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Buddhism & Tattoos
vlrox
Explorer
Just wandering, yes or no? Why or why not?
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but maybe i do subconsciously? maybe i should? i dont know ahh.. so i guess it's all in dependence of the person, their intentions and how the tattoo affects them, maybe it helps maybe it hinders or maybe it doesn't matter at all, like what pair of socks you prefer.
It was a tatt I designed and carried around in my head (with drawing tucked in a drawer) for more than 30 years before I got it put on my inner left wrist.
Talk about thinking things over, huh? LOL
My next -and last- Tattoo will be Buddhist related and I hope to get it before the end of this year. It will be a Lotus flower, (I know, so typical, right?) probably in pink and red tones, rising out of dark waters, which to me represents my commitment to the Buddhist path a couple years ago -- and far into the future. It will go on my inner right wrist, or maybe my lower right calf above the ankle.
The inner wrist area really, really hurts! :eek:
Do what you want.
As far as Buddhism goes, I see nothing wrong with having tattoos as long as they mean something to you. I look at mine and I'm reminded of beauty. Yours can remind you of something else, as long as they resinate with you that is all that matters.
I still haven't gotten one... keep thinking about it... but commitment is hard. Right now, I really want a Zelda related one that has hearts across my chest. 4 heart containers, two full, one half full, one empty. Pretty much just means... I'm a n00b. Hah.
I probably do need something to keep me humble though... hm.
True story.
I have been debating getting the refuge vows tattooed eventually but I'll see how I feel about it after I take them in November.
After finding buddhism and realising my life is already entwined in the Noble Eightfold Path I feel like I want to get a tattoo of the dharmachakra, on my left inside forearm. It would be a symbol to me of the good path I have spent my life following and the strength I have shown to make it to where I am now, where I have discovered inner peace by finding buddhism and a place where I belong.
People with tattoos can't enter because in Japan, yakuza have tattoos, the bath owners don't want yakuza coming in and starting trouble, and the only way to single them out is by using the tattoo rule. Something to bear in mind if you visit Japan, in case of embarrassment.
I don't really have an opinion on the O.P. but I thought this might be useful info anyway.
But now, Mrs Tosh wouldn't let me have a tattoo.
huH! you have tatoos! that is so naughty you could never be a good buddhist with your body all marked up like that.. shame on you :P.
lol.. while I don't like tattoos personally, there is nothing that even remotely comes close to saying " ooh tatoos are bad"... there is no guilt and condemnation in Buddhism. You can be mindful and observe your reasons why you'd want to get a tatoo.. like pretty much every other action you do on a daily basis.
also.. since you are supposed to dress modestly when going to monasteries and retreats, no one will most likely ever see them anyways even if they are judgemental about them, like I admit I am.
also you may notice something in this picture of one of my online monastic teachers, Ajahn Phra :P
You can do all those. You can decorate your skin too, or paint it blue and change your name to Krishna.
Why not shave your head and wear a saffron sari . . .
So expected. So traditional . . . so . . . so . . . what is the word . . .
Irrelevent?
Why not? I can think of several reasons . . .
I've been thinking of getting another one now for the last year and a half. I probably will. I designed a bit of a stylized lotus flower rising from dark waters. I will most likely put it on my inner right wrist, or perhaps on my right leg outer side a few inches above the ankle. The only reason I'm hesitating is because I really want to find a true 'artist', and not some tattoo hack. I've seen plenty of bad lotus tattoos and I don't want one of those!
I don't have a picture of my first one, but this is a drawing of the one I want to get:
Also, may I inquire where online Ajahn Phra can be found? TIA
That's what I did with the first one, brought my drawing into the tattoo shop, it was even the exact size I wanted, too. The design was so simple, that I figured 'what could go wrong?' But when all was said and done, the lines were too thick, and when a tattoo is that simple, even the tiniest mistakes are really noticeable. I see at least three little mistakes in mine and two are really just errors in technique, IMO.
The tattoo artist that did mine had done very nice work on a few people I knew... so you are absolutely right- he was good at some things, not so good at others. Like I said, I've looked through literally hundreds of lotus tattoos online and in shops and some of them you can't tell if it's a rose, a carnation, tulip, or just a fuzzy blob of color that was supposed to be a flower or some sort! I'm very wary....
Tomorrow, I am booked in for a tattoo on my left forearm... I am having the word "Impermanent".... ;-)
Metta and love to the Mahasangha the world over! Be the change you want to see...
Jay x