Yevon In " Final Fantasy X " , the people of Spira follow the teachings of Yevon . The faith is named after Yu Yevon , a summoner who lived in Zanarkand one thousand years ago . Nearly all the peoples of Spira follow the teachings of Yevon , including the Ronso and the Guado ( converted during high summoner Braska ' s Calm by Jyscal Guado and Kelk Ronso as part of Grand Maester Yo Mika ' s " sub - races appeasement policy . " ) . The Al Bhed are an exception and are viewed as heretics by the autocracy for their use of machina , a practice forbidden by the church . As for the Hypello , whether or not they follow Yevon ' s teachings is never explored . Yevon draws inspiration from real - world religions , such as Shintoism ( practices and temples ) , Buddhism ( iconography and ritualistic disciplines ) , Islam ( pilgrimages ) and Catholicism ( hierarchical structure and rigid doctrine ) . Profile . Temples of Yevon . Temples of Yevon are found throughout Spira . At the heart of each temple lies a Chamber of the Fayth , a room that contains a fayth — a statue that houses a willingly - given human soul . Through the soul bonding to a summoner mighty creatures called aeons may be made manifest . There are five official temples of Yevon , each with their own fayth : There are three lost temples : When summoners journey to defeat Sin , they arrive at the final temple , located in " the city at the end of the world " : Administration and hierarchy . Although Yevon has roots over the whole of Spira , it doesn ' t officially have worldly authority , as governmental duties are left up to regional self - rule . However , the leaders of each area are backed up by the temples . Yevon is funded by donations received from Yevonites . The temples aid the populace by using their finances in various ways , such as operating the shoopuf crossing service at Moonflow , operating as places of worship to Yevonites , and training summoners . Control is carried out by four Maesters , called the " four Maesters of Yevon " . At the top of the hierarchy is the position of the Grand Maester . In " Final Fantasy X " , Grand Maester Yo Mika has held the position for 50 years . Below the Grand Maester are three positions referred to as by the title of Maester , a station similar to that of a Cardinal in Catholicism , though one casually addresses a Maester as " Your Grace " , a title reserved for bishops , instead of " Your Eminence " , as is the custom regarding Cardinals . The three Maesters below the Grand Maester oversee the three ministries of civil affairs , military affairs , and temple affairs , and their duties include making laws and presiding over Yevon ' s High Court . The current Minister of Civil Affairs is Kelk Ronso . He is in charge of the judiciary , treasury and general civil administration . The current Minister of Military Affairs is Wen Kinoc , who is in charge of the general military command and doubles as head of the Warrior Monks and oversees the Crusaders . The current Minister of Temple Affairs is Seymour Guado who maintains the temples ' rituals and teachings and oversees the summoners . He has the authority to handle records of the sealed histories . High priests represent each temple across the world , but they have no voice in the temples ' inner circle and only have control over their respective temples . In an exception to the rule , Maester Seymour concurrently holds the post of high priest of Macalania Temple and the current Minister of Temple Affairs . The next step down are the priests of Yevon whose job is to attend to the temples throughout the land . Many priests are summoners or former summoners . Priests tend to wear multicolored vestments of white , green , and orange . Below the priests are summoners , a position similar to a cross between a priest and a " miko " . Summoners are charged with the greatest responsibility of all , to journey to Zanarkand , obtain the Final Aeon and destroy Sin . Summoners also perform the sending , a ritual that guides the souls of the dead to peace on the Farplane . The title of high summoner refers to summoners who have defeated Sin . Lastly , Yevon has a number of acolytes , similar to deacons or nuns . They work throughout Spira performing various duties . Officials of Yevon wear a band down the front of their robes with six glyphs . The six signs also appear on Yevon tapestries , the sleeves of Seymour ' s wedding suit , and the map of Spira . Arms of Yevon . Yevon has militant arms in addition to the summoners : Practices . Prayer to Yevon is conducted with a gesticulation that starts with the