Yantras

Yantras are sacred geometrical diagrams, with origins in India. As their usage spread into Thailand, they became integrated into Buddhist spiritual practice as well, incorporating Thai prayers, symbols and mantras. They can be drawn on any surface, and, honestly, Thai yantra tattoos deserve an entire post to themselves! But for more on the meaning behind specific Thai Buddhist symbols, this article is a fantastic resource.

Buddhist yantra my parents gave to me (in a handmade frame I bought from a shopkeeper in Lausanne, Switzerland!)

I’m particularly smitten with the yantras that are pressed into thin metal sheets. As someone who is obsessed with beautiful tin nichos, and old pressed tin ceilings, it’s not surprising I find these metal yantras just as aesthetically alluring.

Humble Snips and Tiny Lines

Sketch of my little brother, Guy Thada, getting his hair cut by the community as he prepares for his *Buat Nak*.

I was hoping to get this entry done in time for AAPI month, but a higher than usual amount of travel, and extroverting, has left me playing catch up on my schedule.

Last weekend, my brother did his buat nak at Wat Thai D.C., and lived there for a whole week. It’s a Thai tradition where sons enter monkhood for a short period, to study the Buddha’s teachings and practice monastic life. Some do it for a few days, others for a few months–but whatever the duration, it’s considered a very blessed occasion, and the ultimate expression of gratitude to your parents.

Part of the ceremony involves getting your head shaved. With an electric razor, it would only take a matter of minutes–but instead, the act becomes a slow, meditative ceremony unto itself. The main abbot does the first few snips with a pair of scissors, as the rest of the abbots and monks line up for their turn. One snip of hair, and the scissors are passed on. Then, family and all other attendees are invited to take part, each taking a snip. It’s only after everyone has had a turn, that the electric shaver comes out.

His Holiness Luang Ta Chi of Wat Thai D.C., doing the first snips.

It’s a highly inefficient way to get a haircut, but a lovely reminder that in this instance, it’s all about the process, and the community sharing in the joy and gratitude of the ceremony. It really struck a chord within me.

Getting back to NYC, and inspired by all this, I wanted to work on a little something just for me. Just like the humble single snip of hair, I pared everything back to just a short line. And repeated them over and over, to create something greater. Some lines are painted with a brush, some with colored pencil; some are lighter, some are darker. But they are all just single, short strokes… Drawn line after line after line.

Highly inefficient, but full of intention and mindfulness.

Watercolor and colored pencil on paper, 9.5” x 9.5”

Ritual and Repitition (and the Buddhist Ceremony of Fang Luk Nimit)

Today’s sketchbook experiment! (Which will make more sense by the end of this post.)

In the simplest terms, luk nimit are spherical sculptures, typically made of stone or concrete, used to demarcate sacred Buddhist grounds.

On a recent visit to my parents, we spent a Sunday afternoon at Wat Tummaprateip to celebrate the birthday of abbot Phrakhru Soonthon Srisongkhram, and it’s where I got to participate in the ritual of fang luk nimit for my very first time. We waited in line with other congregants for our turn to ladle concrete into the spherical molds, while reciting prayers, and receiving blessings.

I love the idea that these simple orbs are very slowly, very intentionally, formed by so many hands of the community. Once hardened, they will eventually be buried underground–but before that, they are blessed by the monks, and the community is again invited to take part in the process by applying gold leaf to them and reciting prayers.

It’s yet another slow, mindful process, where that magnificent layer of gold is actually the direct manifestation of many hopes, wishes, and prayers…from many hands, hearts and minds. I love that all these single, tiny actions, lead to such glorious results.

Now back to my sketchbook exercise. After writing this, I wanted to play with the idea of small repetitive acts. I grabbed an old stamp and applied it over and over to create the entire foundation for the doodle, from the sky, to the grass, to the dresses and flower petals… Then filled the details in by hand with colored pencil, and did a little clean up digitally. A fun little exercise in mark-making!