Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
In the Avatar Universe, the group of people known as the 'Air Nomads' are loosely based off of Tibetan Buddhists. For starters, the pictures below show us that the Airbender garments bear a strong resemblance to what the Buddhists are wearing.
A gathering of Air Nomads in The Legend of Korra
A gathering of Tibetan Monks in China
There are several other similarities between Tibetan Monks and the Air Nomads. For example, each group believes in non-violence. The Air Nomads are vegetarians and although it is not always required, being vegetarian is highly encouraged for Tibetan Monks. In addition, both peoples have the practice of meditation heavily ingrained into the culture [1]. When the Buddha first entered a deep meditation, he was said to 'recall all of his previous births' [2]. In the Avatar Universe, the current Avatar is able to connect with past lives in order to gain knowledge. However, the reasoning for gaining knowledge between these past lifes is quite different. For example, in either Avatar series, this process is mainly used to gain wisdom or advice on a situation that is going on in the current Avatar's life. In Buddhism, connecting with one's past lives could be used to prevent oneself from being reincarnated, and allow the person to achieve enlightenment [2]. In the Avatar universe, life is not seen as being full of suffering as it is in Buddhism, meaning that reincarnation is viewed in a very different way.
Avatar Aang meditating in The Last Airbender
A Tibetan Buddhist meditating
"..Our version of reincarnation is probably most similar to the Buddhist view. Wikipedia’s explanation is more eloquent than I can muster up at the moment: “At the death of one personality, a new one comes into being, much as the flame of a dying candle can serve to light the flame of another. The consciousness in the new person is neither identical to nor entirely different from that in the deceased but the two form a causal continuum or stream.”This is how I view the different Avatar’s personalities.."
Michael DiMartino, Co-Creator of The Last AIrbender and The Legend of Korra, June 3, 2014 [3]
As we can see in the quote above, the creators of Avatar did not open a book about Buddhism and try to perfectly mirror the concepts of the religion: I think that certain religions served as influences for their stories.
The Dalai Lama, one of the most prominent religion figures in the world, is the spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. Two of the characters in the Avatar Universe are named after the 14th Dalai Lama- Tenzin Gyatso [4]. In The Last Airbender, one of Aang's central mentor figures is named Monk Gyatso. In The Legend of Korra, we meet Aang's son, who is named Tenzin.
Tenzin in The Legend of Korra
The 14th Dalai Lama,
Tenzin Gyatso
Monk Gyatso in The Last Airbender
When it comes to determining the successor of the Dalai Lama, he is found- not chosen. When the High Lamas believe that they have found the Dalai Lama, they complete a test in order to verify his identity. He is presented with several items- some of which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. If the individual selects the items which belonged to the Dalai Lama, then this suggests that the person is the Dalai Lama [5]. In The Last Airbender, Aang is told that the monks knew he was the Avatar when they saw that the toys he chose as a child belonged to a past Avatar. Clearly, the creators of the series had Tibetan Buddhism in mind when they created this scene.
Avatar Aang with the four toys he chose which determined his destiny: clay turtle, a string-powered propeller, a wooden hog monkey, and a wooden hand drum
Compassion
According to the Dalai Lama, in order to help someone who is suffering, one must know what true suffering is. By experiencing suffering ourselves, we can become more compassionate and empathetic [6]. At the end of the third season of The Legend of Korra, Korra experiences a terrifying, near-death experience. As a result, she is tramatized and falls into a depression that lasts for three years. During the second half of the last season, she manages to overcome her depression and restore her mental well-being. In the final episode, she risks death in order to save the life of the main villain. At the end of the series finale, she explains to her mentor, Tenzin, that she believes that she had to experience suffering so that she could be more compassionate. In my opinion, Buddhism is being used here in order to teach a life lesson. Both shows promote positive messages as a way of trying to bring out the good within all of us. It can also be viewed as a way to give hope to those who are currently suffering with something in their own lives.
Korra and Tenzin's discussion of compassion in The Legend of Korra
The Four Elements
In the Avatar Universe, certain indviduals can learn bend (manipulate) one of four elements- Water, Earth, Fire and Air. While the concept of elements can be found in other religions, the elements found in Avatar match up perfectly with Buddhism [7].
The Symbols of the Four Elements in the Avatar Universe: Air, Water, Earth, Fire
Articles/Books/Websites
1. Ray, Reginald, A. “The world of Tibetan Buddhism”. Boston, MA. Shambhala Publications, Inc., 2000.
2. Wangu, Madhu. "World Religions: Buddhism Fourth Edition". Uxbridge, U.K. Chelsea House, 2009.
3. Dimartino, Mike. “Writing the Outline”. 3 June 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2015. http://mikedimartinostory.com/2014/06/02/writing-the-outline/comment-page-1/#comment-10533
4. “Brief Biography”. Dalai Lama. n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. http://www.dalailama.com/biography/a-brief-biography
5. “How the Dalai Lama is Chosen”. Today I Found Out. n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/how-the-dalai-lama-is-chosen/
6. "Compassion and the individual." Dalai Lama. n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015. http://www.dalailama.com/messages/compassion
7. “The Buddhist Teaching of Physical Phenomena”. Wisdom Library. 03 Jan. 2010. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. http://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena/d/doc2655.html
Images
http://www.teefury.com/the-two-avatars
http://media.tumblr.com/d630d518bb6a7b36880eff7cde6de5bd/tumblr_inline_n7zlfuck3Y1qmpzpl.jpg
http://article.wn.com/view/2012/03/31/Exiles_2_Tibetan_monks_selfimmolate_in_China_c/
http://web.poptower.com/tenzin-airbender-legend-of-korra.htm
http://johnstepper.com/2014/08/30/moving-through-life-like-the-dalai-lama/
http://dvdscreenshots.avatarspiritmedia.net/atla/103/209.jpg
http://atla.avatarspirit.net/screenshots.php?quality=dvd&num=112&page=14
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/64/54/61/645461f7bc1993db2b641c2448d99188.jpg