In religion, folk belief and divination[edit]

Hinduism[edit]

 Also known as Ashtha, Aṣṭa, or Ashta in Sanskrit, it is the number

of wealth and abundance.
 The goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, has eight forms
known as Ashta Lakshmi and worshipped as:
"Maha-lakshmi, Dhana-lakshmi, Dhanya-lakshmi, Gaja-lakshmi,
Santana-lakshmi, Veera-lakshmi, Vijaya-lakshmi and Vidhya-
lakshmi"[47]
 There are eight nidhi, or seats of wealth, according to Hinduism.
 There are eight guardians of the directions known as Astha-
dikpalas.[48]
 There are eight Hindu monasteries established by the
saint Madhvacharya in Udupi, India popularly known as the Ashta
Mathas of Udupi.[49]
Buddhism[edit]

In Buddhism, the 8-spoked Dharmacakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path.

 The Dharmacakra, a Buddhist symbol, has eight spokes.[50] The

Buddha's principal teaching—the Four Noble Truths—ramifies as
the Noble Eightfold Path and the Buddha emphasizes the
importance of the eight attainments or jhanas.
 In Mahayana Buddhism, the branches of the Eightfold Path are
embodied by the Eight Great Bodhisattvas:
(Manjusri, Vajrapani, Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ksitigarbha,
Nivaranavishkambhi, Akasagarbha, and Samantabhadra).[51] These
 are later (controversially) associated with the Eight
Consciousnesses according to the Yogacara school of thought:
consciousness in the five senses, thought-consciousness, self-
consciousness, and unconsciousness-"consciousness" or "store-
house consciousness" (alaya-vijñana). The "irreversible" state of
enlightenment, at which point a Bodhisattva goes on "autopilot", is
the Eight Ground or bhūmi. In general, "eight" seems to be an
auspicious number for Buddhists, e.g., the "eight auspicious
symbols" (the jewel-encrusted parasol; the goldfish (always shown
as a pair, e.g., the glyph of Pisces); the self-replenishing amphora;
the white kamala lotus-flower; the white conch; the eternal (Celtic-
style, infinitely looping) knot; the banner of imperial victory; the
eight-spoked wheel that guides the ship of state, or that symbolizes
the Buddha's teaching). Similarly, Buddha's birthday falls on the 8th
day of the 4th month of the Chinese calendar.
Judaism[edit]

 The religious rite of brit milah (commonly known as circumcision) is

held on a baby boy's eighth day of life.[52]
 Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday that starts on the 25th day
of Kislev.[53]
 Shemini Atzeret (Hebrew: "Eighth Day of Assembly") is a one-day
Jewish holiday immediately following the seven-day holiday
of Sukkot.[54]