Comments on: Fresh Ink — The ‘Sak Yant’ Edition

By: dante

dante — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:42:11 +0000

Was great! Got a complete back piece. I already had the 9 spire on my neck. So I opted for a creation piece. Was a great experience. Felt charged and alive.
Going back to finish a small piece between my new one and old one. Then all will be well.

Thanks for the advice..

Dante

By: Peridot

Peridot — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:51:18 +0000

I got my first sak yant at Wat Bang Phra three years ago. I had a Thai driver to take me there for 2,000 baht. He did the negotiations with the monks, and asked me for 100 baht to move ahead in the line, and 1,000 baht to pay for the sak yant ($30). I had no problem with that, and I loved the small gao yord I received with a bamboo needle. When I wanted more work, I went to the amulet market in Bangkok on Th. Mahathat and asked around, and found someone who drove me to an Ajarn Di in Phuttamonthon, about 30 km from Bangkok, at Thamnak Thanpawgay. I have gone back several times for more sak yant work. Ajarn Di is not a buddhist monk, but a brahman priest. To get to his place, take the Pin Klao bridge from Bangkok, stay on the bridge road as it curves to the left, and keep going about 25 kilometers, following the signs to Nakon Phanom. When you see the signs for Phuttamonthon Sai 1, you know you are going the right way. Take Phuttamonthon Sai 4 which is a left turn. Go 3-4 kilometers and turn left on Soi Pradoo 22, also called Soi Gratoom Lom 22. The sign is in Thai, just look for the number 22 on the blue street sign. Drive about 2 km past where the road makes a few turns and look for a big house on the right. If you ask people about “sak yan”, or make sign language for poking the skin, they will show you the place.

I have received a very warm reception there, even though there is not often anyone who speaks more than a bit of English. They have books to select sak yant from, and you make a donation into a tray. I did my best to hide the 1,000 baht ($30) I paid by stuffing under the pile of 20 baht notes, but the ajarn saw and made me write my name on a poster as a benefactor to their place. I see the Thai men donate 100 or 200 baht. I have had to wait about an hour, as I arrive in the early afternoon and their are usually several Thai men waiting. They don’t mind me taking photos of the temple or the ajarns or the people receiving sak yant.

I also visited Ajarn Noo’s place last year, and was not pleased by his giant house and all the advertising plastered everywhere for a current horror movie featuring his sak yant. The ajarn I spoke with was extremely rude, which is unheard of in Thailand. He criticized my existing sak yant and said he would give me a small one for $1,000 US. His energy was so nasty I left immediately, and would not recommend him to anyone except those wanting to flaunt their money. They are now far from the sacredness of the sak yant, and money has clearly become their god. Too bad, but I guess we can thank Angelina Jolie for that. Not that I am criticizing her, but she made him famous, and the result is not pretty.

By: A Bowl Of Stupid

A Bowl Of Stupid — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:41:46 +0000

Dante,
Most people suggest getting there in the morning to avoid the crowds and to ensure they have room in day to get to you. But I went both early and in mid-afternoon — both times, there were bunch of peeps waiting around for the monks and I both times wound up waiting (which is cool, in and of itself) for about 1 hr. Only diff I saw was that there were more falangs in morning, since all the tourist info, tattoo sites, etc. recommend that.

As for the design, you CAN pick it, but IMHO, let the monk do it (typically, the first one is the Nine Spires Yanthra). Good luck and namaste.

By: dante

dante — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:39:58 +0000

hey bro,

whats the best time to go to the temple? in the am or pm?

did you get to pick the design?
i am going on the 9th and want to get another sak yant, but wanted to do it traditionally…

thanks

dante
dante.halleck@hotmail.com

By: Chard

Chard — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:32:41 +0000

Me and my girlfriend are going travelling for a year (including thailand) and possibly getting a few tattoos along the way

i was wondering what your tattoos mean?

Chard

By: Ram

Ram — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:37:54 +0000

Haha, oh man!
A very good friend of mine took me to Ajarn Noo back in 2006. She said a tattoo is 1000 baht (~ $30) – which was true as long as you are Thai. For me, they wanted 10.000, and after my friend talked to them agreed to do it for 4.000.
I told them we are all human beings, and would appreciate to get tattooed for 1000, but they politely declined, and so did I.
So now he charged 1000 USD per tattoo? Oh gee…

Good thing you went to Wat Bang Phra. Congratulations on the tattoo, saw the picture.

Cheers,
Ram

By: A Bowl of Stupid » Fresh Ink — The ‘Sak Yant’ Edition (UPDATE)

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:34:35 +0000

[...] Okay, for anyone interested — here are a couple of pictures of the new Sak Yant tattoo I got yesterday. [...]

By: Girl With Curious Hair

Girl With Curious Hair — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:56:38 +0000

How exciting! It was funny thinking of in surf board currency though.

A stupid question: weren’t you afraid of sanitation issues with the needles?

By: Your Favorite Pisces

Your Favorite Pisces — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:23:49 +0000

You did it!!!! COOL!!! I am stoked for you!!!
Wish I was there with you, but now I am thinking I may just go back there before I head back to the states in august…hmm…
glad you are feeling so good …… let me know when you want a tarot reading…..heehee