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Are tattoos helpful for practice?
zombiegirl
beating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wasteland Veteran
I know that a lot of people get tattoos to help remind them of Buddhist ideas or mindfulness or something along those lines, but my question is, does it really work?
There was a picture a while back where someone had gotten "sati"(mindfulness) written on their hand to remind themselves to be mindful... But I wonder, while a really cool idea that I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about replicating, does it actually work? Or does it just become like everything else: normal and no longer note worthy to the mind?
What do you think? Anybody have any good stories of how their tattoos help them in life/practice?
There was a picture a while back where someone had gotten "sati"(mindfulness) written on their hand to remind themselves to be mindful... But I wonder, while a really cool idea that I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about replicating, does it actually work? Or does it just become like everything else: normal and no longer note worthy to the mind?
What do you think? Anybody have any good stories of how their tattoos help them in life/practice?
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Its better to keep your spiritual beliefs internally. Write them onyour bones.
Find other cues to remind you...like eveeytime you cross a threshold or set alarms...or at stop lights.
@Mfrandorf ... it was written in male, I was simply translating...haha.
In addition I would like left and right put on the insides of my wrists. Don't try to teach me, if I can't tell them apart at 45 it is just how my brain is wired.
I only have one now and it is my old nick name in college, Tink for Tinkerbell. It is on my calf but at least I work in the school district with visible tattoos, guages, piercings, and that is just the teachers.
Also here is a vid of one being done.
Reality proved otherwise. I don't even notice it anymore and it's a rather large tattoo on my left forearm. Occasionally, after a long period of cold weather, I'll wear a t-shirt and catch the tattoo out of the corner of my eye while I work. All I notice is how good a job the tattoo artist did and how sharp the whole thing still looks. People, the brave ones, ask about it from time to time and I just shrug it off and tell them what it means and what language it is in. No one asks about anything more that what language it's written in. Some even think it's written in Arabic and therefor makes me some sort of terrorist. I love talking to those idiots.
The balance I was looking for comes from mindfulness and practice. Not tattoo's.
TL;DR a tattoo will not make your practice any better, only you can make your practice better. A tattoo will not help you to keep in mind anything any more than normal.
All that being said, I wouldn't trade the tattoo experience for anything. Can't wait to get the next one.
I wouldn't see it as being particularily helpful, unless it helps to inspire one. I can't see any harm in it unless later you change your mind about what you believe
Not for your personal self.
What I mean by that is, that after a while, you become conditioned and accustomed to it, and it becomes 'invisible'.
the only time it reminds you of your practice, is when someone else sees it, and says, "Oh that's cool...."
And you reply, "Yeah, I had it to remind me of....." and you remember that it was supposed to remind you of.....
I think bracelets are a lot more effective.....
first of all, you can take them on and off, and then, if they connect with a surface, they 'clank' and you remember you're wearing it.
By all means have a tattoo, if you'd like one - but don't expect it to help you deepen your practice, make you more aware, and keep you mindful.
I like the word, 'slumber'..... it's not used enough.....
Thankfully I didn't get any of those tattoos. My mala beads around my left wrist and a small green stone in my pocket help to keep me mindful everyday as I walk my path.
I would suggest mala beads as @Kangaroo recommended or something that you can change when the novelty begins to wear off.
It might ultimately depend on the person and their experience in their life as to how they will interact and benefit from a particular tattoo. The experience may vary from every individual and the tattoo may mean different things throughout one's life. Not that it's a good or bad thing about myself, but I tend to naturally appreciate the beauty of flaw, and uniqueness and things that that are abstract forms of beauty. Something that stands out and looks quirky, that wouldn't normally be deemed attractive. But, that's just my taste and for that reason I usually am very attracted to tattoos of many forms. I do have a Buddhism tattoo on my arm, and for me it does remind me very often and grounds me. But that's just me. and I live in an area with a lot of people who do not have tattoos and probably look at me like I'm weird haha. and that's okay, I think it's important to have a healthy form of expression. One that doesn't hold a lot shame yet holds being humble. I'm very introverted, and I think it's an important reminder to myself and a healthy way to remain grounded. but everyone has their reasons for doing something. I can understand how some people wouldn't benefit from a tattoo since their forms of perceptions and mindfulness might be different. and some people aren't attracted to getting a tattoo of fear it will interfere with their material gains. I see getting a tattoo as anything that we would do as a change or expression of our self , just as the same as what clothes we choose or what hair we choose or any other form of body language or anything. Ultimately , we have to ask ourselves our intention, and if it's a healthy intention, without the desire or fear dragging along, then I would think there's nothing wrong with any form of expression as long as we don't have a care or need or fear for the expression in the first place. Then it wouldn't matter what we do, because we would have no attachment to the outcome.
I actually haven't had any Buddhist tattoos in mind that have stood the test. My test is that I have to think something is an awesome idea after a year, because I figure, if it lasts at least that amount of time and I STILL want to do it... I probably won't regret it that much later on.
My interest in tattoos is mostly an aesthetic one because I am an artist. I do frequently compliment people on the artwork, but I am still unsure that I could commit to any image, no matter how well drawn, for the rest of my life.
I do have one tattoo in mind that I've been thinking about for a few years. It's from the movie, "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK" But for me, I think the most important part of the tattoo would be the experience of getting one, knowing that someday it will not look as good... just like my body.
The bottom panel:
But she's Japanese, and tattoos for her generation have connotations with Yakuza and society drop outs.
At 42 years old and 17 years in the army, I never had any tattoos; too frightened of my ole Mom!
Now there are totally craptastic tattoes out there. Ones that are not attractive and do not have any sense of placement with the body and other tattoes. I kinda hate those. A beautiful full sleeve is much better than a jumble of words and images that have no balance. I have a dream thing, if I get my body in good shape, that is a piercing. It surprises people, and has nothing to do with this thread at all. But I love the corset piercings, where matched rings are pierced up the back and ribbon is laced through them. Okay you know my freaky-ness now.
Stupidity.
http://www.elistmania.com/still/25_regrettable_tattoo_spelling_mistakes/showall/
Made me smile.
"I don't do Lovers' names. Names are temporary. Tattoos are permanent."
Somebody told him the apostrophe was in the wrong place.
I chimed in and said - "No - the apostrophe is in the right place. Lucky for you - so are you."
The other sign stated - "the only difference between people with tattoos, and people without tattoos, is that the people with tattoos don't give a shit if you don't have a tattoo."
If you're going to have a tattoo - choose wisely.
go to a tattoo and piercing convention, go round and look at the artists, and ask questions.
If you get hostility - which, in some places, is arrogance and impatience - then call 'em out on it.
I did. And it paid off.
my brother travelled to a different country for his tattoo.
Be prepared to do the same.