When it comes to tattooing, religion is always a popular topic when looking for something to get inked. Tattooing is one of the more popular ways to show your devotion to your chosen religion. Some of the more popular religions these days include Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and our subject today, Buddhism.

Buddhism has the fifth most people following the region behind Christianity, Islam, Nonreligious (Atheist/Agnostic/Secular) and Hinduism. The religion of Buddhism is really beautiful and founded on peace and treating people the right way. It’s a religion with a great deal of beautiful symbolism and art. This makes for some great subjects to be tattooed. The rich history and beautiful symbolism make for some great tattoo work.

In this post we will talk a little bit about the history of Buddhism and the history of tattooing there. For the most part, we will talk about the different variations of the Buddhist and some of the major Buddhist symbols that are chosen for tattooing and what they mean. By the end of this post you will have a good number of ideas for your next tattoo and if you are looking for a Buddhist tattoo, this will be a great resource.

The Origins of Buddhism

Buddhism was founded by Buddha Shakyamuni. He was born in 624 BC as a royal prince in Lumbini. Lumbini is part of Nepal but back then it was part of northern India. Buddha was born to the royal family of ‘Shakya’ with the final part of the name, ‘Muni’ meaning ‘Able One’. Buddha was given the name of Siddhartha by his parents and from there, many great predictions were made about where his life would lead. Up until he was 29, Buddha lived as a prince in the family’s royal palace. At this point, Buddha ventured out into the forest to live a life of meditation and follow his spiritual life that he was born to follow. It took him six years to attain enlightenment and he did so in Bodh Gaya, India under the Bodhi Tree.