Buddhism originated in India, and is based off the teachings of the "Enlightened One," the Buddha, who was bo in Nepal as Siddhartha Gautama. The idea of Buddhism spread all across India to China, Japan, and Korea. Buddhist practice includes samsara, nirvana, and karma. Samsara is to end the cyclic existence of reinca ation (obviously not present in ATLA, as it would be counter-intuitive), nirvana is the state of absolute peace, and karma is doing good acts. Buddhism also focuses on moderation, mental training / mediation, moral discipline, and true wisdom. In Avatar, Buddhist traits are hidden in Hindu traits, because both religions have many similar concepts and are somewhat fused in their homelands.

Tibetan Buddhist monks have a specific influence on Avatar: The Last Airbender. These monks used the same tests to find their Dalai Lama (spiritual leader) as the Airbender Monks used to identify an airbender Avatar - having an infant locate four ancestral toys. The Tibetan monks used visions as well. In addition, Monk Gyatso is named after a 14th Tibetan Buddhist Dalai Lama.

Hindu references abound in ATLA. In fact, Avatar is a Hindu word (in it original spelling Avatāra) which means "traveled spirit" or "crossed-over spirit." Vishnu, the Hindu preserver and protector of creation, has many Avatars, which are (from first to last): Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Varaha (boar), Narasingha (lion), Vamana (dwarf), Parasurama, Ram, Krishna, and Buddha. The last four are Gods, and there is Kalki too, which is still to come.

As one may have noticed, most of those reinca ations were animals, and animals carry huge importance in Hinduism. Same in ATLA; animals guides are used by the Avatars, and many creatures gain thematic importance in individual episodes.

In Hindu legends, there are sages - as their name suggests, they are wise and powerful teachers. This relates to Avatar: The Last Airbender because sages are the teachers of the Avatar in the various Bending Arts, and have the same exclusive religious authority that their real-life counterparts bore.

Meditation started out in Hindu cultures too. Meditating is important to clear the find and practice focus. Many say proper meditation for a while can lead to special abilities, such as bending. Obviously, this is present in Avatar: The Last Airbender as many Bend, and must meditate in order to control it.

In Hindu mythology, "Agni" is the name of the God of fire, and his name literally translates to "fire".  Agni has three forms: fire, lightning and the sun. (source Wikipedia)

Researched & written by -Ngo-rongo-ro