Your First Steps to the Truth: The Law of the Universe

by Shoko Asahara

Tankobon Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aum Shinryku was Buddhist organization that I checked out back in 1994. They had opened for business in New York and were recruiting members. I went over to their temple on West 45th Street, and met with a calm, pleasant Japanese nun and watched a promotional video. A Japanese friend of mine told me that this group was viewed with great suspicion in Japan, and a couple of things about them turned me off. Their initiation fees and dues were a little high, and the nun was listening to some dull new age music that she claimed was brought back from a higher plane of existence by her guru, Shoko Asahara. Another thing that aroused some doubts was her claim that Asahara was the first person since Buddha to achieve total enlightenment completely unaided. Their video was pretty corny, but I decided to keep an open mind and read some of their literature. I eventually decided not to join, which was a good move because Aum Shinryku soon became notorious following their nerve gas terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway, and Asahara went to prison.

This book did make for interesting reading. It is a collection of Asahara's teachings, culled from several books and illustrated with cute, silly cartoons. It does serve as an easily digestible introduction to Buddhism. It discusses the 3 levels of existence and the large number of heavens and deities - the Heaven of Playful Degeneration, the Wish-Fulfilling Cow, the Heaven of 33 Gods. There is even a chart listing the average lifespans within each level, and some have to be measured in kalpas (i.e. one cycle of the universe, from creation to dissolution). It is like stumbling onto a box of toys from another planet.

The book did get my interest, and I'm glad that instead of joining this cult, I went on to learn more about Buddhism and eventually join a first-rate Buddhist organization.