Buddhist Tattoos

[BigBadSeattleLad]

It's unlikely that any reputable ajarn - and NO temple abbots - will do a custom job according to your carry-in design. Usually, after a brief chat to familiarize themselves with you and your situation (and what concerns and issues you may be having at this point in your life), they will propose a few options (various yant) from a sizable collection that may serve to remedy your concerns and protect you. The example in your photo is a-typical and unlikely to be found in any of their existing collections.

If your sole concern is an awesome tattoo, there are dozens of tattoo artists in the Kao Sarn area that will ink you with whatever design you want. The former option is blessed upon completion by the ajarn/abbot and is applied in order to bring luck and protection from various threats (manual bamboo or steel spike application), the latter is purely a cosmetic undertaking (electronic needle application) any any 'blessing' will happen only after a big tip.

Edited November 13, 2013 by BigBadSeattleLad

[PattayaPhom]

Hi guys! I'm new to this blog, and was drawn to it by a particular interest in Sak Yant tattoos. I've been doing a lot of research but can't seem to get some answers with regard to the yant that I'm planning to get. I was hoping you could help me with some questions. 

 

I already have two yants (one on my arm and another one on my back), and I want to add another bigger piece on my chest (see attached). I know this is not the usual sak yant design that is commonly seen online. In that sense, do do all monks do this? and do I need to make a prior appointment with the temple so they can sketch it out? Pardon the questions, as I'm really grappling for answers.

 

I'm also concerned about the price. I've inquired in Ajarn Noo's shop, and was quoted 40k baht for this piece. That is a lot by any standard. If monks do not accept payment, but donations instead, how much is acceptable considering the work that will be done?  

 

Thanks a lot! Sadhu!

 

12Baht and a packet of Krung Thip cigs

Sent from my ST27a using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sabaijai]

It's unlikely that any reputable ajarn - and NO temple abbots - will do a custom job according to your carry-in design. Usually, after a brief chat to familiarize themselves with you and your situation (and what concerns and issues you may be having at this point in your life), they will propose a few options (various yant) from a sizable collection that may serve to remedy your concerns and protect you. The example in your photo is a-typical and unlikely to be found in any of their existing collections.

If your sole concern is an awesome tattoo, there are dozens of tattoo artists in the Kao Sarn area that will ink you with whatever design you want. The former option is blessed upon completion by the ajarn/abbot and is applied in order to bring luck and protection from various threats (manual bamboo or steel spike application), the latter is purely a cosmetic undertaking (electronic needle application) any any 'blessing' will happen only after a big tip.

Well said.

As an aside, the majority of sak yan masters in Thailand are laymen rather than monks. I have met two that accepted custom work, as long as it could be justified within the sak yan belief system. Although the entire tattoo(s) can't be seen in the photo above, it/they look like relatively standard designs. The top row consists mainly of unalom, signifying the unitary nature of Buddhism, and below that rows of kata or Pali Buddhist verses in Khmer script. Then below that is the face of Kala, Hindu god of time and death, forming a frame for the main focus of the yan, which is not visible in the photo.

[Sktoo]

Hi guys, anyone here know Wat Bang Phra, Nakhon Pathom Wai Kru date for this year?

Thaisjournal.blogspot.com

[sabaijai]

It takes place in March, but not sure of the dates. You could try calling the temple at 0 3438 9333.

[nidieunimaitre]

Are tattoos not a MATERIAL thing?

How can they relate to buddhism?

[healthbkkbkk]

There are many Thais, men and women, with tattoos across all or a part of their backs. This is traditionally done for protection but has also become a sort of fashion.

This is not a Buddhist thing as all magic is forbidden in Buddhism.

That said many Thais will consider it to be a Buddhist practice and there are even Monks who specialize in giving these tattoos.

It's akin to something like "The Rapture" followed by many Christians even though it is not in the Bible or a Muslim who venerates his ancestors tombs even though this is forbidden in Islam.

Old ways and superstitions die hard.

I obtained this information from a ranking Monk who I love dearly.

[Ayutthaya11]

I'm currently on my 8th laser burn. That guy in ko samet really screwed up the nose on the Buddha on my upper left arm

[geronimo]

google Ajarn <deleted>

he;s a sak yant master

[geronimo]

hello,

I come from Paris, I am a farang women ... I had learned how to know the "sak yan" for 2 years soon. I am accustomed to travelling to Thailand and it is a world very close to me, in the culture and thinking. it is a little my second home.

I learned has to respect the beliefs of the "sak yan". I am attracted for the tatoo ancestral since always. I have to a long time seek mister Nu kamphai, before miss Jolie ( Master-tattoer in Bangkok), I wrote has all the tattoers inhabitant of Thailand to find his adress !!!...it was very hard but I arrived there . the "sak yan" starts has to be increasingly popular, I have the impression. after Movie "necromancer" and angelina Jolie...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

May i ask how do we find mister Nu kamphai?

google Ajarn &lt;deleted&gt;

[geronimo]

hello,

I come from Paris, I am a farang women ... I had learned how to know the "sak yan" for 2 years soon. I am accustomed to travelling to Thailand and it is a world very close to me, in the culture and thinking. it is a little my second home.

