“Tattooing the Buddha on your ass”
With all of the defense of Buddhist practice tattoos and so-called hipsters that goes on here at the Horse, it’s good to represent all sides of the story. Good ol’ Konchog Norbu (no stranger to the practice tattoo) writes to report of Daniel Pinchbeck’s angle:
“I’m reading Pinchbeck’s very peculiar 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl. On p. 305, he’s on a return trip to Burning Man. This time he’s grown disillusioned, and says, ‘The avowed spirituality of West Coast hipsters, which appeared so glamorous and enticing to me at first, increasingly seemed a shallow lifestyle choice — a new form of self-congratulatory consumerism, a better way to get laid. Tattooing the Buddha on your ass was easier than pursuing the eightfold path to enlightenment.’
“Man,” writes Konchog, “you got that right.” …and that certainly can be true. As I said in that Buddhadharma forum, you’ll always have folks who get Buddhist-derived tattoos without really having an understanding of their meaning. But for others of us, can they really be, as this site so often contends, “Body Vows,” or ways to make personal commitments to Dharma practice, as much as a spoken commitment? …Or is it all just ego and delusion?
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December 20th, 2008 at 1:17 am
more ignorance IMO
December 21st, 2008 at 10:14 am
I believe tats can be both commitments and/or ego. I got my first and only ‘body vow’ 100% whole-heartedly as sign of commitment to myself, a lay-practitioners version of robes and a shaved head, perhaps. I found as the days went by, I’d see people looking at it constantly (visible on my forearm). In one way, it made me self-conscious and in another I felt pride. It actually forced myself to look deeper at myself and ask why I had this ‘ego’ and pride. Then I questioned if it was always about ego. Then I hated it and wished I never got it. Then that all fell away, and I have it. I am neither proud nor upset. It just is. It is no different than my fingernail or eyebrow. It’s apart of my without expectation or ego.
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
My Name is JJ Simon and I have been a Buddhist for 15 years. I have been a professional Tattoo Artist since 1990.
I have and and have given Dharma Tattoos and have to say that it is my experience that these are very powerful. I don’t know about body vows because I haven’t followed any of the posts that go with them but I would say that if a Mantra is the embodiment of the Buddha/Bodhisattva/Deity that you are chanting then the same goes for the image. If you put this image on your body then that energy is going to effect your reality and provide you with things to work with in the spirit of realizing that energy. Example: If you put Vajra Yogini on your back. Your world will manifest as Vajra Yogini energy until you have realized your mind is none other than Vajra Yogini.
I have Tattooed on me 2 of the 10 ox herding pictures. 2 Buddha heads, a Bell and a Dorje. Several Lotus’ with a HUM’ below it and the words Yeshe Cholwa (Crazy Wisdom)on my hands. Each of these Tattoos has brought a different energy into my life and I would advise anyone that is going to get a Dharma Tattoo to think hard before they do it. The most common and best suited Dharma Tattoo for the Masses is the Mani mantra. So just my 2cents start simple and go from there.
JJ Simon.
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
thanks, everyone, for your comments, but especially to JJ, whose comment brings a useful Buddhist AND tattoo-artist’s perspective.
good stuff.