The blood-red body and flaming halo of the King of Passion, Aizen Myōō, symbolize how, in Buddhist practice, the violent energies of carnality and desire can be converted in the pursuit of enlightenment. Aizen Myōō is the embodiment of rage: his hair stands on end, a snarling lion rises from his head, and his six arms brandish Esoteric Buddhist weapons and other emblems of power. The bow and arrow in his middle hands are attributes appropriated from Kama, the Hindu god of love. In contrast with this righteous anger, jewels of good fortune forming flaming clusters spill from a vase in front of the deity's lotus throne. While the philosophical and moral aspects of Aizen Myōō inspire mortification, the faithful afflicted with problems of the heart address him as a popular intercessor in their mystical practices and ritual invocations of his powers.This painting is a classical presentation of a Buddhist deity. The frontal composition, exacting geometry, painstaking technique, and lavish coloration result in an icon of great formal beauty that expresses the esoteric concept of the essential unity of the material and the spiritual realms. Of particular note is the extensive use of embossing (moriage) in gold on the jewelry, bell, thunderbolt, and throne.
