Mike honcho 636 Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 There is a guy in my gym who has a Sak Yant tattoo on his back. Five lines ? I asked him if his a Buddhist. He said no. From what he told me he got it tattoo on in a regular tattoo parlor in Thailand. His a Muay Thai fighter. My question is , isn't rude to a Thai person if he finds out this tattoo was not done by a Monk ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg71 Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 In a word ,No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookedondhamma Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 There is a guy in my gym who has a Sak Yant tattoo on his back. Five lines ? I asked him if his a Buddhist. He said no. From what he told me he got it tattoo on in a regular tattoo parlor in Thailand. His a Muay Thai fighter. My question is , isn't rude to a Thai person if he finds out this tattoo was not done by a Monk ? No. I know thai males who had them machine done by machine. When I was at Wat Bang Phra there was a thai male getting one done traditionally. the group of us holding him down (just kidding) heard a sniff ... A few minutes later we saw tears. Poor guy couldn't handle it and it was about 1/4 done. He never came back. Someone cracked a joke about getting it finished with tattoo gun. OP, if you are interested in getting one done PM me ... Doi k'noi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike honcho 636 Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 So what's the difference between getting it from a tattoo gun and a monk ? I figured there would be some type of religious background behind it. Hook - do you have a connection on someone who does the tattoos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Chi Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 In a word ,No ....as long as the tattoo is blessed at a temple on completion. And preferably with the tattooist on hand as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finy Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Tattoo artists won't know the proper language, so it's probably not going to be real. Wat Bang Phra is easy and cheap to get to if you don't want to pay a taxi 1000+ baht. Just go to south bus station during the week. Jump on a bus heading west and get off at a certain place. Jump on a bus/bike to temple. All less than 100 bht. Tattoo from monk is about 100bht. Get there early and you'll be first. You can also go upstairs to another guy who does bigger ones, but he's not a proper monk and will charge more. But he will do them correctly with proper scripts etc. It's not sore if you're just getting them done on the top of your back. Big ones on the lower back are very painful. Maybe slip into a chemist for some help before you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaggy1969 Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Here's an interesting article about a westerner wanting a traditional Thai style tattoo and why he wanted it done the old way. I myself have had tattoos done in both styles and believe me,the rhythm of the electric machine compared to the tap tap of the bamboo can not be compared. If you go for the traditional way it will be a tattoo that you have earned and not just paid for. A paragraph from the article I linked above. Khun Tyler mentioned to my husband, he had been in night Bazaar the night before and had seen a shop that now does traditional Thai designs with a machine but confessed he believed it was so much more meaningful to him, to be done properly, in spite or because it was done with simple materials and a rough primitive beauty that only a Thai artisan can create. It may not be as clean and sharp as could be done by professional a tattoo artist with a modern machine in a street front shop, pumping them out between doing wizards and fairies on tourists buts, however that is what makes it so special, the unique spiritual experience that comes with a life long reminder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisb Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 (edited) Nah, its just a tattoo. He probably just wanted a normal sak. Its not sak yant. If you want to know the difference, a normal tattoo in Thais called sak. When a monk tattoos you he chants and blows like the energy or blessing into the tattoo. This is called yant and together you get sak yant. Does the 5 lines on his back look something like this? Anyhow doesnt really matter. As long as he loves his tattoo, thats what matters! Edited June 29, 2013 by krisb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisb Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Here's an interesting article about a westerner wanting a traditional Thai style tattoo and why he wanted it done the old way. I myself have had tattoos done in both styles and believe me,the rhythm of the electric machine compared to the tap tap of the bamboo can not be compared. If you go for the traditional way it will be a tattoo that you have earned and not just paid for. A paragraph from the article I linked above. Khun Tyler mentioned to my husband, he had been in night Bazaar the night before and had seen a shop that now does traditional Thai designs with a machine but confessed he believed it was so much more meaningful to him, to be done properly, in spite or because it was done with simple materials and a rough primitive beauty that only a Thai artisan can create. It may not be as clean and sharp as could be done by professional a tattoo artist with a modern machine in a street front shop, pumping them out between doing wizards and fairies on tourists buts, however that is what makes it so special, the unique spiritual experience that comes with a life long reminder Damn right Shaggy. Its about endurance with that bamboo. Though the tattoo gun is soo addictive! I dont know