Mantra Tattoos

Mantra Tattoos

Date Posted:
September 2011

A student asked Rinpoche about having mantras tattooed on his skin. Rinpoche didn’t reply with a direct “ yes” or “no”, but he was uncomfortable with this aspect and advised the following:

There is karma created if we have a mantra tattooed on our body and we don’t treat it with respect—if we go into the toilet, get it dirty, sleep on it, etc. It is better to get a tattoo of meaningful verses in English that people can read. This may have more impact and there isn't the negative karma of not treating the tattoo with respect.