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Buddhist Tattoos
Hi All,
This is a great Buddhist forum which I've only found recently (yes, I'm slow - lol) but I notice there are quite a few familiar faces that I've seen elsewhere, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, the reason for my post. I have had a Buddhist Tattoo now for about 2 years and I'm itching to get another. It took me about a year to finalise my tattoo from the time that I decided to get one. I figure that it is for the rest of my life so it has to be just right! So now I'm starting the thinking process again. Who knows how long it will take this time but I thought it would be a good idea for us to post pictures of our tattoos or links to good Buddhist Tattoo websites. I haven't been able to find any really good ones yet.
Anyway, to get started here's mine. It's a dhamma wheel with the Pali inscription around it in the Devanagari script. All conditioned things are impermanent, all conditioned things are suffering and all things are not-self - from the Dhammapada 277-279.
Looking forward to seeing some more great designs.
Kind Regards,
Vangelis
This is a great Buddhist forum which I've only found recently (yes, I'm slow - lol) but I notice there are quite a few familiar faces that I've seen elsewhere, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, the reason for my post. I have had a Buddhist Tattoo now for about 2 years and I'm itching to get another. It took me about a year to finalise my tattoo from the time that I decided to get one. I figure that it is for the rest of my life so it has to be just right! So now I'm starting the thinking process again. Who knows how long it will take this time but I thought it would be a good idea for us to post pictures of our tattoos or links to good Buddhist Tattoo websites. I haven't been able to find any really good ones yet.
Anyway, to get started here's mine. It's a dhamma wheel with the Pali inscription around it in the Devanagari script. All conditioned things are impermanent, all conditioned things are suffering and all things are not-self - from the Dhammapada 277-279.
Looking forward to seeing some more great designs.
Kind Regards,
Vangelis
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Comments
I don't have any but if I did decide on one it would be something like yours, something about the Three Seals.
Very cool tattoo and it's nice to meet you, Vangelis. Feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in the New Members thread if you like.
Palzang
Not much to tell really, but you're right, I will have to formally introduce myself.
Very nice. I was thinking of going for something a little more colourful for my next tattoo. A mandala tattoo might just be the answer. Thanks for posting a picture of yours.
My teacher told us when we were living in Sedona that getting a Dharma tattoo helps purify body karma. Boy, did I need that! So I was thinking about getting one, and I came across this mandala. The one I originally saw had hooked knives in each point of the star and was really cool, but it was too detailed for a tattoo, so I picked the less complicated version. All the symbols here are dakini (enlightened female wisdom beings) symbols. The hooked knife represents cutting through ego, the skull cup represents the union of absolute and relative truth, and the double triangles (which look like a Star of David) are dakinis symbols which, on one level, represent the female orifice, and on another level represent the three attributes of a dakini - unborn, nondwelling, and one other I can't remember. The double triangles represent sexual union, the union of opposites, compassion and wisdom. This particular mandala is of the lion-headed dakini, who is particularly useful for clearing obstacles. She is the secret form of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava).
Palzang
Within my tattoo there are 3 major symbols. 3 different `Ways` are expressed in the design...
This first image is the Japanese representation of Bodhidharma. In Japan he is called Daruma and traditionally spherical dolls are made and painted with these same features. The eyes, however, are left blank until the `wish` is written on the front. Then you fill in one pupil and when the wish comes true you colour in the other. The wish I have written is `Mu` or `nothing/lack of`. Bodhidharma`s teachings have always been the ones with which I resonate the most. I like having him on my arm walking along next to me.
On Bodhidharma`s left is a crane flying through falling autumn Maple leaves. I love Japanese Maples and feel the most at peace when I am sitting in a forest of them. Maple leaf dsign is also used very heavily in traditional Japanese artforms. The crane represents the soft or feminine side of the Yin Yang opposition. Before I even picked up any texts on Buddhism I was very much into the Tao Te Ching and it continues to inform my practise to this day.
On Bodhidharma`s right is a snake slipping though the mist. Mist is another of my favourite natural occurances - especially the way it calms the landscape but can be, at the same time, quite oppressive. It is also used in Japanese art to give a feeling of transience. The snake represents the hard or Masculine side of the Yin Yang philosophy.
The third `Way` hidden in the tattoo is related to my name here at NB. Can anyone tell me what it is?
Hint - it`s got to do with the snake and crane...
A cajillion points if you get it right!
Wing Chun?
You lead me to such lovely stories, BSF. And you love them so much too, don't you:
[quote]After her time at the White Crane Temple, Yim Wing Chun returned to the village and was immediately pestered again by the warlord, this time more seriously, but now Wing Chun was prepared and challenged him to open hand combat, which of course he accepted as all he could see was a frail young woman who would soon be his wife, or so he thought. Yim Wing Chun totally devastated the warlord and being troubled no more was then free to marry her intended husband, Leung Bok Chuuo who himself was a skilled pugilist and together they would practice this new fighting system, and it was in reverence to his wife that he named the style Wing Chun, or Beautiful Springtime.[/quote]
[/QUOTE]
You're correct Simon I do!
Even further into the Mythology surrounding the fighting system is the story of how the original nun created Wing Chun. She is said to have witnessed a snake attacking a crane and she noticed how the crane used it's deft, gentle moments to deflect the snakes violent strikes. Therefore the hard and soft energies used in the style are symbolised by these two animals.
How true this legend is, however, is questionable but that doesn't mean that I don't resonate with the imagery used!
And me - supposedly an English teacher!
