Meet Thailand’s renowned tattoo master, Ajarn Noo Kanpai. People from around the world travel to Bangkok to seek his blessings and the spiritual powers of an ancient tattoo art called sak yant. Using yantras, geometric designs inscribed with Buddhist psalms and prayers, sak yants are believed to offer protection to the wearer. Originating thousands of years ago, sak yants were once tattooed by monks on warriors to keep them safe during battle. After leaving the monkhood himself to further pursue the art of sak yant, Noo began his own tattoo samnak, institute, where he shares his philosophies and continues to tattoo people the traditional way by piercing the skin with a sharpened bamboo stick dipped in ink. One of Noo’s most popular tattoos is the hae taew, a five row yantra, which he designed. Each row represents a line of sacred Buddhist scripture.

Potala Palace is one of the most well-known spiritual sanctums in the world.