The Bon and Za

One of the older deities of Bon is Za (gZa) who is manifesting himself in hailstorms, lightnings and energy. He has 18 faces and six arms - many deities of Tibet share this feature of multiface and multilimbs. He rides a dragon and he causes numbness, epilepsy and madness when he is offended by blockades of normal flows of energy. Za patronizes magicians and his thanka can be seen in many monasteries. The shamans of the Tamang in Nepal have the dragon as an important ally: with the dragon they can actually travel to the lower world and the upper worlds (akash). The dragon helps them to extract illness, too. Rätsch in his book "Schamanismus und Tantra in Nepal" shows a nice thangka on page 82 which illustrates profoundly the shamanic journey.

"Schamanismus und Tantra in Nepal" Great Book *****