Aum Shinrikyo , the Japanese new religion and doomsday cult that was the cause of the Tokyo subway sarin attack that killed thirteen people and injured more than a thousand , drew upon a syncretic view of idiosyncratic interpretations of elements of early Indian Buddhism , Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism , taking Shiva as the main image of worship , Christian millennialist ideas from the Book of Revelation , Yoga and the writings of Nostradamus . Its founder , Chizuo Matsumoto , claimed that he sought to restore " original Buddhism " and declared himself " Christ " , Japan 's only fully enlightened master and identified with the " Lamb of God " . His purported mission was to take upon himself the sins of the world , and he claimed he could transfer to his followers spiritual power and ultimately take away their sins and bad deeds . While many discount Aum Shinrikyo 's Buddhist characteristics and affiliation to Buddhism , scholars often refer to it as an offshoot of Japanese Buddhism , and this was how the movement generally defined and saw itself
Tokyo subway sarin attack
Tokyo subway sarin attack
Buddhism and violence