This painting of Mahakala is perhaps the finest of its kind outside Tibet. Mahakala is the protector of the Hevajra tantras, a cycle of teachings personified by the small blue deity at the center of his diadem. Devotees revere Mahakala as the ultimate tutor, personal trainer, and psychotherapist. His fierce appearance and grisly attire represent keys to overcoming spiritual negativities. The five skulls in his crown correspond to five poisons--anger, pride, lust, greed, and willful ignorance--that hinder enlightenment. His necklace of fifty multicolored human heads represents the destruction of major ego-centered concepts. The god also tramples a contorted male figure, demonstrating the submission of the practitioner's ego.

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