I learned has to respect the beliefs of the "sak yan". I am attracted for the tatoo ancestral since always. I have to a long time seek mister Nu kamphai, before miss Jolie ( Master-tattoer in Bangkok), I wrote has all the tattoers inhabitant of Thailand to find his adress !!!...it was very hard but I arrived there . the "sak yan" starts has to be increasingly popular, I have the impression. after Movie "necromancer" and angelina Jolie...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

May i ask how do we find mister Nu kamphai?

google Ajarn <deleted>

Ajarn Foo (it is spelled f - u) but the software sees it as a bad word)

[shaggy851]

I have many of these sak yant buhhdist tattoos. They are mostly for spiritual protection of different kinds. I have the 29 unaloms version of the gow yort or 29yort, also the 8 way protection star and one half of the fighting suas tiger that most muay thai fighters have. I got them together with friends at nakon pathom and some at ang thong. I have them for my own beliefs and reasons and other fasion tattoos in chinese or japanese style coi that were machine tattoos, all of the thai ones wers hand done by ajans. They come with the mantra recited and have various rules that the yant master must abide by for the protection. Two of these include a woman not to stand or sit on your back shoulders/ above you and not to eat some type of food that grows under the ground. You can choose the tattoos if you wish to donate a sum of money to the wat and tourists are ferried upstairs for that treatment or you can sit with all the thais and let the ajarn tattoo you with one of his choosing usually free or a small donation in an envelope up to u.

[Denim]

There is no such thing as a Buddhist tattoo. There are only tattoos that exploit Buddhism as a theme just as you see women's fashion clothing shops in the west called ' Che ' or even n full ' Che Guevara ' With both of these naive people believe there is some kind of kudos to be had by associating themselves with the said imagery. Many Thais profess to believe they act as a talisman against accident and misfortune. Unfortunately there is absolutely zero truth in this as testified by the number of people killed on the roads who have these things.

You even ser daft falangs having them.

In the end what it boils down to is people have them because they think they look cool. Obviously nobody would have the following tattoo on their back

' I am a raging faggot '

Because clearly this would send out the wrong kind of message to people looking at it. Certainly no Harley rider would have one. A Buddhist tattoo maybe , A laughing skull....probably

but nothing that would not look cool according to popular culture.

But what you have to ask yourself before you have a tattoo done is what kind of level are you pitching for. If you are aiming for kudos from idiots they work very well....otherwise wait until you are bit more grown up.....older and see if you still want one. Laser removal is not all its cracked up to he.

[shaggy851]

There is no such thing as a Buddhist tattoo. There are only tattoos that exploit Buddhism as a theme just as you see women's fashion clothing shops in the west called ' Che ' or even n full ' Che Guevara ' With both of these naive people believe there is some kind of kudos to be had by associating themselves with the said imagery. Many Thais profess to believe they act as a talisman against accident and misfortune. Unfortunately there is absolutely zero truth in this as testified by the number of people killed on the roads who have these things.

You even ser daft falangs having them.

In the end what it boils down to is people have them because they think they look cool. Obviously nobody would have the following tattoo on their back

' I am a raging faggot '

Because clearly this would send out the wrong kind of message to people looking at it. Certainly no Harley rider would have one. A Buddhist tattoo maybe , A laughing skull....probably

but nothing that would not look cool according to popular culture.

But what you have to ask yourself before you have a tattoo done is what kind of level are you pitching for. If you are aiming for kudos from idiots they work very well....otherwise wait until you are bit more grown up.....older and see if you still want one. Laser removal is not all its cracked up to he.

That is one opinion. That would have been better to have kept to yourself. If its Thailand that has made you so bitter then its time to leave. Being old and cynical isn't all that its cracked up to be. Take your judgments and unwanted posts and go jump off sathorn unique tower. Peace.

[sabaijai]

While sak yan may not be part of a strict, academic interpretation of 'Buddhism', it is one aspect of a broad range of magico-religious practices and rituals found in Thai Buddhism, along with house dedications, funerals, weddings, etc. Many of the same visual symbols and mantras are shared among these practices, including script-encoded Pali Buddhist teachings.

Denim, if you don't approve of sak yan, there are many, many other threads here on the Buddhism subforum that may be more to your liking.

[tukkytuktuk]

All my Thai friends have tattoos, but I'm not sure. I would like an elephant tattoo, not too big on my upper right arm. Here's one I like with link - http://www.tattooscreens.com/thai-tiger-tattoo-designs/

And a pic

Is it too big? Do you have any suggestions?

[geronimo]

There's a couple of threads on this topic already....use the search function and look for 'tattoo'.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yup, been through various thread, but anyone has a tattoo done at wat bang pra before?

can we request for a tattoo at any time of the year or just during the festival?

or anyone has a tattoo done by aarjan Noo Khanpai(spelling??) I assume it will be much harder to get tattoo done by him as he is soo famous now... anyone any idea?

thanks

hector

He charges 50,000 baht for 5 lines !!!!!

