Sak Yant: everything you need to know about the sacred art of Thai tattoos
Thailand is known for its unique traditions and customs. Greatly influenced by Buddhism, the Thai people are very spiritual, even superstitious. They have also managed to preserve many customs related to spirits and magic. Among these, the sak yant occupies a special place. It is a lucky tattoo ritual that the inhabitants of the land of smiles have known for generations. When we talk about sak yant, the name of a Buddhist temple immediately comes to mind; the (famous) Wat Bang Phra.
What is Sak Yant?
Just to clarify, this part is written by myself (so Romain, the author of this blog), but the intro as well as the rest is the work of a guest, so thanks to Cyril from the site The Door of Happiness for writing this article and witnessing the rest of this story. It allowed me to approach this subject that I would otherwise not necessarily have written about so soon, not that it is uninteresting in itself, but I am not a fan of tattoos in general.
And to complete the article, I wanted to start it with a basic explanation, What is the tattoo called “Sak Yant”?. Because we are not talking about an ordinary tattoo here. Cyril describes it as a lucky charm, the image goes even further, because it is even said to have magical powers. And to understand what it is, let's first look at the origin of the words that compose it.
Sak is a Thai name that can be translated as tapping or simply tattooing, and yant comes from the Sanskrit word "yantra", which means a sacred representation or drawing. A sak yant is therefore a tattoo that mixes sacred formulas, the "mantras", associated with figures or drawings (the yantras therefore) that are tattooed, generally on the back. This type of sacred tattoo is only given by men (ideally Buddhist monks, but sometimes just Brahmins).
Sak yant is not unique to Thailand and is found throughout Southeast Asia, mainly followers of Theravada Buddhism. It is therefore found in Cambodia, Laos, as well as Myanmar in addition to Thailand. Sak yant draws its origins from tantrism. These doctrines evoke the fact of wearing a yantra as supposed to bring spiritual, even magical benefits. A belief encompassing its origins in Hinduism, or even Jainism, before being transposed to Buddhism. But this belief also encompasses animist traditions that are found throughout this part of South Asia.
Basically, these tattoos are considered in these countries to have the ability to unlock certain powers that are invisible by default. Animism involves the belief that the world around us is filled with spirits that animate living beings, but also objects as well as natural elements. Therefore, getting a sak yant tattoo offers protection to its wearer and brings luck or other properties according to the texts and designs chosen by possibly calling upon its spirits that are invisible to ordinary mortals.
How does a Sak Yant session take place?
The monk actually tattoos with a huge metal or bamboo stick… Believe me, if you weren’t 100% sure you wanted a good luck tattoo, seeing this won’t change your mind! Typically, people close to the person getting the tattoo help the monks hold it in place and prevent it from moving, given the pain involved with this traditional method, which can be more severe than a modern tattoo.
The Buddhist monk uses a single, thin, long needle about 40 cm long and 3 millimeters wide. The tip of the point is split in two (like a split cane), so that each stroke deposits two dots of ink into the skin. Sometimes the tattooist will sharpen the needle with fine sandpaper before starting.
The monk dips the needle into the ink every 30 seconds or so. Once finished, he blesses the tattoo and blows a sacred Kata (Ghata) into it to infuse it with power. This is a very powerful ritual from Buddhism.
A Sak Yant tattoo session.
For men, the monk uses charcoal ink. For women, he uses transparent ink and will wear gloves, so as not to touch a female body (something which is strictly forbidden to them).
Using oil instead of ink means that the skin will not be colored. However, the needle will create red streaks that will remain for a few days. After that, the tattoo will be "invisible" but its magic will continue to work.
Before you hope to receive any lucky tattoo, know that you will have to make a donation to the monks. Part of it will go to the one who tattoos you, and the rest will help fill the temple coffers. This seems to me to be a perfectly correct operation.
The Lucky Tattoo Festival
Every year is held in a temple named Wat Bang Phra One of Thailand’s most notable gatherings: the famous Sak Yant Festival. Located a few hours’ drive from Bangkok, Wat Bang Phra is renowned for the quality work of its monks when it comes to good luck tattoos. These are not just decorations on the skin: for Thais, these tattoos are powerful Buddhist symbols of protection that they believe can ward off evil spirits, bad luck, and even provide physical protection from injury.
The festival actually serves a specific purpose. Participants receive a blessing on their lucky tattoos, and thus have their powers renewed. Some say that the tattoos are so powerful that it is not uncommon for people attending the ceremony to become possessed by the spirits of animals depicted on their lucky tattoos.
Wat Bang Phra, located in Nakhon Pathom province.
This may sound pretty stupid in absolute terms, but trust me, you really don't want to interrupt someone who thinks they're possessed by the spirit of a tiger... At least, as long as he is not held back by his comrades or by the resident monks. Although the festival only takes place once a year, you can visit the temple at any time to chat with the monks or even try your hand at getting a tattoo… If you don't mind finding yourself in sanitary conditions that aren't necessarily ideal.
Another interesting fact is that it is common knowledge that it is not exactly the "cream" of Thais that we will find in this temple. Although tattoos are an integral part of Thai culture, and are therefore not badly judged in society, we find an impressive share of criminals and mafiosi in these kinds of events. No doubt a life of crime implies risks and therefore an increased need to feel protected by the power of lucky charms. Although we cannot affirm this categorically, the fact remains that you will come across many Thais with sinister faces there.
