Skin as Spiritual Script: Tibetan Buddhism, Tattoos, and the West

Abstract

In recent years a distinct genre of tattoos has emerged in Western culture, a genre that draws heavily on Tibetan scripts, iconography, and perceptions of Tibetan spirituality. Until recently, tattooing was not something usually associated with Tibet, which raises the question of whether this is yet another Western appropriation of Tibetan culture, or whether there is a more complex conversation being had. The emergence of this genre is part of a broader tattoo renaissance under way in the West in recent decades in which gender, cultural, religious, and aesthetic boundaries are being transcended in ways not previously seen. Concurrent developments amongst Tibetans, both inside Tibet and in exile, contain a different set of agendas linked to a pan-Tibetan identity, specifically political and spiritual independence from China. Furthermore, the emergence of “Dharma” tattoos, linked specifically to Buddhist practice, would appear to involve a rethinking of the body in a very specific way, both as a spiritual canvas and as a support to practice. How do “Tibetan” tattoos fit into this rubric? The rise of the “Tibetan” tattoo represents a complex interplay of identity, imagination, and beliefs. This chapter analyzes the intersection of tattooing and the contemporary religious landscape in Britain through interviews with tattoo artists and their clients, both Western and exile Tibetan, and in conversations with the broader tattoo and Tibetan communities.