Thanks for playing!
For the shield activation, I actually had the sprites ready for them, but I barely had half an hour left to submit it, so I didn't include it in :(
As for the relation to Buddhism, I based it off how it's considered as the most peaceful/pacifist religion in the world, which is reflected on how the player can only shield itself and can't attack the boss. Though I suppose I can add in more elements to the game to better signify this. Either way, thanks for the feedback!