For many young people, tattooing is a way to show their unique personality and self, so many people are obsessed with this painful beauty and regard it as a symbol of sexiness and charm. In Thailand, where all people believe in Buddhism, tattoos are also given a mysterious religious significance. The scriptures and special Buddhist patterns on the patterns of believers by monks in the temple are also regarded by the Thai people as blessings for peace and expelling bad luck. Amulet. Every March, Nakhon Pathom, a suburb of Bangkok, holds a large-scale tattoo festival celebration, paying tribute to Buddhist monks in a special way and admonishing people to follow the purpose of Buddhism.
Tattoos in Thailand have a long history, dating back to the Ayutthaya Dynasty from the 13th to the 16th century. The earliest tattoo designs in Thailand were only Buddha statues and sutras, which used to represent the courage and perseverance of the tattooists, and the tattooers were mostly soldiers, because the tattoos at that time were thought to protect the human body from damage by swords and guns. And the Buddha image to return to bless yourself to win on the battlefield. With the development of the times, tattoo designs have gradually increased, gradually expanding to gods, charms, and some animals and beasts. Tattooers believe that each pattern represents a different meaning: for example, tiger patterns can make people brave, elephants Can make people gain strength, but most of the patterns have the meaning of blessing peace and safety. Such tattoos are also called Buddhist tattoos.
For many devout Buddhist Thai people, tattoos also directly reflect the religious spirit and their beliefs. Unlike ordinary tattoos that are only beautiful, Buddhist tattoos can only be tattooed by monks and special masters in temples. There are not many temples in Thailand, but the most famous tattoo temples are the Bang Phra temples located in Nakhon Pathom, a suburb of Bangkok. The centuries-old Bangpa Temple tattoo tradition has a long history, and has held a tattoo festival every March since 1976, also known as "Buddhist worship ceremony". The main purpose of this ceremony is to encourage Buddhist believers and people Express respect and gratitude to the temple monk masters, and bear in mind the purpose of Buddhism and doing good deeds. Yitipeng, a monk from Bangpa Temple said:
Yitipong said: "The main purpose of this ceremony is to bring all Buddhist believers and people together to remember the teachings of Buddhist monks. One of the main purposes of monks' tattoos for the public is also to allow tattooers to always remember Buddhist purposes. These tattoos The scriptures contained in the patterns are all from the Pali Buddhist scriptures, so they are also given religious significance. In ancient times, these tattoos were mainly used to protect the soldiers who returned to the battlefield to return safely, and now mainly to inherit this religious culture. "
At the annual tattoo festival, nearly 10,000 Thai people and believers always gather to obtain Buddhist tattoos, listen to the Dharma and pay homage to the monks. Many people even came to the temple all night before the tattoo festival was held overnight . When the monks finish tattooing the believers and read the scriptures, some believers will even dance like a "spiritual upper body". Those who are "upper body" will imitate the animals in various Buddhist tattoos, such as tigers, elephants and Monkeys and so on, and this phenomenon reached its climax on the day of the tattoo festival.
Although there are many people who doubt the authenticity of this "upper body" phenomenon, for Thais who are dedicated to the Buddha, these phenomena come from the aura of religious beliefs and religious forces. A person who was "spiritual upper body" on the scene told us how he felt at the time:
Thongchai said: "I feel dizzy and I know that I am upper body, but there is no way to control myself. This feeling is difficult to describe, but it only happens to people with tattoos. I believe this means that the gods and the Buddha are blessing me. "
Of course, the Tattoo Festival is only an annual celebration of local people and believers. Outside of this festival, Bangpa Temple welcomes many believers and people every day, hoping to find a tattoo that protects health, safety and smooth life for themselves . Su Pitrat from Nakhon Pathom Province can be regarded as a senior tattoo enthusiast. On his body, there are dozens of Buddhist tattoos of various sizes, covering almost his entire upper body. For him, tattoos bring himself It's not just the change of destiny, but the peace of mind.
Supai Lat said: "My life was very difficult when I was in Bangkok a few years ago. After tattooing here, my business became better and my life became smoother. But it really depends on myself and I must have a kind heart. , Jide does good deeds. So it ’s not to say that tattooing can guarantee success, but to make tattooers stick to a belief that they should do good deeds and believe that they can succeed in life. "
Unlike the machines used for ordinary tattoos outside the world, the Buddhist tattoos in the temple are made of long steel needles by monks and masters, not only embodying the skills of monks and masters, but also a kind of patience for tattooists. test. For Buddhism, women have been relatively avoided in the temple, but traditional Buddhist tattoos do not have this taboo. Monks can tattoo women without touching the female body. However, this practice has also been criticized and not understood. Therefore, in order to avoid suspicion, now the monks in the temple are only male tattoos, and females are responsible for special masters. A tattoo master who has been engaged in tattooing in Bang Pa Temple for nearly two decades said, "The tattoo technique here is mainly based on the needle-by-needle puncture, without using a machine. Bang Pa Temple can now be said to be the most famous in Thailand. Many foreigners have come here to admire Buddhist tattoo temples. However, they are usually not allowed to choose patterns in the temple. Monks and masters will choose the appropriate pattern according to the tattooed part of the tattoo. "
In a modern society where tattoos are increasingly fashionable, Thailand still retains this ancient and mysterious traditional tattoo culture. Although it seems to the outside world that this kind of Buddhist tattoos and "teaching ceremony" rituals that have been given religious significance may be too superstitious And crazy, but they are one of the most basic and primitive elements of Buddhist culture and art with unique Thai characteristics.
