ANTHROP 2R03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Shoko Asahara, Mphasis, Rush Hour
27 Mar 2019
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Document Summary
On march 20th, 1995, a deadly nerve gas known as sarin was released on the tokyo subway during the morning rush hour, causing 12 deaths and over 5000 injuries. A new religious movement known as aum shinriky existed: it emerged in the 1980s in the context of interest in the occult, mysticism, draws on many religious traditions encountered through the impact of globalized communications and travel. Included traditional buddhism, ascetic practices, utopian ideas, and apocalyptic ideas: asahara studied the book of revelations, taught the mass destructions would happen as a result of the evil energy in the world. 30,000 believers in aum shinriky needed to transform evil energy into positive energy to avoid nuclear disaster. Over time, the idea of prevention disappears and an emphasis is placed on the survival of a small number of chosen people. The lotus village plan were self-sufficient communities with nuclear shelters.
