With expert precision Ajarn Neng repeatedly plunges a razor sharp needle dipped in black ink into the back of a disciple, each stab producing a perfectly placed pixel that forms a traditional Thai tattoo.
It is an ancient art carried out by ajarns (masters), steeped in superstition that Thais have prized for centuries. But increasingly it is foreigners beating a path to this Buddhist tattooist’s door.
“I’ve been dreaming of getting a tattoo like this for years,” says Silvia Falbo, from Rome, proudly showing five lines of Khmer script Neng recently inked onto her shoulder blade.
“I’m attracted to Buddhism and all the spirituality that goes with it. And the design is really beautiful and original,” she adds.
Ever since American GIs passed through Bangkok for their R&R during the Vietnam War foreigners have returned home sporting traditional Thai tattoos – known as ‘sak yant’.
While tattoos in the west are largely an aesthetic decision, in Thailand they are imbued with both spirituality and superstition.
Those who wear sak yant often believe their tattoos genuinely lend them magical powers, bringing good luck or protection from evil spirits. Some are even convinced that their inking will make them bullet proof.
The designs – lines of script, geometric patterns and animal shapes – are also deeply interwoven with Buddhist and animist imagery that some Thais fear westerners fail to appreciate.
When a follower of an ajarn receives a tattoo, they are often told by their master to follow a certain set of rules to improve their life, with the warning added that failure to do so invalidates the power of the tattoo.
Among the rules are the first five Buddhist precepts – do not harm living beings, do not steal, do not have inappropriate sexual behaviour, do not lie and do not consume drugs or intoxicating liquor.