Sak Yant tattooing, wicha practitioners, and Buddhist monks, traditionally with a metal rod sharpened to a point.
History
Tattoos believed to offer protection and other benefits have been recorded everywhere throughout both mainland Southeast Asia and as far south as Indonesia and the Philippines.. Over the centuries the tradition spread to what is now Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Myanmar. While the tradition itself originates with indigenous tribal animism, it became closely tied to the Hindu-Buddhist concept of yantra or mystical geometric patterns used during meditation. Tattoos of yantra designs were believed to hold magic power, and were used much like the kolam tattoos of India. For these people, religion is closely tied to the notion of magic, health, and good fortune. The script used for yantra designs varies according to culture and geography. In Cambodia and central Thailand, the Khmer script is used, while in northern Thailand one sees yantra tattoos bearing Shan, northern Thai, or Tai Lu scripts, and in Laos the Lao Tham script is employed. The script spells out abbreviated syllables from Pali incantations. Different masters have added to these designs over the centuries through visions received in their meditations. Some yantra designs have been adapted from pre-Buddhist shamanism and the belief inanimal spirits that was found in Southeast Asia and incorporated into Thai tradition and culture.
Meaning
Yantra tattoos are believed to be magic and bestow mystical powers, protection, or good luck. There are three main effects of a yantra tattoo. One is that which benefits the wearer, such as making them more eloquent. Another is that of protection and to ward off evil and hardship. This is commonly used by military personnel, police, taxi drivers, gangsters and others in perceived dangerous professions. Another type is that which affects people around the wearer, such as invoking fear. The tattoo only confers its powers so long as the bearer observes certain rules and taboos, such as abstaining from a certain type of food. It is believed that the power of sacred tattoos decreases with time. So to re-empower them each year, sak yan masters celebrate with their devotees the Wai Khru ritual. Wai khru means "pay homage to one's guru". In Thailand, the most impressive Wai Khru is held at the temple of Wat Bang Phra. Sak yan designs are also applied to many other media, such as cloth or metal, and placed in one's house, place of worship, or vehicle as a means of protection from danger or illness, to increase wealth, and to attract lovers. In recent years Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, whose tattoos were inked by Ajahn Noo Ganpai in Thailand, have made them popular among women. However a modern movement in Thailand seeks to progress away from their animistic past. As part of this movement, many modern-day Thais view yantra tattoos as nothing more than good-luck symbols that are stylish.
Types and designs
There are many traditional types and designs of yantra tattoos, but some of the most well-known and popular include:
Ong Phra - one of the most commonly used elements in Yantra tattooing, but can also be a more complex standalone design. Meant to provide insight, guidance, illumination, etc.
Ha-thaeo - Typically tattooed on the back left shoulder. Each of the five lines relates to a different blessing for success and good luck.
Kao-yot - typically tattooed on the center top of the back in various sizes and levels of complexity. Simple version pictured at the top of this article.
Si-yot - to influence the feelings or actions of others and protect the bearer.
Paet-thit - represents protection in the eight directions of the universe. Round shape; typically tattooed on the center of the back. Pictured in gallery below.
Sip-thit - a version of paet-thit, but protects in ten directions instead of eight.
Maha-niyom - to grant the bearer favor in the eyes of others. Round shape; typically placed on the back right shoulder.
Yot Mongkut - for good fortune and protection in battle. Round shape; typically tattooed on the top of the head.
Panchamukhi - intended to ward off illness and danger.
Suea - typically depicts twin tigers. Represents power and authority.
Locations
Many internet sites recommend Thailand as the place to attain the most refined ritual tattoos and consider the country as the most popular for learning this art. Every year, hundreds of foreigners in search of original and magical tattoos come to Thailand to have their tattoos done. In Southeast Asia, Thailand is by far the country with the highest number of devotees.
One of the most famous temples in the present day for yantra tattooing is Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Chai Si District, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. Ajaan Noo Kanpai, perhaps the most famous practitioner of sak yan in Thailand, trained here.
One well-known temple in northern Thailand is Wat Nhong Khem. It is in San Patong just outside Chiang Mai and was home to the late sak yan master Phra Ajaan Gamtawn, who died in Chiang Mai on 14 September 2010. This temple no longer applies tattoos.
Controversy
While tattoos in the west are largely a matter of aesthetics, in Thailand they are imbued with both spirituality and superstition. The designs, lines of script, geometric patterns and animal shapes are deeply interwoven with Buddhist and animist imagery that some Thais fear Westerners fail to appreciate. Tattoos of religious deities are seen as problematic, especially if they are below the waist. In Southeast Asian culture, the head is the most sacred part of the body. The farther down the body, the less sacred, and foreigners with religious figures inked on their legs have caused upset. On the main highway into Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi Airport, 15-metre-wide billboards declare "It's wrong to use Buddha as a decoration or tattoo". Some groups want a complete ban on any tattoos of religious figures.