hands out to either side before bringing them into the chest , as though holding a sphere , and bowing . This evolved from a blitzball ritual . Summoners are obligated to perform the sending for the deceased . This is a ritual dance that sends the pyreflies of the deceased on their way to the Farplane , preventing them from coalescing into fiends . Yevon uses a writing system seen in the temples and places associated with Bevelle , such as Bevelle Underground . Yevon ' s iconography is based on the used in , one of the biggest mainstream schools of Japanese Buddhism as well as one of the oldest . The letter A represents Yevon , and Z represents Sin . The sound of that ' A ' is the meditative core for Shingon Buddhists . In the game , that sound doubles as the glyph for Yevon as a whole . Story . One thousand years ago a great war that became known as the Machina War was fought between the cities of Zanarkand and Bevelle . Yevon , Zanarkand ' s ruler , saw his people were unable to defeat Bevelle ' s machina , and was unwilling to allow his city to be swallowed up into history . He devised a plan to preserve its memory for all eternity , even if he could not save the city itself . At Yevon ' s order , most of the surviving citizens of Zanarkand gave up their lives to become fayth who Yevon could use to conjure a summoned Zanarkand based on the memories of its citizens . The summoned replica was to be a utopia removed from conflict . Yevon manifested the city out at sea in an undisclosed location , far removed from the Spiran mainland and the warmongering Bevelle . To prevent anyone from easily locating his summoned city of memories , Yevon used magic to surround himself with disembodied spiritual energy called pyreflies to create an armor , which would become known as the monster Sin ; this armor would protect him while he summoned the dream Zanarkand . Sin would attack areas with high populations and advanced technology bringing technological progress to a halt and keeping the people on the mainland from giving much thought to what may lay far out at sea . Maintaining his summoned city and creating Sin was a greater strain than Yu Yevon ' s human form could handle , and his humanity faded leaving only his instincts to maintain Dream Zanarkand . Thus Sin ' s first act as an instinctual beast was to destroy the original Zanarkand . Yevon had a daughter , Lady Yunalesca , who was the first summoner to defeat Sin with a technique known as the Final Summoning . Afterward she would remain in Zanarkand as an unsent to grant the gift of Final Aeon to summoners who complete their pilgrimage . The Final Aeon is an ultimate summon and it is different for each summoner , because a Final Aeon must be someone to whom a summoner has a powerful bond , such as a friend , sibling , or spouse . Thus , a summoner ' s guardian is chosen to become the fayth for that summoner ' s Final Aeon . The Final Summoning can destroy Sin due to the bond that unites the aeon and the summoner , but when this method is used Yu Yevon endures the destruction of its vessel , merges with the Final Aeon and uses it as the core of a new Sin . Yu Yevon ' s merge with a Final Aeon kills the summoner . With Sin ' s " defeat " , a short period of peace settled on Spira , known as the First Calm . The survivors began reconstructing Spira , focusing on Bevelle . Yu Yevon regenerated Sin using Zaon ' s aeon , Yunalesca ' s husband whom she had made into a fayth , as a core , and Spira ' s plight began anew . The new Sin destroyed the remaining machina civilizations and thus machina use began to fall out of favor . It is unknown who created Yevon . The temple itself perpetuates a belief that Yevon was a powerful summoner from Zanarkand who passed on the teachings to his daughter , Yunalesca , as a means to vanquish Sin that had manifested as a curse on mankind for their sinfulness for starting the Machina War . The temple was named after him and Yevon become an object of veneration as the person who had given Spira the seed of its salvation . However , even the temples don ' t know how Yevon had acquired the teachings , or what happened to him after he granted them . In truth , the teachings were developed by the temple itself based on its ideals on how to best preserve Spira . Maechen speculates that motivated by her desire to protect Spira from Sin , Yunalesca had agreed to provide a means to temporarily dispose of Sin in return for her father to be honored . However , according to the " Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega " Yunalesca did not have a direct hand in