ABSTRACT
Buddhism stretches across the entire globe, from the temples the Air Nomads call home to the volcanoes where the Fire Nation colonies dwell; there is nowhere devoid of its infleuncial powers. We can see evidence of this influence throughout the series but specifically when looking at the similarities between the Avatar and the Dalai Lama, Zuko and his journey from antagonist to protagonist (which harkens to Siddhārtha Gautama's own journey), and how the culture and lifestyle of the Air Nomads mirror that of Buddhist monks.
Dalai lama
The Dalai Lama acts as the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan Buddhist followers, the person who they look to for guidance. However, unlike a Western leader who is simply elected, the Dalai Lama is reincarinated once he dies and then needs to be found. For example, "Before a Dalai Lama dies, he may give hints as to where he will take rebirth. The 13th Dalai Lama, for example, turned his head toward the northeast as he passed away, and it is said that rainbows and auspicious clouds appeared in the northeastern part of the sky. In correspondence with this, the 14th Dalai Lama was discovered in the northeastern part of Tibet. Lamas consult oracles for advice on where to search for the new Dalai Lama and note any dreams they have about his rebirth. Some go to Lhamo Lhatso, a sacred lake, to look for signs on the surface of the water. When they hear of a promising candidate, a search committee goes to interview the child." [1]
We can see this parelleled in The Last Airbender when we look the Avatar. The Avatar is the spiritual leader to the citizens of the world, connecting them to the spirit world and tasked with ensuring there is peace and balance in the world. The people of the world worship the Avatar and look upon him for guidance. Furthermore, once the Avatar dies, he or she is then reborn as a new person (much like the Dalai Lama). Once the Avatar does pass away, the people must conduct tests to discover who the new Avatar will be so that the child can start their training.
An example of this test is how the Air Nomads test their children: once they know there has been an Avatar born within their midst, they present children with many toys and relics -- the catch is that there are four artefacts that belonged to past Avatars. The child who picks out these four relics is the Avatar reincarnate.
This images shows Aang with the four Avatar relics that proves he is the next Avatar.
As evidented, the Avatar draws on the Dalai Lama because both are important spiritual leaders to their followers, both are reborn once they die, and both are found by conducting various tests.
Zuko's journey
Another example of Tibetan influence in Avatar: The Last Airbender is Zuko and his journey of enlightenment -- a journey that is loosely based on Siddhārtha Gautama's journey.
Introduced in the first episode of the series, Zuko is the banished prince of the Fire Nation. In order to regain his honour and the respect of his father, Zuko feverishly hunts Avatar Aang. However, his journey is one that is long and strenuous, full of internal turmoil between doing what is right and doing what his father wants. He goes from hunting Aang, to living in the Earth Kingdom with his uncle Iroh, to bonding with Team Avatar and then betraying them, to returning home and feeling unfulfilled, to once again stalking Team Avatar but this time so that he can help them on their way.
Siddhārtha Gautama's journey follows thusly: Siddhārtha was a prince who lived a sheltered life with no concept of the struggles the external world was facing. At the age of 29, Siddhārtha left the palace to meet his subjects and encountered old age and death. Because of this, Siddhārtha left his material life behind in exchange for being an ascetic so that he may achieve enlightenment. He tried meditation and self-mortification but found both of these methods did not enlighten him. Finally, he found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree where he was given food by a woman and "he entered a deep trance, lasting seven days, during which time all the worldly temptations confronted him. He moved through stages of spiritual ecstasy and the recalling of previous forms of existence. He pondered the nature of defilement, its causes and how it can be destroyed. Through this process he rid himself of all sensual desires, fear of sickness, old age and death and worldly delusion. He now understood clearly how to overcome the suffering of human existence. He had attained enlightenment." [2]
We can clearly draw the following parellels:
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Both are on a journey to find enlightenment
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Both have to make the decision between abandoning their home and doing what is right
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Both struggle with acheiving this awakening
Although it is a loose reference, I do believe that Zuko's tough journey throughout Avatar is based upon Siddhārtha Gautama because he has to endure a lot of pain before he finds his true path. Zuko doesn't just decide to help Aang, he has to suffer before he gets there: he was treated poorly by his father, banished, suffered being poor in the Earth Kingdom, returns home only to be a disappointment to his father still, and then has to prove his worth to Team Avatar. All of this suffering, which harkens to Siddhārtha Gautama, is why I ultimately believe Zuko is a reference to this Buddhist figure.
Air nomads
As shown in this collage, the design of the Air Nomads heavily borrows from Tibetan Buddhists; their robes have a similar design, use the same colour palette of yellow, orange, and red, and the males have shaved heads.
I think the most obvious reference to Tibetan Buddism in The Last Airbender is the Air Nomads. Even from an aesthetic standpoint, they are very similar (with the same clothing styles and colours and the shaved heads). Beyond this, both have an important focus on meditation, vegetarianism, non-violence, and a seperation from material pleasures.
In The Last Airbender, the Air Nomads meditate as a way to help them focus their spirituality and energy to help them master their element. However, in Aang's case specifically, meditation is used not only as a way to connect to the spirit world but also to communicate with the spirits of past Avatars. Although Buddhists do not use meditation as some way to communicate with past selves, they do use it as a means to discipline themselves and their emotions, as a way to train their minds.
Again, we also see the similarities in how both Air Nomads live under a doctrine of non-violence, which extends itself to vegetarianism (though it is important that not all of schools of Buddhism advocate vegetarianism). We can see this doctrine of non-violence present throughout Avatar when Aang spares his enemies. For example, Aang chooses not to fight Zuko because he believes "they can be friends someday" and even spares the life of the series' antagonist, Fire Lord Ozai, instead of killing. Furthermore, in Legend of Korra, it is stated that new airbenders must take an oath of non-violence, only using fighting as a last resort.
[1] Prude, M. Alyson. "Dalai Lama." Encyclopedia of Global Religion: 279-81. SAGE Knowledge.
[2] Bohlman, Bill. "Gautama's Journey - That Buddha Guy." That Buddha Guy. Web.