Aum Shinrikyo and Japanese YouthAum Shinrikyo and Japanese Youth offers insights into Japanese spirituality by analyzing the motivations of those who joined the Aum Shinrikyo religious sect. This group attracted worldwide attention after its poison gas attack on the Tokyo subways in March, 1995. Daniel A. Metraux explores the reasons that thousands of Japanese people, many of them youths, joined the sect. He questions why they joined it, what they expected of their membership, and why they stayed involved or left. Metraux finds that most of the members got involved for religious and social reasons and did not partake in the terrorist and criminal activities of the leaders of Aum Shinrikyo. In addition, the author examines how the Aum situation reflects a growing sense of alienation from the traditional Japanese religion and culture among some of the young and middle-aged Japanese people, providing important information about the present status of the Japanese people. |
Contents
Past and Present | 9 |
The Teachings of Asahara and Aum Shinrikyo | 19 |
Aums Appeal to Younger Japanese | 39 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
activities AERA Agonshu Akira apocalyptic Armageddon Asahara and Aum Asahara Shoko Asahi attracted Aum facilities Aum leaders Aum members Aum publications Aum Shinrikyo Aum's Aum's Minister Australia Banjawarn Station began believed Buddhist career chemical cult Dalai Lama early emancipation enlightenment evil faithful felt followers Fujinomiya gedatsu graduate guru happiness Hayashi Hindu Hiroko Ian Reader Ibid Japan Japanese Religions Japanese society joined Aum Kamikuishiki Kaplan Kundalini Kyoto lives Lotus Village Mahayana mainstream manga Master Asahara meditation members of Aum Moscow Murakami Haruki murder mystical Nagasena Nanzan Otaku parents police postwar powers Prefecture religious movement religious practice Robert Kisala Russian salvation sarin sarin gas attack scholars sect sense Shambhala Shimazono Susumu Shimbun Shinji Ikari shinshukyo Shiva Shoko Asahara Soka Gakkai spiritual Steve student Takahashi teachings Tibetan Buddhism Tokyo University traditional transform truth Vajrayana Watanabe weapons Yamanashi Prefecture yoga young Japanese younger youth