why, I love the feeling. Strange as it seems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookedondhamma Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 (edited) So what's the difference between getting it from a tattoo gun and a monk ? I figured there would be some type of religious background behind it. Hook - do you have a connection on someone who does the tattoos? The difference is the monk is (or should be) well-studied in the arts. There are also ex monks who are know the arts as well, and even laypeople who have a gift for it.Normally you should hear it by word of mouth -any monk or layperson who boasts of their supernatural attainments is more than likely putting on a good show. If it really matters the ones considered authentic are finished or worked on while reciting a certain chant. An What style do you want? From a certain culture? What script resonates with you and can you find someone who can execute it properly? For many foreigners this doesn't pop up too often but if you have the time and know what you want, then be sure to get out if you can. Temples will normally allow one to rest for a night or Som two if one adheres to the precepts of a layperson, and you win in two ways - they often want to practice English and they often know those who can administer yants.<~~~~~ this does NOT apply to the Bangkok temples or in the main temples of other large city areas; you could stop in and ask but city temples can be very clique-ish. Some are absolutely exquisite. The thing is though you should get to know who is doing it before you get that needle. Let me know if you need more information and I will pm you when I can get to a larger keyboard. Edited June 29, 2013 by hookedondhamma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookedondhamma Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Here's an interesting article about a westerner wanting a traditional Thai style tattoo and why he wanted it done the old way. I myself have had tattoos done in both styles and believe me,the rhythm of the electric machine compared to the tap tap of the bamboo can not be compared. If you go for the traditional way it will be a tattoo that you have earned and not just paid for. A paragraph from the article I linked above. Khun Tyler mentioned to my husband, he had been in night Bazaar the night before and had seen a shop that now does traditional Thai designs with a machine but confessed he believed it was so much more meaningful to him, to be done properly, in spite or because it was done with simple materials and a rough primitive beauty that only a Thai artisan can create. It may not be as clean and sharp as could be done by professional a tattoo artist with a modern machine in a street front shop, pumping them out between doing wizards and fairies on tourists buts, however that is what makes it so special, the unique spiritual experience that comes with a life long reminder About that last paragraph - I have seen a couple of guys with elaborate Japanese style tattoos (similar to Hokusai's Great wave off kanagawa), done with not a tattoo gun, but the long needle of the sak yant. Some of the guys who do t are VERY skilled in what they do. Sometimes on this forum Thais get a bad rap for their way of thinking, but when I see art like that I know the mind behind it is not average by any means. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickjn Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Why hasnt anyone mentioned the 4 line chant you are supposed to say 4 times a day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisb Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Why hasnt anyone mentioned the 4 line chant you are supposed to say 4 times a day Cause we cant remember it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guemlum Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 The five liner is known as "ha taew" and very popular with the female population. I've had my whole back tattooed over the years and I've had my "sak yants" done via bamboo and electric. I much prefer the electric method as the detail is better. I found the bamboo method to be no more or less painful than the electric method. All my sak yants were carried out with monks present performing the yants after tattooing complete. There are tattoo masters all over Thailand who don't and won't advertise their services like the Ajarn Noo's and Ajarn Kobs do. They overcharge both westerners and Thais. I choose mine because of the intricate designs, not because its going to stop a bullet or a knife...that's utter <deleted>, and most demonstrations I believe to be fake like everything in Thailand :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geronimo Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Sak Yant is becoming very big in Europe now. I accompany many foreigners to have a tattoo done by one of the most well known Sak Yant Tattooists in Thailand and they pay ridiculous amounts of money. I may be taking a Monk to Europe very soon to do just this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookedondhamma Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Sak Yant is becoming very big in Europe now. I accompany many foreigners to have a tattoo done by one of the most well known Sak Yant Tattooists in Thailand and they pay ridiculous amounts of money. I may be taking a Monk to Europe very soon to do just this.is he in Chiang Mai, by chance?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike honcho 636 Posted July 28, 2013 Author Share Posted July 28, 2013 Thanks guys. Is there a monk near the lumpinee stadium that does these tattoos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sustento Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 And they said that religion was dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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