creating the Yevon religion or its doctrine , and only learned of Yevon ' s teachings via the people who would visit her at the Zanarkand Dome seeking the Final Aeon . Nevertheless , many fayth were placed in the temples of Yevon for the summoners to follow in Yunalesca ' s footsteps in defeating Sin . Yevon proclaims that the Final Summoning can defeat Sin for a time and give Spira hope , but states that unless the world embraces the teachings of Yevon and atones for its sins , Sin will never go away . Seizing public sentiment after Sin ' s first return , the temples took control of Spira with the main temple being situated in Bevelle . Ever since the Final Summoning has played an invaluable role in the teachings of Yevon . Even if Bevelle had not been a center for summoning practice , summoning would become one of its core dogmas as the teachings revolve around the Final Summoning and the ban on machina ; it was Yevon ' s wish that there should never be technological convenience that would allow for Dream Zanarkand to be discovered or its summoning be halted . As told in " Final Fantasy X - 2 . 5 ~ Eien no Daishō ~ " , the Al Bhed ( then known as the " Bedore " ) were used as scapegoats for the emergence of Sin as they had worked in the factories that had produced weapons for the Machina War . After Yevon arose as the main religion across the land many Bedore were hunted down and executed , and Yevon had a hand in changing their name from Bedore to Al Bhed . Al Bhed were thus cast out from society . Over time Bevelle set up temples throughout Spira placing a fayth in each one . Some of the fayth originate from a time before Sin , but others were created by the temples themselves for the purpose of perpetuating the doctrine concerning the Final Summoning and the pilgrimage summoners must undertake to qualify . To govern these laws , Yevon came to be with four Maesters at the top , a high priest for each temple , and many other priests , monks , and nuns . Fayth unceasingly sing a hymn that was reported to have been heard emanating from the fayth on Mt . Gagazet at Sin ' s first public appearance — a hymn which later became known as the " Hymn of the Fayth " . Around the time Bevelle adopted the teachings the song was taken up by those who were in defiance of Bevelle , the Al Bhed in particular . At first , Bevelle prohibited the use of the song , but soon spread a story it was sung to soothe the souls of the dead . The hymn was incorporated into the teachings of Yevon thereafter and regarded as a holy song . Although the temples ' teachings had become widespread , 600 years passed with no one able to defeat Sin . During that time many doubted Yevon ' s teachings , the priest Omega among them , who was executed for openly rebelling against the temples . Unable to go to the Farplane his spirit lingered in Spira , and Omega became a fearsome fiend . Six hundred years after the temple was established a summoner named Gandof defeated Sin , tearing the Calm Lands asunder and isolating the Remiem Temple , thus creating the Second Calm and becoming the first high summoner . Gandof suffered the same fate as Yunalesca had and died . This gave credence to Yevon ' s teachings , and doubts about the temples subsided . As before , the calm was short - lived and Yu Yevon rebuilt Sin , which started its rampage anew as the third Sin appeared publicly with Gandof ' s Final Aeon as its core . Gandof was posthumously titled " high summoner " , a title which would from then on be bestowed on those who had defeated Sin . Statues of Gandof were placed in Spira ' s temples and his story was told as an example of honor and sacrifice to be followed . A thousand years after Sin first appeared it has been defeated a number of times but always returned , the upper echelons of Yevon in full awareness Spira would never have respite from Sin via the teachings of Yevon . The temple fears exposure of that fact , and thus forbids the pursuit of all truths other than the teachings , and frowns upon change or any displays of doubt . One could argue that the backbone of Yevon ' s teachings is an endorsement of thought suppression . Summoner Yuna sets out on her pilgrimage but becomes labeled a heretic when she kills Maester Seymour Guado after confronting him for his murder of his father and he turns on her . Yuna is put on trial during which she learns that high - ranked priests of Yevon lost faith and hope of defeating Sin long ago , and that the Grand Maester himself is an unsent . After escaping her predicament in Bevelle Yuna resolves to continue her pilgrimage regardless , as it is the fayth who grant the summoner their powers , not the temples . Upon reaching Zanarkand and learning that Sin ' s rebirth is certain , she declares Final Summoning a false rite that only perpetuates Spira ' s suffering . Yunalesca attempts to kill Yuna and her guardians to " release them " now that they have learned the truth behind Yevon and rejected it , but Yuna and her guardians prevail and kill Yunalesca , ending the practice of Final Summoning . They are called back to Bevelle and meet Grand Maester Yo Mika who urges Yuna to summon her Final Aeon . They explain they have obliterated Yunalesca , and thus broken the very practice Yevon stands for . Mika is overcome by despair of the thought of Yevon being made obsolete and Spirans succumbing to despair as a result , and departs for the Farplane . Yuna and her guardians enter Sin on their airship and kill Yu Yevon at its core , ending his summoning of Sin and Dream Zanarkand . The fayth he had used for his summoning , as well as the fayth in the temples , are released , and their souls depart for the Farplane . With no more fayth left in Spira , the summoners are unable to call forth aeons , and with the Maesters of Yevon now dead and the temples ' hypocrisy revealed to all of Spira , Yevon is disbanded . Two years later , in " Final Fantasy X - 2 " , the moral teachings of Yevon have been revitalized in the form of the New Yevon Party under Praetor Baralai . Although technically a splinter group of Yevon , the New Yevon Party is not a religion , but a way of life , their motto and position on technological advancement being , " one thing at a time " . Symbolism . Much of " Final Fantasy X " is based on the corruption of organized religion and the misuse of such faith to support an evil cause . Yevon presents itself as Spira ' s saving faith , but comes apart as a corrupted and manipulative religion centered on minimally appeasing the masses to maintain the status quo while committing heresies in the background . Yevon ' s downfall alludes to the religious skeptic ' s argument that organized religion is corrupt , and has its followers worshiping lies . Yevon resembles a theocracy ; one that exercises authoritarian political power , rather than solely administrating its doctrinal affairs . There are strong Gnostic undertones to the portrayal of spirituality in Spira . The Yevon Temple draws inspiration from many real - world religions , such as Shintoism ( practices and temples ) , Buddhism ( iconography and ritualistic disciplines ) , Islam ( pilgrimages ) and Catholicism ( hierarchical structure and rigid doctrine ) . A most notable influence appears to be derived from the faith of Jodo Buddhism , a branch of Buddhism centered on the doctrines and practice of Amitābha Buddha , where its founding story describes the monk Dharmākara ascending to Buddhahood and discovering the power to establish a " buddhakṣetra " , a realm beyond reality founded by a Buddha ' s own merits . Naming his world the Pure Land and becoming Amitābha Buddha , he vowed to make his world a paradise to which all peoples of his faith can enter and transcend into Buddhahood with ease to help the rest of the world . Adapted into Japan , Jodo became popular with the common castes due to its simplicity in comparison to Shingon and Nichiren , and its influence reached into the Imperial Court ; by the times of the establishment of the Tokugawa Shougunate , Jodo had reached its loftiest height of power for over the span of 264 years . Many of Yevon ' s aspects , from its founder ' s backstory , its control over the world , and reign of influence , also tie in with the East Asian design direction and Yevon ' s incarnation within the game . Yevon comprises of leaders known as Maesters , which include Seymour Guado , Wen Kinoc , and Kelk Ronso . These positions are comparable to the Catholic roles of cardinals , and Grand Maester Yo Mika ' s wardrobe resembles the Pope ' s . The Japanese Buddhist has religious concepts of " jiriki " ( lit . " self power " ) and " tariki " ( lit . " outside power " ) , said to be the powers that one may choose to follow to become enlightened and ultimately achieve Nirvana once set in a school ' s teachings . The school of Jodo Shinshu , long empathizing " tariki " , sees its historical and cultural influence greatly in the aspects of Yevon ; from having a military power , ensuring that the people follow its zeal to have the populace under its teachings , and ultimately , obedient unwavering command , and to bearing influence on political scale , sometimes to the point of corruption .