ABSTRACT
The name Asahara eventually chose for his religion was Aum Shinrikyō. He gave it this name in 1987, three years after he had laid its first foundations by setting up a yoga group in Tokyo. The name Aum Shinrikyō is significant and deserves some comment. The term shinri, as has already been stated, means truth, while kyō, meaning ‘teaching’, is a common suffix for religious groups. This emphasis on ‘the teaching of truth’ thus indicates an exclusivity central to Aum’s worldview.