I so enjoyed your exchange and the short descriptions of those stories. So much so that I'm now thinking of having a look into Asian legends. Perhaps I'll look into Thai stories since my practice is Thai.
Wonderful stories!
With open mind and heart, we learn more of significance from stories than from any number of 'serious' works.
When I was a child in school my favourite time wasn't recess; it was when the teacher would read stories to us. I could never get enough of it.
I really want a tattoo with the Eightfold Path and maybe some Lotus-flowers in addition (to make it more feminine, but my name Kathrine means "Pure" which is what the Lotus-flower represents).
I like Vangelis' tattoo a lot, but I think its too big and masculine for me - Vangelis; could you tell me what the Pali inscription means, cause I really like the writing in your tattoo!
Please - can someone help me come up with ideas for my first tattoo?
xoxo
The Pali inscription around it is in the Devanagari script. I managed to find the Dhammapada in that script and I like it so I chose one of my favourite parts from it- verses 277-279, the three marks of all existence.
Sabbe sankhara anicca
Sabbe sankhara dukkha
Sabbe dhamma anatta
All conditioned things are impermanent
All conditioned things are suffering
All things are not-self
I can help you find a copy of the Dhammapada that I used if you're interested in using an inscription from it.
Kind Regards,
Vangelis
I've considered on numerous occasions getting a Geshe Chekawa like this:
Actually there is a symbol. It's called the gankyil, and it symbolizes many trinities in Buddhism, including the Three Seals. I'm attaching a picture.
Palzang
By any chance can the gankyil be of any other colours or is that a stupid question?
Palzang
The back of my arm...
Close up
Flowers above the Ganesh
The inside of my arm
Yeah I am flexing...
The whole arm so far...
Cheers.
Gorgeous! You didn't do all of that today, did you?
Are you going to colour it in or leave it as is? The reason I ask is because I just love the old school green/black/blue ink just as it is without all the yellows, reds, pinks, oranges, purples and so on that so many people get today. I mean, sometimes all the colours are beautiful, really beautiful. But sometimes they seem to obscure the initial artistry in the work, the outline of the image. You know?
Then again, you could get some pretty amazing colour work done with all those magnificent flowers. And the light greens you could get into with the leaves would be totally stunning. Are those peonies at the top? I adore peonies. We just had a few in the house recently. The light pink ones. They were a gift for my mum from an old friend.
I'm rambling. Sorry.
The Ganesh is so beautiful. I love the way his trunk is curved.
What beautiful work, Jordan. Can you tell I'm excited? Lol!
You could show us a pic of your face too, if you felt like it and you're not in the Federal Protection Program or anything.
I think I've had too much coffee...
Sorry... ignore that... just checked up the thread where you answered that!
No no, this is over many months. A total of 8 hours so far. I'm not going to have it coloured in at all. Just black and gray shading. I may add a hint of green here and there in the leaves of the flowers.
And yes, I can tell you are quite excited!
Fortunately I have not committed any crimes and can therefore display my face proudly on the Internet...
I'm a youngin', only 20... Do I look innocent and young? I hope so! LOL.
Great photo, Jordan. Love the Bob Marley shirt.
I'm so glad you're not getting it coloured in. It's beautiful as it is.
Don't worry about your mother. She probably just needs time. If she's around my age, from my generation, she's probably more used to them than she realizes. She'll come around.
Thanks for the photos!
I love tatts like I love children. Other people's children.
I've been thinking of getting a tattoo related to buddhism. Call me narrow-minded or uncreative, I've only come up with the idea of the lotus. lol.
Pls share any good websites which displays nice and good dharma tattoo designs. I should take the time after all to consider all kinds of designs b4 getting inked.
Thanks.
Hahaha!!!! I HEARD that
I really in need to know the Pali version of "Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma sambuddhassa", because I want to make a tattoo from the Pali transcription. is there anyone who can help me? many thanks!
Namo Buddhaya.
Sorry, I can't help you with that one. I do, however, have the Dhammapada in Pali in the Devanagari script which I think is one of the nicest scripts that Pali is rendered in. I can email that to you if you like.
Sorry I can't help any more.
Kind Regards,
Vangelis
thanks, I would like to! thank you so much, Vangelis.
Regards,
Winaldo
i want to get "anicca" written in pali but i don't know how it's written or anything
i attended a talk by s.n goenka? and heard a story on it there so wanted to get that ever since.
does anyone have maybe a picture of it written out? to show the tattoo artist?
would really appreciate any help, if anyone here has the writing skills and a camera
kind regards,
Jin
I'm new to this forum and had a question for a tattoo I would like to get. I would like to some lines from the dhammapada tattooed, but I can't seem to a find a nice font that I'd care to have inked on my body. I would like to get a tattoo of
Manopubbaṅgammā dhammā
Manoseṭṭhā manomayā
Manasā ce paduṭṭhena
We are what we think
All that we are arises with our thoughts
With our thoughts we make the world
If anyone knows of a site or a font (or a book!) where I could find this text, I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks!
Unfortunately I can't help with the script but I did want to say welcome and that I think your choice is a fantastic one. I can't tell you how many times that particular verse comes into my head every day. It's had a profound impact on my life and understanding. So, great choice and welcome to the site.
I can help you with the Dhammapada in the Devanagari script which is what I used to extract the text for my tattoo. Just PM me with your email address and I can send it to you. If anyone else would like it, just PM me.
Edit: I just noticed that your quote is the first verse of the Dhammapada. I hadn't seen that translation of it before. It should be easy for you then to identify the Pali text you require.
Metta,
Vangelis