Thanks to this festival in particular, the temple What Bang Phra started to become quite famous in tattoo circles, something I was completely unaware of. The internet is therefore full of excellent articles describing this festival, as well as Buddhist lucky tattoos: slands Thing yant. The temple of What Bang Phra has become so famous that it also has its own Wikipedia page (not available in French though), which details the process of creating a tattoo there, and warns those interested that the needles and inks used may potentially not be sterilized.
Story of a festival-goer
I'm thinking of going to the famous lucky tattoo festival I heard about. However, the huge crowds and the real physical danger this poses are a concern to me. Last year, a photographer broke his arm in the frenzy. Crowd = danger. Hmmm ... This may sound like a bad idea.
I believe that What Bang Phra is about 63 km from where I live in Bangkok, it me will therefore take more or less an hour and a half to get there… Come on, I me spear. So we arrived at the temple around 11h45, fair au moment when the tattooist monk who receives visitors finishes his lunch.
As I was walking around the temple grounds, my taxi driver chatted with a lottery ticket seller who was born and raised in the area. The information I am now going to give you was passed on by word of mouth... So they may be wrong, be aware of that. According to legend, before it was known, the temple was already a high place of Buddhism, and housed a monk named luang Phor Good. He is said to have once tattooed four men with lucky symbols of protection. Shortly after receiving their tattoos, the men got drunk on whiskey, nearly going insane, and then fought among themselves… à pistol shot (yes, the Thais don't let themselves be pushed around!)
None of them died. Well, except for the one who died from a bamboo being pushed into a “very painful place.” But he only died because (apparently) good luck tattoos only protect the skin-covered parts of the body… not the entrances or exits. The newspapers immediately picked up the story and made Luang Phor Boon famous as the most knowledgeable sak yant monk.
As money began to flow into the temple and the followers of the now famous Luang Phor Boon, buildings were added to the original site, making Wat Bang Phra what it is today. So even if you're not a tattoo enthusiast, this place is still a worthwhile visit for anyone interested in Thai architecture and beliefs.
Personally, my plan for the day was to interview a tattoo monk. When I made my request (with due honors and courtesies, of course!) his student suggested that I fill in for him. It made sense. No one would have been able to talk to the monk, since getting all the lucky tattoos that were scheduled for his day was so important to him (and besides, I didn't want to wait).
Please note: What I am going to present to you now is not a word-for-word transcription of the interview. This was done in order to avoid the many repetitions in what the young monk was telling me. The Thai translation was done to share with you the interesting words and phrases.
So here are some of the topics we covered:
- Why do people come here to get tattoos?
Receiving kindness from others (เมตตา มหา นิยม – mâyt-dtaa má-hăa ní-yom), having power over others (มี อำนาจ – mee am-nâat), being a leader (เป็นผู้นำ – bpen pôo nam).
- And what about protection from physical harm (เเคล้วคลาดปลอดภัย – khaelu klâat bplòt pai)?
People who have this lucky tattoo (ลงยันต์ – long yan = mystical symbols) (สัก – sàk), will be protected (ป้องกัน – bpông gan). But they must maintain moral correctness (มีศีล – mee sĕen) and follow the five precepts (ศีลห้า – sĕen-hâa).
Their work must also be legal (อาชีพสุจริต – aa-chêep sùt-jà-rìt).
- And alcohol is not forbidden?
No, he is not.
- What kind of lucky drawings do people usually receive?
A Tiger (เสือ – sĕua), a bird (หงษ์ – hŏng = bird symbol of the Mon people), a magpie with a golden tongue (สาลิกา – săa-lí-gaa), the symbol of the nine peaks (เก้า ยอด – gâo yôt), that of the eight directions (เเปดทิศ – tít bpàet) or even the ten directions.
- Is it true that the actions of individuals affect the effectiveness of your lucky tattoos?
If the guy with the tattoo is good (เป็นดนดีมีศีล – bpen don dee mee sĕen), the tattoo will really work. If you do good things, it works. It will fulfill everything you asked for.
- I was told that the tattoos abilities have a relatively short duration, what is it?
About a year (เกีอบปี – òp bpee).
In short, according to my interlocutor, if you are a good person and you have a tattoo, your income will increase and your projects will do well. People will trust and believe in what you say. If you are a boss, people will respect you as a leader.
So we consider that if we are good and have such a lucky tattoo, it will bring our life to success.
Additionally, people who have tattoos will have a “good personality” (more self-confidence).
Bonus: reminder of the five precepts of Buddhism
Buddhism is governed by five precepts (ศีลห้า – sĕen-hâa), a sort of 10 commandments shortened to the simplest, which can vary slightly in the text depending on the region in which you are in Thailand. They can especially be different depending on the branch of Buddhism that will explain them to you.
Basically, the five precepts are as follows:
- do not kill
- do not steal
- not to commit sexual misconduct (adultery, etc.)
- don't lie
- do not take mind-altering substances (drinking alcohol, drugs, etc.).
Which is also interpreted as follows:
- not to destroy the lives of sentient beings
- not to take what does not belong to him or what is not given;
- not to have illegitimate or immodest sexual relations;
- not to say false or inaccurate words;
- do not consume alcohol or drugs.
Five rules that, if applied to the letter, will make you follow in the footsteps of Buddha. These basic precepts, if not deviated from, guarantee that practitioners will not suffer evil when passing after the present life, such as not "retrogressing" to the lower worlds (animal world, world of wandering spirits and hell world).
And what about tattoos? Well, if they don't help prevent bad actions, they could deflect evil spirits, thus avoiding a passage through demotion. But as practicing as Thais are, I doubt that many reach the paths of wisdom... with or without tattoos...
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