Yantra tattooing

Yantra Tattooing or Sak Yuant (Thai: สักยันต์ RTGS: sak yan)[1] is a form of tattooing using Indian yantra designs. It consists of sacred geometrical, animal and deity designs accompanied by Pali phrases that are said to offer power, protection, fortune, charisma and other benefits for the bearer. Sak yant designs originate from the Khmer Empire and are normally tattooed by ruesi (the Southeast Asian form of rishi), wicha (magic) practitioners, and Buddhist monks, traditionally with a metal rod sharpened to a point (called a khem sak).[2]

A simple sak yan nine spire (kao yot) tattoo

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.[3] Over the centuries the tradition spread to what is now Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Myanmar.[4] 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.[5]

The script used for yantra designs varies according to culture and geography. In Cambodia and central Thailand, the Old Khmer script of the Khmer Empire is used. While in northern Thailand yantra tattoos may use Shan, northern Thai, or Tai Lu scripts, and in Laos the Lao Tham script is employed.[6][7][8][9] 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 in animal spirits that was found in Southeast Asia and incorporated into Thai tradition and culture.

Cambodia
Cambodian monk covered in yantra tattoos

In Cambodia, the yantra tattoos are used for protection. Some believe the magic from the yantra tattoos can repel bullets and even hand grenade fragments. In Cambodia, the yantra tattoos are popular among the military and army. According to the Chinese scholar Zhou Daguan who visited the Khmer Empire the yantra tattoos were popular among ordinary people as well as soldiers back then.[10] King Indravarman III who ruled the Khmer Empire from 1295 A.D. to 1308 A.D. had sacred iron tattooed on him to protect him from arrows and knives.[11][12]

Meaning

Yantra tattoos are believed to be magic and bestow mystical powers, protection, or good luck.[2] 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.[3]

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.[13]

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.[6] Angelina Jolie got a yantra tattoo of a Bengal tiger in 2004 to celebrate acquiring Cambodian citizenship. [14]

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.[15]

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 (Thai: องค์พระ; translation: Buddha's body) - 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 (Thai: ห้าแถว; translation: five rows) - Typically tattooed on the back left shoulder. Each of the five lines relates to a different blessing for success and good luck.
  • Kao-yot (Thai: เก้ายอด; translation: nine spires) - 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 (Thai: สี่ยอด; translation: four spires) - to influence the feelings or actions of others and protect the bearer.
  • Paet-thit (Thai: แปดทิศ; translation: eight points) - 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 (Thai: สิบทิศ; translation: ten points) - a version of paet-thit, but protects in ten directions instead of eight.
  • Maha-niyom (Thai: มหานิยม; translation: great preference) - to grant the bearer favor in the eyes of others. Round shape; typically placed on the back right shoulder.
  • Yot Mongkut (Thai: ยอดมงกุฎ; translation: spired crown) - for good fortune and protection in battle. Round shape; typically tattooed on the top of the head.
  • Panchamukhi (Thai: ปัญจมุขี; translation: five Deva faces) - intended to ward off illness and danger.
  • Suea (Thai: เสือ; translation: tiger) - 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 (khem means needle).[16] 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.[17]

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.[18]

  • Yan Paet-thit
  • Hlwong Pi Nan tattooing at Wat Bang Phra Temple
  • Hlwong Pi Pant tattooing a yan in Ang Thong Province.
  • Devotee of Wat Bang Phra covered in sak yant
  • Sak yan, Nakhon Pathom

See also

References
  1. "สักยันต์". thai-language.com. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  2. http://www.thaiguidetothailand.com/magic-and-superstition/sak-yant-magic-tattoo/
  3. Lars Krutak. Spiritual Skin: Magical Tattoos and Scarification. Reuss. ISBN 9783943105117.
  4. Cummings, Joe, (2011) Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Magic, Masters and Mystery of Sak Yan, Marshall Cavendish.
  5. Drouyer, Isabel Azevedo; Drouyer, Rene, (2013) Thai Magic Tattoos, The Art and Influence of Sak Yant, Riverbooks editions.
  6. Cummings, Joe. (2015). Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Magic, Masters and Mystery of Sak Yan. ISBN 9814302546 See also http://www.sacredtattoosofthailand.com
  7. May, Angela Marie. (2014). Sak Yant: The Transition from Indic Yantras to Thai Magical Buddhist Tattoos (Master's thesis). The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
  8. Igunma, Jana. (2013). Aksoon Khoom: Khmer Heritage in Thai and Lao Manuscript Cultures. Tai Culture, 23, Route of the Roots: Tai-Asiatic Cultural Interaction.
  9. Kourilsky, Grégory, & Berment, Vincent. (2005). Towards a Computerization of the Lao Tham System of Writing. In First International Conference on Lao Studies (FICLS).
  10. What's Behind A Tattoo. Leisure Cambodia, Oct. 2002, www.leisurecambodia.com/news/detail.php?id=91. Accessed Sept. 2020.
  11. Freeman, Michael. Cambodia. Reaktion Books, 2004.
  12. 'Sacred Skin': An exploration of Thailand's sak yant tattoo culture. CNN, 23 June 2011, travel.cnn.com/bangkok/life/sacred-skin-exploration-thailands-sak-yant-tattoo-culture-051696/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2020.
  13. Drouyer Isabel; Drouyer, Rene. Thai Magic Tattoos The Art and Influence of Sak Yant. River Books, 2013, p.99.
  14. Angelina Jolie Has Three Giant New Tattoos. (2016, February 9). SELF. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from https://www.self.com/story/angelina-jolie-new-tattoos
  15. "Tattoo Chiang Mai - Your destination in northern Thailand". thai.tattoo. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
  16. http://northernthailand.com/a/en/chiangmai-cultural/tattoos/214-sak-yat-at-wat-kheam.html
  17. http://www.thaiguidetothailand.com/magic-and-superstition/phra-ajarn-gamtorn-sak-yant-chiang-mai-r-i-p/
  18. Thibaut, Marion (2015-05-18). "The sacred side of Sak Yant". The Nation. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 18 May 2015.

Further reading
  • Chean Rithy Men. "The Changing Religious Beliefs and Ritual Practices among Cambodians in Diaspora", in Journal of Refugee Studies. Vol. 15, No. 2 2002, pp 222–233.
  • Cummings, Joe. Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Masters, Magic and Mystery of Sak Yan. Singapore, 2011.
  • Drouyer, Isabel; Drouyer, Rene. Thai Magic Tattoos The Art And Influence of Sak Yant. Ed. River Books, 2013.
  • Harris, Ian. Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice. Honolulu, 2008.
  • Igunma, Jana. "Human Body, Spirit and Disease; the Science of Healing in 19th century Buddhist Manuscripts from Thailand", in The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Universities. Vol. 1, 2008, pp. 120–132.
  • Rivers, Victoria Z. "Layers of Meaning: Embellished Cloth for Body and Soul", in Jasleen Dhamija, Asian Embroidery. New Delhi, 2004, pp. 45–66. ISBN 81-7017-450-3.
  • Swearer, Donald K. Becoming the Buddha: the Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand. Princeton, 2004.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.