the minds of three subsequent generations. Every medium of mass indoctrination has been harnessed to the task of training the obedient masses as to what the proper view of this event should be. Academia, news media, public education, book publishing, TV documentaries, Hollywood films, clergymen and politicians of every stripe all sing the same song.  Indeed, the “official story” amounts to a manufactured mendacity of such mountainous dimensions that the human mind will have a hard time processing the actual truth of the grand event, no matter how compelling the case may be. Isn’t it time you heard a different tune; at least for your consideration? Haven’t you ever at least been curious as to what “the other side of the World War II story” was? We discuss an epic timeline that will transport you back to the mid 1800’s; and then lead you on an exciting “you are there” journey right up through both World War I and World War II. But do be forewarned. Your worldview may never be the same.”

In the following video my friend, Mel Fabragas, from Veritas Radio, interviews the author M.S. King about his revolutionary new book reveals the secrets behind the FALSE HISTORY of World War II that has been taught in the United States since 1946 by media controlled by the Rothschild banks and Zionist controlled media. The book is available from the following link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bad-War-Truth-Taught/dp/1507764995

...and other stuff, INSIDE THE BOOK, THE OZ FACTORS, UNIVERSES

99% of MUNCHKINS ARE EXTINCT (Beetles not)

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HOW MANY SPECIES OF MUNCHKINS ARE IN THE LAND OF OZ?

“We represent the Lullaby League …”–The Munchkins

“We represent the Lollipop Guild …”–The Munchkins in ‘The Wizard of Oz’

On this planet, there are five major kingdoms of life forms categorized as follows:

1/ Bacteria

2/ One-Celled Organisms

3/ Mushroom, Molds, Fungi

4/ Multi-Cellular Plants

5/ Multi-Cellular Animals

The number of different forms of life–the tremendous variety of life on this planet–is virtually beyond comprehension. Think of how many different kinds of birds you’ve seen. Take a wild guess as to how many species of fish swim in the waters of the world. How many mammals or reptiles might there be, not to mention plants and insects?

Biologists are still trying to count the number of different life organisms on the planet. Consider the probability that an estimated TWO BILLION SPECIES have lived on Earth, of which as many as 99.9 percent are now EXTINCT! So, there probably aren’t that many left, right?

Wrong.

There are still estimated to be about 30,000,000 (thirty million!) different species of organisms still living on Earth. There are estimated to be more than 400,000 species of plants, alone. Do you like bugs? There are more than 1,000,000 species of insects (yes, that’s one million). There are 30,000 different subspecies of spiders! Not to mention the 30,000 species of beetles, 20,000 species of moths and 20,000 species of ants, bees and wasps. Researchers have estimated that for every human being there are one billion insects on Earth!

There are more than 9,000 species of birds, 4,000 species of mammals (1,700 are rodents), 10,000 species of roundworms, 4,000 species of amphibians, 21,000 species of bony fish and 6,000 species of reptiles. Don’t even think about the nearly unfathomable variety of invertebrate life in the oceans. Scientists will be working for a very long time to identify everything that lives in the waters of the world.

That’s just life in the macrocosm of Earth; i.e., just those life forms that we can see easily with the naked eye. How does this apply to the microcosm of relatively invisible animals?

80-beetlesThere are 4,000 known species of bacteria. On the average human body, about 600 million bacteria live on the skin. The skin under your arms carries close to 500,000 bacteria and your forearm is a thriving metropolis that is home to over 12,000 bacteria per square inch! The bacteria population INSIDE your body is too numerous to count.

Then there are all the species of protozoa, algae, fungi and bacteria that eat carbon dioxide and hydrogen and produce methane as a byproduct.

In addition to the vast number of species, consider the fact that each individual cell in any complex organism is, in fact, a separate, distinct life entity. There are about 75 trillion cells in the average human body. The size of a single cell varies from the thickness of a few thousand atoms, to the largest single cell (an ostrich egg), measuring about 20 inches in diameter.

Oz Factors_LULUThe sheer volume and diversity of life forms would seem to defy the probability of any coincidental, circumstantial, accidental or spontaneous development of the unthinkably vast, complex, intricately coordinated, precisely structured, cooperatively balanced, and yet, ingeniously bizarre, incongruously grotesque and downright peculiar variety of life on Earth. (Remember, we aren’t even counting the 99 percent of life forms that USED to live on the planet, which are now extinct!)

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

In the 150 years since Darwin and others have re-proposed the Theory of Evolution, no one has ever demonstrated it to be true. Not a single one of any of this immense number of species have ever successfully interbred and created a fertile reproductive combination of two different species.

The point is this: Darwin’s theory does not provide us with a workable solution. The missing pieces of the puzzle are still missing, namely: where did man and the other life forms on this planet come from?”

_______________________________

— Excerpted from the book, THE OZ FACTORS, by Lawrence R. Spencer