Sak Yant

สักยันต์ – Sak Yant; Sak – meaning “to tap” or, “to tattoo”, and Yant, meaning “Yantra”

Originally derived from the Sanskrit word “YANTRA”.  Since hundreds, if not thousand or more years, were Thai and Khmer warriors renowned and feared for the magical markings tattooed on their skin. These markings have come to be known worldwide as “Sak Yant tattoos”.

Ruesi Ajarn Anek (Poodum) tattoos Suea Maha Amnaj

left pic – devotees of the most famous of all sakyant masters in Thai history – Hlwong Por Phern, the devotees are in trance (known as “Khong Khuen”) induced by the Kata (mantra chant) of the monks.Taken at the Wat Bang Pra Temple yearly  “Wai Kroo” Ceremony, where devotees of Sak Yant and the Master Hlwong Por Phern gather once a year to pay respects and receive blessings on “Master Day” (Wan WaiKroo). Each year in March or April, the Temple of Wat Bang Phra (WBP for short), hosts the Wai Kroo ceremony. In recent years it has become a big attraction with Foreigners also, with many professional photografers using the topic for their portfolios, and to publish coffee-table picture books. The Khong Khuen phenomenon has many different forms of occuring; Tiger Hanuman (monkey god of the Ramakian legends), Eel, Alligator, “Por Gae Rasi Dta Fai” (an ancient hermit sage), Hongsa (swan), and many other apparitions of mythological beings, Deities and “Himapant Animals”.

Picture left; Mai Sak”, or “Khem Sak”, meaning “Tattoo stick” or “Tattoo needle”respectively. The Mai Sak used for the tattooing of Sak Yant Sacred geometrical designs has in most cases no needle,rather a split end, which is filed down into 2 sharp points like a feather quill pen.

Basic origins;

These markings known as Sakyant,  were a mix of Buddhist psalms and prayers, and shamanistic spells and sorcery that had survived the Religious transition from the pre-Buddhist era and been incorporated in the belief system of the newlyborn Buddhist countries. Since the days of King Nareswon, Thai soldiers have sought protection in the power of sak yant and the wearing and praying to of amulets.In the Korean, Vietnam and second world wars, the Thai soldiers were nicknamed “Taharn Phee” (ghost soldiers), by the allied forces, because of their sak yant tattoos and amulets.

Sak Yant and Muay Thai

Muay Thai Boxers (”Nak Muay”), also have a deep connection with sak yant tattoos.The art of Muay Thai was developed from the fighting arts developed by the warriors of Ancient times. As modernization and the industrial revolution arrived, the need for these fighting skills in war were no longer needed (we haved tanks and planes and cannons etc to do the job).

As a result, the graceful fighting moves once used in real combat situations have developed into what is maybe one of the most graceful and also dangerous fighting sports on the planet.

Muay thai boxers are seen to have the monkey god “Hanuman” tattooed on their backs or chest, arm or leg; Hanuman represents strength, stamina and agility, which are all excellent and desirable qualities for a Muay Thai fighter. Buddha magick & tattooing the skin with sacred yantra (sak yant – สักยันต์) is an ancient tradition.This tradition is extremely worth studying; it is an ages old tradition that is in danger of disappearance due to the rise in popularity of modern western tattooing with the younger generation.Fortunately, although it is no more common for every boy of the household to have at least one Yant tattoo, it is still common enough to say that maybe one in three Thai men have recieved a sak yant tattoo (even if only in sacred oil as an invisible protection).

Is Sak Yant Buddhist or Hindu? Animist, or Occult?

Members of both the Buddhist Theravada, and Hindu Brahmin faiths in Thailand have incorporated the Tradition of Sak Yant into their respective belief systems, where devotees seek out renowned masters to bestow the blessings and protective powers of Sacred Yant magic onto their skin. Although one can possibly regard the essential meaning and content of the designs of Sak yant Temple tattoos to be Buddhist, due to the fact that most of the “Kata” (mantras) used in the sacred script within the designs are Buddhist sutras and prayers, it should also be noted that the Buddha gave teachings on what a Buddhist Bhikkhu should and should not participate in.

A Bhikkhu should not; perform any kind of surgery (tattooing is surgery), wash wounds, give medicine or nurse somebody, look after a young child, do horoscope readings,  weather predictions, lottery, make magic spells, perform miracles, read dreams, worship fire or elementals,  to show powers or abilities that other people do not have . The list goes on for many many pages. Basically, according to the teachings of Buddha, a Buddhist monk is not permitted to perform such actions as magic making, medium powers, drawing blood, horoscopes, and any kind of medicine-man/witch doctor behaviour. Amulet making can also actually be included in the list. This lets us conclude that Thai Buddhism is actually not a pure form of Buddhism, because most of the population worship Devas and tree spirits and mix non-Buddhist practises into their religious practises. Many of the more diligent and pure Bhikkhus in Thailand do publish dhamma teachings, books etc explaining this matter, due to the fact that the official Buddhist sangha of Thailand are extremely concerned about how Buddhism is completely infiltrated by shamanistic, occcult and animist beliefs and practises.  Sak Yant therefore, although usng Buddhist prayers and Sutras, is more a Brahmin, Animistic or Shamanistic occult practise than a Buddhist one.

