Sak Yants are traditional Thai tattoos, and in this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about them. Thailand is full of a rich cultural and religious heritage, with all major practices linked to its main religion, Buddhism.
The traditional Sak Yant tattoo is linked to the religion too, along with its origins in Hinduism, making it a very sacred practice performed in many places in Thailand.
Keep reading to find out more about this traditional, spiritual Thai tattoo and why it is so popular.
What Is A Sak Yant?
A Sak Yant tattoo is a spiritual and sacred Buddhist tattoo consisting of ancient geometric designs mixed with sayings in Pali (a sacred language for many religions) while Buddhist prayers are chanted out loud. This spiritual tattoo is also considered in Hindu mythology, with corresponding text and chant of the designs relative to the Hindu religion for its followers.
Why Do People Get Sank Yant Tattoos?
People believe that this will bring good tidings and blessings into their lives, not only as business and financial prosperity but in many other ways too. Only people that aim to be good are advised to get the tattoo, as they need to follow the Sak Yant rules if they want it on their bodies.
The tattoo includes varying symbols, from animals to flowers, all weaved into the Sak Yant designs along with the Pali text to give the wearer powerful benefits, from power to good fortune, charisma, protection, and more. The tattoo weaver will converse with the wearer to understand their needs and lives to ensure the prayer resonates with the wearer’s purpose. It is believed to then present the wearer with magic powers and blessings.
How Is A Sak Yant tattoo Etched Into The Body?
Sak Yant is also called Sak Yan and Yantra tattooing. It can also be called a traditional Thai tattoo or bamboo tattoo because it is hand-drawn with a needle or steel tip of a bamboo stick. Sak is a Thai word that means “to tap” or “to tattoo”, while Yant is derived from the Sanskrit word, “Yantra”, which means a mystical geometric design.
The Sak Yant style is distinctive in its hand-etched mannerism, producing a beautiful, intricate, and sacred geometric yant or design. A common question asked about this eye-catching and meaningful practice is “Does getting a Sak Yant hurt?” And yes, it does, like all tattooing methods, but a little more since it uses only the needle to etch the popular Sak Yant designs.
The Three Main Parts of A Sak Yant
A Sak Yant tattoo has three main components that have to be included for anyone that wants to get a Sak Yant.
- The Yantra: The Sak Yant design, which can be a combination of meaningful diagrams and symbols of sacred animals, flowers, deities, and more.
- The Pali Text: Transcriptions from the sacred language that are woven into the Yantra.
- The Corresponding Mantra or Chant: A prayer that binds together this spiritual process according to the purpose of the Sak Yant tattoos.
Who Can Perform A Sak Yant?
An authentic Sak Yant tattoo can’t be drawn by just any tattoo artist because the practice is heavily influenced by religion and requires knowledge and training. The people that can practice it are Buddhist monks who are currently practicing or have previously done so, and they are called “Arjans.” Many laymen can administer the tattoo too, but they need to have studied this ancestral practice under a Master Arjan or Master Yant and undergo rigorous training to be skillful in the process.
An Arjan is usually paid in the form of donations to them and to the temple or place where they perform the Sak Yant. However, payment methods differ now that the practice has reached far and wide, and even tourists come to get a Sak Yant.
While there are many claims that people cannot choose their own designs, this is far from true. Tourists usually have a language barrier, which leads the weaver to draw their preferred Yant according to the person’s needs. Instead, tourists can take a Thai-speaking person to accompany them and communicate their preferred Sak Yant designs.
The Meaning Behind Sak Yants
Sak Yant tattoos have great meaning behind each part of the design and text. The basic Sak Yant style will use lines that signify ‘The Umbilical Cord of the Buddha’, traditionally known as ‘The Bones of the Yant’. The Round Yant represents the Face of Lord Buddha, while the Triangular Yant signifies the Triple Gem of Buddha. However, the meanings differ in the Brahmin tradition, with the Round Yant representing Lord Brahma and so on.
Sak Yant designs are each associated with many different blessings, with the Sak Yant design of a lizard and money bag signifying the attraction of wealth and gold, Yant Jing Jok (Gecko) for attractiveness and popularity, Turtle Sak Yant for success and great luck, and more.
