In Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) the Mala (beads) used for Japa (chanting) contains 108 beads.
A person breathes 21,600 times every day. If one does just 12.5 rounds of Malas of Japa of
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare;
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare
, he says the Holy Name 21,600 times and says one Holy Name every breath taken in a day.
If he does 12.5 Malas of Japa every day, that amounts to remembrance of God throughout the day. Malas may contain beads which form divisions of 108 also, so that the same calculation can be maintained.
The Meru (the bigger and central bead in the Mala) lets you know physicially that you have done your Japa 108 times. Every time you come to the Meru bead, you have gone one step further on the spiritual path and crossed over one obstacle. A portion of your ignorance is removed.
http://www.salagram.net/Japa1.htm
http://www.krishnaculture.com/category/PB.html
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