60 Minutes Video
Much of the faith from the Aum Shinrikyo cult is based in a strange combination of Buddhism and Hinduism. Most notable is the fixation on the Hindu goddess of destruction: Shiva, which could explain the cult's doomsday attributes. Shoko Asahara predicted several dates for the end of the world like 1997-1998, but he eventually settled on 1995. In order to bring about the world's destruction and their salvation, Aum Shinrikyo decided to start provoking the Japanese government into declaring war on the United States. This began their attacks on Japanese civilians.
Shoko Asahara convinced his followers that only he had achieved the highest form of existence and his teachings would guide his followers through the levels of existence. His followers also believed that only they were to be saved from the end of the world. Should they die in the chaos that followed the end of the world, each one of them would be reincarnated in a better position in the next life.