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One of the myō-ō or Vidyā-rāja class of Japanese Buddhist deities, Aizen-myō-ō is the god of love. In fact, his name means “Love,” and he represents the idea of love changed into the Buddhist desire for Enlightenment. Aizen is usually depicted with a red body possessing eight arms and three eyes on an angry face. A lion's head rests in his hair, symbolizing passion. He carries bows and arrows, which symbolize love as well as his role as a destroyer of evil.
In Japanese Buddhism, Aizen Myō-ō (愛染明王 or 愛染妙王) is the god of love and lust. Originally a Hindu deity, Ragaraja, Aizen Myō-ō became part of Buddhism, and Kobo Daishi Kūkai transmitted the teaching of him to Japan.
He is portrayed as a red-skinned, frowning man, his appearance representing suppressed lust and passion. He variously has two, four or six arms; in the latter form, his hands bear a bell, a stick, a thunderbolt, a lotus, a bow and an arrow. Similarly, he sometimes has two heads, with a lion's head in his wild hair. According to legend, he represents the state at which sexual excitement or agitation becomes enlightenment and passionate love becomes compassion for all living things. In Buddhism, he manifests as a vajrasattva.
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 | Asian Mythology. A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by David Leeming. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aizen Myo-o". Read more |
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