Do Laymen Make Sak Yant?

Sak Yant tattooing is not only performed by Ordained members of the Buddhist Sangha (monks), there are also a great number of revered laymen who practise as ascetics or take certain spiritual vows and make yant tattoos. The popularity of a certain master is normally attained through hearsay from other devotees of the master; tales of being shot or stabbed without wounds being inflicted, or being in car crashes where the vehicle was crushed into a box shape like a concertina but the individual with the yant tattooed remaining safe and without a scratch inside the vehicle, have led to some masters being so highly revered as to be thought to have supernatural powers in their own right. Whether this is true or not, is of course a matter of personal belief. There are many documented cases of people being shot where the bullets did not penetrate the skin, instead leaving just a whelt or a bruise where the bullet hit.

The author himself has met several devotees who claim to have either shot somebody (a police captain befriended with the author maintains this story) with the person shot recieving no wound, or have been shot and hit by the bullet but having suffered no perforation of the skin. There are recorded cases of this in many of Thailand’s police records, hospitals and court house archives.

Most people who recieve yant tattoos will be men, although women also recieve yant tattoos albeit to a much lesser degree.Many women may recieve the yant in oil instead of ink, resulting in the tattoo being invisible to the human eye, but with the magical effect of the yant remaining.The most females who obtain a yant will opt for yant that inflect the blessings of good salesmanship, or charms that attract the opposite sex, or luck and fortune. Popular designs for women would be Na Na Tong, and Sariga Lin Tong ( golden face “Na”, and paradise bird yant).

Picture copyright Stephen Zeigler www.stephenzeigler.com

Thanks for being a good friend over the years Stephen! Stephen has been a strong and faithful supporter and contributer of sak-yant.com, since even the old domain without the hyphen (which was stolen from me),  for which I am extremely Grateful for both the support and the Friendship over the years.

Other applications of Yant

Yantra designs are also applied to many other mediums, such as cloth Yantras or metal plate Yantra, and placed in one’s house, place of worship, or vehicle as a means of protection from all kinds of dangers, or against illness, to increase wealth or attract lovers etc.

Tattooing Instruments (above pic);

The objects in the above picture are the workarea of one of the Wat Bang Phra Monks, showing transfer blocks (design blocks made on wooden plaques), “Mai Sak” (or “Khem Sak”) – the long sharp double pointed split end spikes used in the tattooing of Sak Yant Sacred Mystical tattoos. The spikes are reused normally and are stored using bottles of alcohol to dip the spike in and leave standing in it until it must be used.  the other objects in the image are; Dtakian nam man (oil lamp), used for smoking the wooden blocks with so that the soot can be used to imprint the transfer with. This practise hass lessened recently and many Masters have started using purple copy paper or the ink cushion to rub the design transfer block onto and get some transfer ink on the block, which is then pressed onto the skin of the subject. Rarely does a Master use a transfer block, normally only using the block for difficult designs in difficult places. Two of the designs visible are “Sue Maha Amnaj” (Imperial Tiger of power), and “Yant Dtagror” (a woven basket ball used by Thais to play a kind of volleyball with their feet). Sandpaper (gauge 2), is used for sharpening the instruments with when they become blunt. The tip of the spike is split like a crow’s beak, and called “Bpag Chalaam”, meaning “shark’s mouth” some Thais will use another term for this though, namely “Bpag Bped”, meaning “Ducks bill”

where can you get a yantra tattoo?

There are Many Sak Yant offices (known as “Samnak Sak Yant”) all over Thailand, the most famous of which are perhaps Wat Bang Pra temple (Ajarn Ting, Phaew, Ya, Nan, Piak etc), Hlwong Pi Pant at Wat Kho Poon, Ajarn Noo Ganpai (Patum Thani), Ajarn Daech, Ajarn Ek (Sukhumvit 62, Bangkok), Ajarn Sompit (Chonburi), Ajarn Thoy Dabos (Awn Nut, Bangkok), Ajarn Terng Kongton (Bangkok), Ajarn Kob (Ayuttaya), Ajarn Tong (Bang Kae, Bangkok), Ajarn Pon (Bangkok), Ajarn Gaew (Bang Sue, Bangkok), Ajarn Kiaw (Bangkok) in Central Thailand, Ajarn Daeng and Ajarn Dam of the Khao Or temple in Pattani, which is perhaps seen as the most powerful lineage of Buddha-Magic makers in the Land..

There’s a lot of free tattoo designs out there so start browsing the web before picking a tattoo design.

When selecting tattoo designs, rate tattoos to compare different themes.