Sak yant (), also called
yantra tattooing, is a form of sacred tattooing practiced in Southeast Asian countries including
Cambodia and
Thailand.
Sak yant are normally tattooed by
Buddhist monks or
Brahmin priests. The most famous temple in the present day for Yant tattooing is
Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Chaysri, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand.
Records have shown that the tattoo dates back to
Angkor times. Different masters have added to these designs through visions received in their meditations. Some Yant have been adapted from pre-Buddhist
Shamanism and the belief in
animal spirits that was to be found in the
Southeast Asian sub-Continent and incorporated into the Thai Buddhist tradition.
The script used for Yant designs is ancient
Khmer and
Pali.
In
Cambodia, the tattoo is used for self-protection. Cambodians believe a
yantra has magical powers that ward off evil and hardship. The
tattoo is particularly popular amongst military personnel. The tattoo supposedly guarantees that the person cannot receive any physical harm as long as they follow certain conditions. A person is not supposed to talk to anyone for three days and three nights after receiving a yantra. Another alternative is to follow the five
Buddhist precepts: one cannot kill, steal, cheat, be intoxicated by alcohol or lust over women.
Yant designs are also applied to many other mediums, such as cloth or metal, 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.
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