Who or what is Buddha?
Buddha was a famous wandering ascetic who was responsible for the creation of Buddhism, a religious order that believes that through enlightenment and meditation a human being can achieve nirvana, a state of extreme peace and enlightenment. Born a prince Siddhartha was a young man who eventually came to see the devastation and poverty that ruled over his people, forsaking his crown Siddhartha sought to find the inspiration needed to change this.
To himself and to his followers he became Buddha the father of Buddhism, the religion is centered around what he called the four Nobel truths, and the eightfold path. The four noble truths deal with pain and suffering and how everything ends, while the eightfold path are the guidelines by which practicing Buddhist live their lives.
Spiritual Buddha Tattoos
There are two types of Buddha tattoos for men, let’s discuss the first type now. All over Asia in predominately Buddhist areas you will find statues of the Buddha. This can be the iconic image of a sitting Buddha in flowing robes, one hand raised palm facing out with the other in his lap, there are also reclined Buddha’s, and Buddha’s holding the begging bowl which represents the emptiness of man waiting to be filled with spiritual enlightenment.
In recent years, followers of Buddha or people who esteem his doctrine have begun to get Buddha Tattoos, either of the Buddha himself, or of some of the many symbols that represent his teaching, such as the lotus flower, the begging bowl, the eight spoked wheel which represent his eightfold path, or the Bodhi tree he was sitting under when he received enlightenment. Among men you will commonly find the Buddha image or the wheel to be the most popular with placement on the back, bicep, or calf.
There is nothing in the Buddhist philosophy that teaches against the tattooing of the Buddha or its symbols on one’s body, so many practitioners and disciples have chosen to do just that. These tattoos have also become popular among men because many of the Buddha’s’ teaching dealt specifically with the male gender and they enjoy representing their respect of his teachings.
Humorous Buddha Tattoos
The second type of Buddha tattoos for men are not as spiritual or as complimentary as the first. There is an entire culture who knows nothing about the history or the foundation of Buddhist culture or the Buddha. These tattoos will generally take the shape of a happy, fat man sitting in a mediation pose one hand up in a peace sign, and with words such as rub my belly for luck or happy Buddha. We have even seen some men who will get this tattooed on their abdomens with instructions for women to rub something lower than their belly’s.
These tattoos are not meant to insult the Buddhist faith or its followers but are simply meant to be the humorous representation of the happy Buddha commonly seen in items and images meant for tourists.
Check out the best Buddha tattoos for men
The placement of this Buddha tattoo is perfectly fitted for the design. The proportion size to the color scheme was handcrafted to perfection. The lightness of the shading on the face contoured against the light colors of the lotus flowers is flawless.
As a general area of the chest normally used towards tattoo ideas for men, this is a match. Buddha looks right at home here. The shading is clear and smooth, having the right amount of depth in the critical areas.
This Buddha tattoo full of color is an original for sure. The beauty of the design combined with the contrasting color choices is a great compliment to the artist’s mind. Even with creating a blue tiger, the design is simply stunning.
With only the head of Buddha, this tattoo idea is very simple, yet classy. It has a very to the point look with no color and all shading. The detailed work is spot on from the shape of the head to the tiny hair.
The person whose thought process engineered this masterpiece certainly had the Buddha tattoo designed with men in mind. The back span is filled just right. The colors blend so nicely and simple, same is true with the shading. All around, unique tattoo.
The detail of this Buddha tattoo is so tedious but shows such class. Capturing the perfect shading in every location of the tattoo is profound, to say the least. This beautiful work of art is a Buddha fashion statement for all its viewers.
Seeing the color jump out so strong is what gives this Buddha tattoo for men a cutting edge look. The colors are so deep and solid, the lines blend together to keep the eye moving to examine every area of this artist design.
Watercolors with a splash of shading giving this Buddha tattoos idea a beautiful outcome for all who sees it will enjoy. The way the whole body of the tattoo keeps your eyes moving from one corner to the next, finding many great treats.
Having medium sizing but with a flare, this Buddha tattoo design is simple and easy on the eye. The depths put into the shading is very defined to help the viewer flow from one point of the picture to another on without any disruption.
Having a tattoo idea that will make a loud statement deserves to share the colors of black and red. Not only using the black for shaping the shaded areas but blending red in gives the pop of color to make it stand out.