Bonnō: The 108 Earthly Desires

The 108 Earthly Desires (Bonnō): The Meaning Behind Buddhism's Most Famous Number

Each New Year's Eve, the deep sound of temple bells echoes across Japan. At midnight, many Buddhist temples strike their bells 108 times in a ceremony known as Joya no Kane. Each strike is said to dispel one of the 108 earthly desires, or bonnō, allowing people to enter the New Year with a purified mind.

Although the number 108 is widely recognised throughout East Asia, its meaning is often misunderstood.

Contrary to popular belief, Buddhism does not provide a universally accepted list of exactly 108 individual desires. Instead, the number represents a traditional classification of the many mental states that cloud human judgment and give rise to suffering.

What Are Bonnō?

The Japanese word bonnō (煩悩) translates various Buddhist terms, especially the Sanskrit kleśa, meaning "mental afflictions," "defilements," or "disturbing emotions."

These are not simply desires in the everyday sense. Rather, they are states of mind that prevent people from seeing reality clearly and from attaining enlightenment.

They include emotions and habits such as:

- Greed

- Hatred

- Delusion

- Pride

- Jealousy

- Envy

- Attachment

- Anger

- Arrogance

- Doubt

- Ignorance

- Self-centeredness

According to Buddhist teaching, these mental afflictions can continually influence human thought and behaviour, creating suffering both for oneself and for others.

The Three Fundamental Poisons

At the root of all bonnō lie the Three Poisons (sandoku), regarded as the primary causes of suffering.

Greed (rāga)

Greed is excessive attachment to possessions, pleasure, status, relationships, or even ideas. It is the endless desire for more, regardless of whether genuine happiness results.

Hatred (dveṣa)

Hatred includes anger, resentment, hostility, and aversion. It arises whenever people reject experiences they dislike or respond aggressively to obstacles and disappointments.

Delusion (moha)

Delusion is ignorance of reality itself. It includes misunderstanding the impermanent nature of existence and believing in a fixed, separate self.

Every other bonnō is traditionally understood to arise from one or more of these three fundamental poisons.

Why Exactly 108?

Several traditional explanations exist, and different Buddhist schools emphasize different interpretations. The most widely cited derives the number through combinations of human perception and emotional response.

One traditional calculation begins with the six senses recognised in Buddhism:

- Sight

- Hearing

- Smell

- Taste

- Touch

- Consciousness (the mind)

Each sense experiences objects in three ways:

- Pleasant

- Unpleasant

- Neutral

This produces 18 possible experiences.

Each experience may involve either attachment or aversion, doubling the number to 36.

Finally, each of these conditions may occur in relation to:

- The past

- The present

- The future

Thus: 6 × 3 × 2 × 3 = 108

Rather than representing a literal inventory of emotions, the number symbolises the countless ways human beings become attached to experience.

Other Traditional Calculations

Buddhist literature preserves several additional explanations for the number 108.

One system combines:

- Six senses

- Six corresponding objects

- Six forms of consciousness

- Three emotional reactions

- Past, present, and future

Another counts combinations of:

- Internal and external perception

- Purity and impurity

- Various mental responses

These differing calculations illustrate that the number functions symbolically rather than mathematically. The precise arithmetic varies, while the spiritual message remains constant.

The Bell and Purification

During Joya no Kane, temple bells are struck 108 times shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Each strike symbolically removes one layer of attachment, anger, ignorance, or other mental affliction. The final strike traditionally occurs just after the arrival of the New Year, representing the opportunity to begin again with greater wisdom and compassion.

The ritual does not imply that all human desires disappear after the 108th strike. Instead, it serves as an act of reflection, reminding participants that self-improvement is an ongoing practice requiring mindfulness throughout life.

Beyond Japan

The significance of 108 extends beyond Japanese Buddhism.

The number appears throughout the Buddhist world:

- A Buddhist prayer necklace (juzu or mālā) typically contains 108 beads.

- Some Buddhist scriptures are traditionally grouped into collections of 108 volumes.

- In Tibetan Buddhism, mantras are often recited 108 times.

- Pilgrimages in parts of India and Nepal include circuits or offerings performed in multiples of 108.

Although these practices developed independently, they all express the same idea: spiritual progress comes through repeatedly confronting and overcoming the mental habits that obscure wisdom.

A Symbol Rather Than a Checklist

Modern readers often search for a definitive list of the "108 earthly desires." No such universal catalogue exists in Buddhist doctrine.

Instead, the 108 bonnō represent a comprehensive symbolic framework describing the many combinations of attachment, aversion, ignorance, and emotional reactions that characterise ordinary human experience.

The New Year's bell therefore serves not as a countdown of 108 named sins but as a reminder that every person carries countless opportunities for reflection, compassion, and personal transformation.

With each resonant strike, the bell invites listeners to release the burdens of the past year and begin the next with renewed clarity of mind.

Learn more about:

The Great Bell of Chion-in

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