[Kasset Tak]

I have just seen this tread so even that it's old I will post.
I would recommend Ajarn Em in Munag Tak, Tak province. He works out of Wat Doi Kiri (100 Baht with motorcycle taxi from the bus station).

All people that get's a sak yant there will be blessed of the abbot (Kru Baa Goon) of the temple (he also performs sak yant but he only makes larger (mayor) yants that starts at 1000 Baht and needs offerings to Buddha of a pig head and or a chicken, fruits, sweets and alcohol).

Price range is:

300 Baht for a Ha-Thaeo.

400 Baht for a Paet-thit

500 Baht for a Kao-yot
Ajarn Em keeps 65% and 35% goes to the temple.

Ajarn Em used to worked in Pattaya (or if it was Pukhet, I don't remember) for about 10 years as tattoo artist before he realized that the life of drugs and alcohol living there was really killing him. He there for decided to change his life and moved back to his home town Tak and became a student of Kru Baa Goon.

[silverado]

where can i get sak yant by a monk near Surin - Prasat ?

[Hiyaall]

You did better than me just asking. I did not have a clue, but after kickboxing at a gym for three weeks I wanted one. I told the artists which one and where it should go, he obliged and that was the end of it. Turns out it's in the wrong spot. He never warned me and I did not spend any time researching it. I love the tattoo it's a great reminder of the simplicity and discipline of the monks and my love for Thailand,. Lots of people ask me about it, but it is in the wrong spot which is not a good thing acording to some. Anyway I still like it, I just have to cover it when I'm Thailand now. I should have asked more questions beforehand.

[timtscott]

Back in the Kingdom after a two year break and it seems tattoos are running rampant especially with women. Not small cute tattoos but large ones covering arms, chest, backs and so forth. Is this a new trend or something I am just noticing?

A small, discrete tattoo on a woman can be very sexy but now women are looking like sailors. Can't say it's a trend I find very attractive.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[LekMoo]

a buddist tato is for people that inaugurated with lord of Buda. I have been Monck, for a short time, I am not classified for tattoo .

Mostly is &lt;deleted&gt; trying to be tuff

[bill1369]

I remember 8 - 10 yrs ago I was on flight from BKK -LAX and was upgraded to biz class. There was a blond airhead sitting in row before me who showed off her Buddhist tattoo to everyone in biz class saying the guy who had done it was same guy who did Angelina Jolie's tattoo.

I couldn't understand her fathomless envy then - nor now.

[crazygreg44]

i found a few links given here are misleading . . .

check Spencer Littlewood sak yant and you will get this:

https://tattoosbyspencer.wordpress.com/about/sak-yant-tattoos/rules-of-sak-yant/

or his fb page :

https://www.facebook.com/AjarnSpencer/

or the "official" foundation:

http://www.sakyant.org/

Edited March 4, 2016 by crazygreg44

[Teddy1985]

Hi, I am a one who start to be interested in Thai tattoos and want to have some on my upper shoulder.

I did some researches on but I'm still wondering how does it feel when being inked. It is quite surprising when seeing some people or even Angelina Jolie are very into it and willing to spend a big amount of money for a session of tattoos.

THAI MASTER GETS ANGELINA JOLIE NEW TATTOOS

Photo from: dailymail.co.uk

[roo860]

a buddist tato is for people that inaugurated with lord of Buda. I have been Monck, for a short time, I am not classified for tattoo .

Mostly is <deleted> trying to be tuff

Congratulations on your 4th post, please keep them coming, not.

[sabaijai]

If you're in Toronto between and now (April 2) and September should consider checking out this new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum, fresh from a long run at the Quai-Branly Museum in Paris. A section of the exhibition is devoted to Thai tattoo lore.

https://www.rom.on.ca/en/tattoos-ritual-identity-obsession#/gallery/recent

[Streem26]

All my Thai friends have tattoos, but I'm not sure. I would like an elephant tattoo, not too big on my upper right arm. Here's one I like with link - http://www.tattooscreens.com/thai-tiger-tattoo-designs/

And a pic

Is it too big? Do you have any suggestions?

Like it. Where are you going stick ?

[Streem26]

Hi everyone !I'm new to this blog .I dont consider myself a buddhist but it is the only organized religion that makes sense to me and i've always thought it is a beautifull teaching and i love studying it.But i'm not a very disciplined person and although i try to stick to some of the basics because i believe it makes me a better person, i'm far from a practising buddhist. I found some idea what i want

pictures I found in this article http://tattoo-journal.com/60-significant-buddha-tattoo-designs-spiritual-way/ (grate simples budhha tattoo). how do You think it will look good on the arm?

Edited April 13, 2016 by Streem26

[farang1979]

Hi guys there's about 36 pages of this thread and I'm sure the answer to my question is buried in there somewhere. I last had a Nine Peaks or Gao Yod sak Yant at the famous Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Chaisi. I remember seeing a guy there whose body was literally covered in sak Yant and I was there having my first. I have researched and looked into the sak Yant and I understand and respect the heritage behind them. It's now been almost two years and I was looking to get my next one. What I was wondering is if there was an order as such in which one receives their sak Yant? So if I went to somewhere with a Gao Yod already, what would be the next sak I would receive and where would it be? Thanks guys