Thailand is a well-known Buddhist country with Buddha images and statues found in numerous places around the country. Since Buddha objects are considered to be sacred and highly useful for worship, there is always a question about whether Buddha tattoos are illegal or not in Thailand. Let’s provide an answer to this question below.
Without mincing words, no law prohibits people from drawing a Buddha tattoo in Thailand. Therefore, it is not illegal for you to draw it on your body. However, it is worthwhile for you to understand that some people frown at it in the country, especially if it is drawn on some specific parts of the body.
Getting a Buddha tattoo below the waist may be considered inappropriate
In Thai culture, some parts of the body are considered to be sacred. Out of the lots, the head is believed to be the most important whereas the feet are assumed to be the least important. Factually, in many countries in Southeast Asia, most individuals believe that the foot is the least honorable and dirtiest part of the body. It is not unusual to see places where people are required to wash their feet before entering a temple without their shoes.
As a result of this, there is little or no regard for images drawn on the feet. So, if you have drawn a Buddha tattoo on your head or other parts of the upper body, most individuals will not have any issue with you.
However, if a Buddha tattoo is drawn on your feet, lots of people will consider it to be both disrespectful and inappropriate. In fact, if you draw it on any body part below the waist, many Thais will believe that you have disrespected their religion and culture.
Some years ago, it was reported by NBC News and many other news agencies that Thailand’s culture minister proposed that the government should ban foreigners from getting Buddha tattoos. This proposal came as a result of the disrespectful nature of how some foreigners have drawn Buddha tattoos on the body parts that are considered to be profane. However, lots of Thai tattoo artists and tattoo enthusiasts campaigned against such a ban. As a consequence, the Department of Culture could not go ahead with the ban.
What should you do if you have a Buddha tattoo on your feet?
Assuming you have a Buddha tattoo on your feet already and you are traveling to Thailand, you don’t have to do anything special. The truth is that many Thais are open-minded, so they tend to understand the difference around the world. Besides, most young people tend to be less religious; hence, they may overlook tattoos on anybody’s feet.
Nevertheless, it is still reasonable for you to respect your host country. Like other countries around the world, there are still some religious extremists in Thailand that may have problems with it. Therefore, you need to be careful when having a tattoo on any part below the waist.
It is suggested that you should cover the tattoo on your feet or other parts of the lower body if you are in Thailand. For instance, a Buddha tattoo on your ankle can be easily covered with a pair of trousers. Therefore, you should consider bearing this in mind if you have a Buddha tattoo.
Can you get a Buddha tattoo in Thailand?
Yes, there is no problem with drawing a Buddha tattoo in Thailand. In fact, you will find out that lots of Thais have varying Buddha tattoos on their body. Also, there are lots of tattoo parlors around the country with various experienced and highly skilled tattoo artists. So, you can easily go to one of these artists and draw a Buddha tattoo on your body. Nonetheless, you should still be careful of the part of the body that you want to draw a tattoo.
However, another thing you should take note of is the things around your tattoo. For example, if a Buddha head tattoo is inked on your back close to the head of a wolf; many Thais will consider it to be disrespectful to their culture. But they could ignore the Buddha heat tattoo if it is the only tattoo on your back.
What does a Buddha tattoo represent?
In general, a Buddha tattoo is meant to represent some sort of serenity and peace. It can also be used to depict your personality or individuality. However, for Buddhists, it could show devotion and love for the practice. Depending on the preferred design, a Buddha tattoo can also be used to display some hidden messages.
Nonetheless, like in other tattoos, lots of individuals have Buddha tattoos without attaching any special meaning to them. For instance, someone can just like the design; hence, decide to ink in on their body. For such an individual, the Buddha tattoo may mean nothing apart from its aesthetics. However, since it is sacred to some people, such individuals should not show any sort of disrespect to the Buddha tattoos.
Variations of Buddha tattoos
Buddha tattoos come in different variations, and each variation has its unique meaning. Below, we will highlight some of the common variations of Buddha tattoos:
- Laughing Buddha tattoo – this symbolizes good fortune, joy, and laughter.
- Amitabha Buddha tattoo – this is for individuals that want to seek enlightenment about different aspects of life.
- Nirvana Buddha tattoo – this depicts Buddha in a reclined position. It is believed to show Buddha during his last moments on this planet.
- Serenity Buddha tattoo – this looks as if Buddha is meditating. It is for individuals that want to boost their meditation skills or find peace and calmness in life.
Other popular variations include protection Buddha tattoo and earth touching Buddha tattoo.
Conclusion
Although getting a Buddha tattoo is not illegal in Thailand, it can be disrespectful if done wrongly. Therefore, you should avoid displaying Buddha tattoos on your body as this may be offensive or disrespectful to some locals.