AIZEN-MYO-ō Three eyes

AIZEN-MYO-ō

AIZEN-MYO-ō is a Deity, represented with a fierce expression a flaming three eyes.and six arms. Nevertheless. he is popularly regarded as the God of Love. Anderson(source unknown) describes him as a transformation of Atchalâ the Insatiable

EXCERPT FROM THIS BOOK- . THE JAPAN MAGAZINE- A REPRESENTATIVE MONTHLY THE THINGS JAPANESE- MAY 1916.

EXEPERT ARTICLE OF NORITAKE TSUDA ,EXPERT IN THE TOKYO IMPERIAL MUSEUM

ANOTHER familiar Buddhist deity A is Aizen-myo-o. though he is not so widely popular as Fudo. Aizen myo-o is the Indian god known in Sanscrit as Raga vidyaraja.

Raga usually means colour.- especially red. which symbolizes love or affection. Vidya means finding, and Raja means a king; and sometimes the Sanscrit name, which is used for this deity is- Namu-vajra-raga- vidyaraja, or again,- simply- Ragaraja.

Aizen-myo-o is said to be a partial incarnation of Kongo satta,- in (Sanscrit Vajrasattva )who took an oath to expel from the mankind all the wicked passions, and to hasten the coming of all men to Buddha, giving them happiness and a good fortune.

This God is represented commonly in red, with three terrible eyes, six arms;- the figure seated on a lotus pedestal,with lion headdress. Some ideas, associated with the iconography of Aizen-myo-o, may be inferred from one of the old masterpieces of painting, representing him.

The most beautiful and interesting of these is in the Hobodai in temple in Kyoto. The painting is now a national tresure, and at present is on view at the Imperial Museum Tokyo.

A minute examination of the piece shows that the body and features have been painted in red. In the sutra referring to this deity, his heart and body are said to shine as the sun; and it is probable that the red colour was selected to represent this, as well as to suggest reality The gaping, terrible eyes sparkle marvellously in the red face, one of the eyes being placed lengthwise between the usual two.

The three eyes are to give the beholder an impression of terror and awe as well as to suggest that this god has the oversight of three different aspects of the world. The eyes are blue with golden eyebrows. The mouth is open and has a grotesque grin with teeth gleaming, a common characteristic of Aizen to represent truth indestructible ;the Logos which in Buddhism is symbolized by the first letter of the alphabet.

The hair on the head of Aizen stands erect in bizzare fashion, and a cap in shape like a lion, is placed on the head with a fine-pointed kongo-sho stuck in it.The erect hair is intended to symbolize the subjugation of all evil agents. In his first left hand Aizen holds a bell,and in his first right hand,- another kongo-sho.-both of which are symbols of mercy bringing the peace of Vajrasattva to men. In the second left hand he holds a bow, and in the second right hand he holds an arrow,- to dispel the four demons and the three other obstacles of a man shooting especially the pessimistic passions The third left hand is extended in a grasping attitude with nothing in it, and in the corresponding right hand he holds a lotus bud is just opening,the gesture suggesting that the bud is to be thrown at something. This symbolizes the driving out of all worldly trouble by lotus-like purity. The red lotus,on which the god is seated, typifies the stability of his will. In front of the pedestal stands a treasure jar, around which are scattered treasure symbols, which suggest the bounty of the deity to all in need. It is noticeable that red is the prevailing colour in the icons of this deity, and this is always so, because in esoteric Buddhism red colour always stands for love, and the faculties that make for affection and compassion. The painting just described, comes down from the 12th century and may be taken to represent Aizen-myo-o in his most orthodox form. Several other forms, however are found among the representations of him as. for example.- some with four heads, or two heads and four hands,- but such divergences from the conventional form are rare.

The Aizen-myo-o is the god of the upper classes, chiefly especially, since the Fujiwara period, as he is believed to have the power of staying calamities,or gaining happiness for those who serve him.

On occasions of worship, an altar of red is erected;and a red image of Aizen placed thereon, and the officiating priests were also robed in red.

There now remain in Japan some 21 representations of Aizen-myo-o, which are listed as state treasures. In addition to the painting above mentioned, there is a very beautiful one on silk,- in the Gokoku in in Tokyo, as well as a very fine gilt statuette of him in the Imperial Museum Tokyo, which is dated February 1297 AD.

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