User talk:Keren
Can Sikhs have tattoos?
From article Makeup
On the other hand, in the following Shabad, the Guru tells us that if one remembers the Lord all the time (ie: "within whose home the Husband Lord abides"), then he or she will be "totally adorned and decorated" by the Lord. So if you live according to the Waheguru's hukam, then you may decorate yourself as you like. But remember that without the remembrance of the Lord, the "sheegar" (decorations) will bring no happiness or comfort.
Reply
Hi Keren
I don't believe there is anything directly written against or in favour of tattoos in the Sikh scriptures. I will look at this in greater detail later but from memory, I have not come across anything direct.
Tattoos can be grouped with "extreme makeup" which the Guru calls "decorations" and I ask you to read the article Guru Granth Sahib on adornment. As a summary, the Guru says, "Even though I totally decorated myself, still, my mind was not satisfied. I applied various scented oils to my body, and yet, I did not obtain even a tiny bit of pleasure from this. Within my mind, I hold such a desire, that I may live only to behold my Beloved, O my mother.(1)"
You need to think deeply about why you want a tattoo. Sikhi is more about the mind than just about the body. If you want the tattoo to enhance your ego then you are feeding the five evils within and you should reconsider; my father who was 78 when he died last year had a "ੴ" ek onkar tattooed on his hand; probably as a reminder of God everytime he looked at his hand - He was very humble and always remembered the Guru. Also, my son has a large ek-onkar on his upper back (almost on his neck); he can't see it unless he looks in the mirror - probably more to "show off" then to remind himself of God!
So I believe that the motivation needs to be considered carefully. There is "no blanket ban" on tattoo as such in Sikhi but one must not do it as it can be perceived as a sign to increase ones ego, which is a negative trait. On the other hand if you already remember God and you want to praise Him by decorating yourself, then do it by all means.
I agree with user Allenwala message who has put it very concisely above. I hope this helps. If not please do post again. Thanks for asking and giving me an opportunity to search my own mind and also more importantly to search for the Guru's message in this respect. God bless and kind regards, Hari Singhtalk 18:05, 1 March 2009 (UTC)
