Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo

by Ian Reader

Book Overview

This study looks at Aum's claims about itself and asks why a religious movement ostensibly focused on yoga, meditation, asceticism, and pursuit of enlightenment became involved in violent activities. Reader places the sect in the context of contemporary Japanese religious patterns, discussing developments in Asahara Shoko's personality and teachings, Aum's millennialism and its developing hostility toward society, and compares Aum with other religious...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824823400
• ISBN13: 9780824823405
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.6"