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Asian Studies Book Services |
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On 20 March 1995, poisonous gases, including the nerve gas sarin, spread through stations on the Tokyo subway system, killing 12 people and injuring thousands of others. Two days later massive police raids were conducted on the premises of Aum Shinrikyo, a small religious movement whose leader, Asahara Shoko, had prophesied that the destruction of contemporary society was at hand through a cataclysmic final war, Armageddon. Investigations subsequently linked Aum not only to the production and use of nerve gases but also to a variety of other criminal activities including murders dating back to 1989. Many questions have been raised by the Aum affair. What were Aum’s spiritual roots, and what was the focus of Asahara’s teaching? Why did a religious movement ostensibly focused on yoga, meditation, asceticism and the pursuit of enlightenment become involved in violent activities? What factors brought Aum into conflict with society at large, caused it to believe that it was the victim of a huge conspiracy to destroy it, and impelled it to experiment with making nerve gases, build weapons and form its own ‘alternative government’? In this study, Ian Reader looks at these questions by describing
Aum’s history, examining the various conflicts it was involved in, and
discussing the contents of Asahara’s sermons and prophecies. In so
doing, he points to a combination of factors which together took Aum
down a path of violence. Suggesting that the Aum case is not unique he
shows how it displays similarities with other cases of violence and
conflict amongst religious and political movements in Japan and
elsewhere. Published
by NIAS Press |