Most starters pick one of the Maha Yant designs, which are said to cover the majority of human desires and needs, and each Yant offers protection, power, business, financial prosperity, good luck, or more, depending on what each Sak Yant means. There are three main basic Sak Yant designs, which are the Sak Yant Ha Taew (five lines), Sak Yant Gao Yord (Buddha peaks), and Sak Yant Paed Tidt (8 directions). Sak Yant devotees usually start with these tattoos before they can achieve stronger powers and higher blessings by moving to other Sak Yant designs through a Yant Kru, which is another term for an Arjan, or traditional Sak Yant teacher.
What Makes A Sak Yant Different From Modern Tattoos?
Believed To Give The Wearer Magic Powers
A Sak Yant tattoo is often referred to as a magic tattoo because of the powers it is associated with. Unlike a regular machine gun tattoo, a Sak Yant tattoo can only be hand-drawn into the skin. You cannot find an authentic traditional Sak Yant at any tattoo shop or parlor. Rather, it is administered at a temple or studio by Buddhist monks who have mastered the art or their students.
Monks Do Not Adminster Sak Yant Tattoos To Women Directly
A lot of monks do not tattoo women directly because they cannot touch a woman they aren’t married to, and instead use gloves or paper to draw the yantra tattoo on women. Some choose to not administer it to women at all, and they would need to find another Buddhist monk or Arjan instead.
Sak Yant Tattoos Are For People Practicing A Religious And Kind Lifestyle
Getting a Sak Yant tattoo also means that you must aim to be a good person and abide by the teachings of the religion, whether it is Buddhism or Hinduism. Sak Yant designs cannot be drawn everywhere in the body out of respect to the significance of the ancient art and the meaning behind each of the sacred geometrical designs. Everyone that wants to get a Sak Yant must do adequate research about every element they want that will bring their needs to life.
The History Of Sak Yant
Sak Yant tattoos came from an ancient art form, dating from over 2000 years ago. Its origins lie in the Khmer Empire, and it was introduced by the Khmer people, an ethnic group native to Cambodia. They have been influenced by several religious and spiritual practices over the years, mainly being linked with Buddhism and Hinduism.
This ancient practice is built on spirituality and faith, with Buddhist monks tattooing the most sacred Buddhist tattoo for power and strength on historical Thai warriors. Each element of the Sak Yant design is meaningful and dates back to the importance of the animals, flowers, and deities in each religion, most popularly, Buddhism. The practice grew to encompass the Muay Thai fighters of Thailand and still stands as a very famous and important practice that people follow.
Codes Of Conduct For Sak Yant Tattoos
Sak Yant tattoos are heavily associated with religious beliefs, as we’ve reiterated throughout this blog. This means that whoever wants to get a Sak Yant tattoo must be willing to follow the Sak Yant rules, mainly the dos and don’ts promoted by the religion. These codes are simple ways of living that make people better human beings. The codes of conduct that a Sak Yant wearer must abide by are mentioned below.
Do not kill.
Do not steal.
Do not cheat on your partner or desire another person’s partner.
Do not engage in dishonest practices or lie.
Do not get intoxicated.
Respect your parents and do not speak ill of them.
Sak Yant – The Art Of Engraving Good Belief And Blessings
Sak Yant is the age-old practice of tattooing spiritual geometric designs intertwined with sacred Pali text and accompanied by spiritual chanting. It is believed to bring blessings and good things to the wearer, and protect them from bad luck and misfortune. It is administered by Buddhist monks in Thailand, who use a steel tip or needle on a bamboo rod instead of a machine.
People should do their research about the Sak Yant tattoo and the design they want to use for their purpose. For example, a pictorial Yant of the mythical monkey God, Hanuman, is said to attract the power of humility and bravery but is of Brahmin origin, while the four-sided yant represents the four elements of life: water, fire, earth, and air to improve the wearer’s destiny. Wearers must intend to be better people, respecting the Sak Yant and the teachings of its origins. Sak Yant tattoos are celebrated in Thailand, with plenty of temples and tattoo studies providing locals and tourists with Sak Yant tattoos for their needs.
If you’re a tourist in Thailand planning to get a Sak Yant tattoo, taking someone well-spoken in Thai can ensure you get the perfect Sak Yant.
FAQs
Most ajarns are not willing to touch women so it is not common for women to get Sak Yant tattoos in temples. However, some monks use gloves or papers to etch it onto the women.
It is a sak yant that signifies the nine attributes of Lord Buddha. It is used for security and protection from harm and calamities.
