They are clearly modeled on real Buddhist monastic communities of Tibetan origin, and their typical Buddhist ideals of compassion and even vegetarianism are depicted as cherished aspects of Aang's heritage. Throughout the series, there are specific references and themes related to Buddhist philosophy and teachings.
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the concept of an avatar refers to the incarnation or physical manifestation of a deity, spirit, or abstract quality in human or animal form. Each avatar is meant to counteract a particular problem, evil, or suffering in the world.
And although Avatar was an American production, its creators forged a distinctly Asian world, with influences from monastic Tibet, Thai kingdoms, and Japanese villages, as well as Arctic indigenous communities.
As a young child, Aang selected four relics from among thousands of toys, thereby confirming his identity as the reincarnation of the Avatar—a process resembling the one used to identify the Dalai Lama.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Religious Influence, Symbolism and Themes (Buddhism and Hinduism)
What religions is Avatar based on?
Critics saw an "undeniably" Hindu connection between the film's story and the Vedic teaching of reverence for the whole universe, as well as the yogic practice of inhabiting a distant body by one's consciousness and compared the film's love scene to tantric practices.
Aang: Asian - East Asian or South Asian. Katara: Native American - Indigenous North American. Sokka: Native American - Indigenous North American. Zuko: Asian - East Asian or South Asian.
The starring roles of the show (Aang, Katara, and Sokka) were coded as being of East Asian (Aang) and Inuit (Katara, and Sokka) descent, but were played by actors of European descent in the film.
This created a powerful message considering the racial makeup of the character: as the Airbenders lifestyle was based on Tibetan traditions, many drew parallels of the massacre to the The Republic of China's 1949 occupation of Tibet.
The practice of determining the Avatar, as well as the belief in incarnations of the Avatar, are based on Tibetan practices for identifying the Dalai Lama—the Avatar likened to a Bodhisattva, a Buddha that delays Nirvana himself in order to enlighten all sentient beings.
How did Buddhism influence Avatar The Last Airbender?
The avatar concept in the show, used as a spiritual hero who comes back to help sentient beings in every lifetime, is clearly modeled on two Buddhist phenomenon, that of the bodhisattva or Enlightening Hero and the phenomenon of the tulku.
Most of the "good guys" on Avatar are shown to have respect and reverence for nature. Respect of nature is one of the "four affirmations" of the Shinto spirit. The entrance gate to the Spirit Wilds in Republic City resembles the torii found in Japanese Shinto shrines.
Buddhism is one of the world's largest religions and originated 2,500 years ago in India. Buddhists believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.
But according to the creators, Mai is the one who ends up marrying Zuko, and the name Izumi means fountain, which goes back to the fountain incident when Zuko and Mai were kids.
“uhh, friendly reminder that katara is an inuit character, indigenous to northern canada, alaska, greenland etc. so casting an asian would be a form of erasure, and indigenous actors are underrepresented as it is,” one user tweeted. “The water tribes are inspired by Inuit culture and geography location.
The Water Tribes are tribes at the north and south poles who are loosely based on the Inuit people. The Earth Kingdom is a large and diverse nation reminiscent of ancient China that is highly decentralized. The Fire nation is based on Imperial Japan, and they have been at war with the other nations for a century.
Princess Azula is the younger sister of Prince Zuko. This makes it almost certain the casting call for her will be the same ethnicity as it was for him, which was East Asian or South Asian, with the role going to 20-year-old Chinese-Indonesian-American actor Dallas Liu.
James Cameron says, “I loved Hindu mythology, the pantheon, it's rich and vivid”. He says that this was the inspiration for his movie title, 'Avatar'. So, he respects all the personalities who come in Indian mythology.
Avatar derives from a Sanskrit word meaning "descent," and when it first appeared in English in the late 18th century, it referred to the descent of a deity to the earth—typically, the incarnation in earthly form of Vishnu or another Hindu deity.
Kalkin, final avatar (incarnation) of the Hindu god Vishnu, who is yet to appear. At the end of the present Kali yuga (age), when virtue and dharma have disappeared and the world is ruled by the unjust, Kalkin will appear to destroy the wicked and to usher in a new age.
