Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring

"Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" [ "Olmo Lung Ring" is part of the land of "Tazig". They have been conflated for economy.] is a non-dual spiritual realm (plane or dimension) of the Bön tradition which resides beyond dualism. It is understood to be a timeless perfected realm where peace and joy are the very fabric of being. This country-name rTa-gzig is believed to be a form of the name Tajik; while the Ol-mo-lung-ring is believed to be a form of the name of the city Olmaliq (now reckoned as being within Uzbekistan, but formerly included within Tajik-istan).

The realm of "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" is fabled to be located to the west of Mount Kailash and shaped like an eight-petaled lotus and divided into four regions: inner, middle, outer and boundary area. The sky of this realm is likened to an eight-spoked wheel (refer Dharmachakra) and the land itself is fragrant and coloured by beautiful flora and landscaping, chorten and snow-capped mountains.

Central to "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" is "Yungdrung Gutsek", a pyramidal-shaped mountain serving as axis mundi with nine Yungdrungs ["Yungdrung" is a polyvalent symbol that may be understood to personify dharmakaya and the everlasting and indestructible essence-quality of the mindstream.] (refer sauwastika) ascending like a staircase evocative of the Nine Ways (or stages) of Bon. The four faces of the pyramidal mountain, face the four cardinal directions. At the corner-joints of "Yungdrung Gutsek" (cross-quarter directions) four rivers flow from simulacra of archetypal thoughtforms:

*from the simulacrum of a snowlion the river "Narazara" flows from the East;
*from the simulacrum of a horse the river "Pakshi" flows from the North;
*from the simulacrum of a peacock the river "Gyim Shang" flows from the West; and
*from the simulacrum of an elephant the river "Sindhu" flows from the South.

cholarly view and retort

Mount Kailash of northwestern Tibet has been equated with "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" by some scholars. The Bönpo contend with this as "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" is not a physical locality that can be visited by humans in the state of dualism. In order to access "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring", one must diligently practice spiritual disciplines, purify the bodymind and mindstream of all obscurations and realise the non-dual state. Bönpo pray with the heartmind to take birth in "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" as this may only occur post-enlightenment. Mount Kailash is accessible by those in a dualistic and non-realised state and is therefore proof to the Bönpo that Mount Kailash and "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" are qualitatively and essentially, different realms. Historical Bön texts state explicitly that the sacred mountain of Mount Kailash is central to the kingdom of Zhangzhung.

Notes

1 "Olmo Lung Ring" is part of the land of "Tazig". They have been conflated for economy.
2 "Yungdrung" is a polyvalent symbol that may be understood to personify dharmakaya and the everlasting and indestructible essence-quality of the mindstream.

References

*Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche (2006). "Opening the Door to Bon". Snow Lion Publications. ISBN: 1559392460. Source: http://www.snowlionpub.com/samples/OPDOBO_Ch1.pdf (accessed: Thursday January 18, 2007)