Aum Shinrikyo

It is not viewed as an association since a government does not drive it, there are no social events and no enrollment procedure.

This paper will explore research results done through the internet and through published books on the background of the cult group Aum Shinrikyo, now known as the group Aleph, and several other Sarin gas attacks, to include the terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway on 20 March 1995. There is a lot of speculation and questions surrounding this cult group, which will be discussed later, who started out as a peaceful yoga group by the founder and his wife, turn into a radical doomsday cult religion capable of not one but several chemical terrorists acts towards their own countrymen. According

On March 20, 1995, five male members of an apocalyptic Japanese cult released a lethal dose of sarin gas into the Tokyo subways, killing 12 and wounding thousands more (Olson, 1999:314). The men responsible were astrophysicists, doctors, and electronics engineers who graduated at the top of their classes (Hudson, 1999:140, 142). All belonged to Aum Shinrikyo, a cult fuelled by the beliefs of an inevitable apocalypse and that salvation could be provided through membership in the cult. Under the control of a partially blind guru, Shoko Asahara, cult members willingly cut all ties with their families and friends, leaving a normal life for one of little sleep, intense spiritual training, and meager meals. This paper details the spiritual beliefs of the Aum and the daily routines of its followers, including the lives of children in Aum communes and the distribution of punishments for minor acts of disobedience. The ways in which Aum Shinrikyo and its members counter Japanese capitalism, anomie in Japanese society, and stereotypical notions of cult members will be discussed. The creation of members’ sense of self through their achieved identities as cult members and the construction of a spiritual lifestyle that superficially opposes a lifestyle of consumption will also be examined.

Because of this, Buddhists do not fear death, because they do not fear the loss of one's life or identity. This fearlessness in death can be paralleled with the samurai. This freedom from fear is consistent throughout all of the samurai's life. Whatever the daimyo tells a samurai to do, he will do regardless of personal risk. By detaching himself from the thought of risk, or of danger or death, and of the worry of morality, the samurai is able to remain more loyal to the daimyo. Complete loyalty is only possible through detachment from personal risk, morality, and to a lesser extent thought. Other parallels between Buddhism and bushido can be drawn also, particularly in the concept of no thought.

There are many aspects of this world such as culture, technology, or art that have been influenced by other things. The way that things influence each other has allowed for new possibilities and ideals to be formed. Religion is no exception; there have been many instances where religions have influenced each other and blossomed due to new ideas being presented. A good example of this the relationship between the two religions: Buddhism and Shinto. Buddhism was brought into Japan during the early 6th century from Korea, and was later institutionalized as the state religion in the late 6th century by Prince Shōtoku. The Prince was a great patron of Buddhism and by having made it the state religion, it would help Buddhism spread. However, Japan was not without its own religion—Shinto—which had been there for many years prior to the arrival of Buddhism. With Buddhism gaining traction in Japan with the help of Prince Shōtoku, what then does it mean for the Shinto religion? However, Shinto was not long forgotten, which leads to the question: how did the two religions, Buddhism and Shinto, interact with each other when Buddhism arrived in Japan? In this essay, I will discuss how both Buddhism and Shinto were closely tied to each other in Japan, and how they would influence each other in different ways that allowed them to grow into new directions.

Aum Shinrikyo was a New Religious Movement that was cast into the public spotlight after members of the group took part in a religious terror attack in Tokyo in 1995; however, as violent this act may have been, Aum Shinrikyo did not begin as a violent religion. Instead, it was shaped into one over time as the religion slowly began on the path to introversion and eventual shunning of the greater society as whole, generating a following that was skeptical of the dominant society, and held the power of the guru above everything else.

The first factor is that of victimization. Victimization is when an individual feels as though he or she has fallen victim to something, such as a physical, psychological, or financial harm. Individuals who are victimized feel as though they are missing something and are eager to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and terrorist organizations can fill those needs. An example of how victimization can attribute to the radicalization of an individual is if an individual lost family or friends in a drone strike conducted by the United States of America. The family and friends killed in the drone strike leaves the individual feeling scared, angry, and sad with a hunger for revenge. A terrorist organization such as Al Qaeda could be very intriguing to that individual because of their mission to wage war against and destroy the United States of America. Victimization is a dangerous factor because it can easily feed into other factors and victims can easily be manipulated into believing certain things, one of those things being religion.

Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. It can best be described as a structured system of animism. The word Shinto comes from Chinese characters (shen and tao), meaning “divine being” and “the way” respectively. Therefore the total meaning of Shinto is “The Way of the Divine Beings/Spirits.” (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2011) It is unclear when the Shinto belief came about, but it most likely has its earliest roots in animism. These animistic beliefs were expressed in the form of spirits called kami. The kami are beings that are present in all aspects of nature and consist of major deities, ancestor spirits, and minor spirits who have significance in a specific community. (Wilkinson, 2012, p. 263) Several of these kami have had extreme importance in Japanese creation mythology and Shinto belief.

No government has sponsored Aum Shinrikyo, but Japan previously recognized it as a religion. The United States, Japan and other countries recognized Aum Shinrikyo as a terrorist organization in 2007. Followers of Aum Shinrikyo exist around the globe, particularly in the United States, Russia, and Montenegro. As of 2016, Russia aggressively tracks Aum Shinrikyo members now, but previously allowed the cult to broadcast on state-owned television and radio stations. Montenegro deported over 8000, members (Chan,

Shintoism is the native religion of Japan, however, unlike most other religions; it claims no sacred text or founder. Because of this, Shintoism is more commonly referred to as a reflection of Japanese culture and history, often blending with other religions, such as Buddhism (O'Neal et al., 2007). Being an immanent religion, Shinto values the importance of experiencing harmony with the spirits of the world, known as the kami. These kami inhabit all things, from animals and mountains, to the spirits of the deceased (Toropov and Buckles, 2011). Although not considered all-powerful, the chief kami of this animistic spirituality is the sun goddess, Amaterasu. As the daughter of Izanagi and Izanami, the creators of Japan, her role is to rule over the heavens, and provide the Japanese

Shinto and Buddhism are two different traditions that have flourished in Japan for hundreds of years. Generally, followers from one of the traditions tend to follow the guidance of the other as well, which makes the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism very rare in world religions. At first, when these two traditions contacted each other in ancient Japan, there was a lot of confusion, but eventually they were able to coexist. However, even though Buddhism and Shinto share similarities regarding flexibility and independence, there are more differences between them proven by Buddhism’s spread to ancient Japan, their contrasting practices and beliefs and the different outlooks on the afterlife.

Religious terrorism is a sort of political viciousness inspired by a flat out conviction that an extraordinary force has endorsed and charged terrorist violence

Investigation: The Japanese religions of Shinto and Buddhism are two very unique religions that, despite having different origins, ended up becoming an amalgam of rite, practice, and belief. Shinto, one of the major religions of Japan, has existed since prehistoric times. “Shintoism”, explains Meg Greene, author, “[does not] have a founder, nor does it have sacred scriptures like the Sutras …the religious texts of the Hindus.” Indeed, the history of Shinto was so vague that it did not even have a true name until the word ‘Shinto’ was borrowed from the Chinese.

On March 20, 1995, members of the Asahara Shoko lead Aum Shinrikyo cult boarded subways and released deadly sarin gas on the commuters of Japan. Twelve people died, and over 5,000 travelers sustained permanent damage to their sight. One of the few terrorist attacks in Japan, the Tokyo sarin gas attack was devastating not only to Japan, but the world. Most of the world was left wondering how this could happen in such a seemingly peaceful country. However, beneath Japan’s facade, or tatemae, the truth, or honne, was that Japanese culture was to blame. “Asahara Shoko… and his immediate followers… were born of and nourished in the soil of contemporary society” (Shimazono 382). The problems within society lay in the educational, religious, and

Terrorism is used around the world to create fear and influence the public on political views (Siegel, 489). There are four views of terrorism including the psychological view, socialization view, ideological view, and the alienation view. A religious terrorist would most likely fit under the ideological view. In this view the terrorist feels the need to change a wrong opinion and believes that, because they are sacrificing themselves for something they believe so strongly in, it justifies the damage and harm done to innocent people (Siegel, 490). They use terror to create fear in anyone who opposes them and attract followers to their religion. In short, terrorism is widely used for political