When studying Sak Yants it is important to remember the history between Hinduism and Buddhism. The Khymer period, which spanned 802 CE to 1431 CE covered much of what today is Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam. The Khmer Empire switched numerous times between Hinduism and Buddhism. This swapping back and forth between religions can clearly be seen engraved on the walls of Angkor Wat with both Hindu and Buddhist texts and images being damaged during the numerous changes in state religion. For example, many of the Buddha images on the walls have had their heads scratched off. The Hanuman Sak Yant shows this crossover between Hinduism and Buddhism. Hanuman is in fact a Hindu god but his characteristics are greatly respected and admired within Buddhism. And therefore the Hanuman Sak Yants which directly worship and call on Hanuman’s power are externally popular amongst Thais.
Hanuman was the son of Vayu, the god of the wind, and Anjana, a celestial nymph who was cursed by a sage to be born as a monkey, hence her child’s appearance. Even as a child, Hanuman had great powers. The legend tells us that one morning, he saw the sun rising and thought it was a great yellow ball. He decided to get hold of it so that he could play with it, although in some stories it states he thought it was a fruit and wanted to eat it. Indra, the king of gods, saw Hanuman leap into the sky and wanted to stop him so he threw his weapon, the Vajra (thunderbolt) at the young Hanuman who then fell to earth, wounded. Hanuman’s enraged father decided to go on a strike until the one who hurt his child was punished and so there was no wind on earth which eventually made it difficult for both humans and animals to breathe. In essence, Vayu’s strike made life on earth difficult. The various Hindu gods knew they had to placate Vayu and so they offered the baby a multitude of gifts. Brahma said that no weapon would ever hurt Hanuman and that he would be able to change his form at will and travel wherever he chooses. Indra’s gift was that the Vajra would no longer hurt the child and that his body would be stronger than the weapon. Varuna, the god of the ocean, offered him protection from water.
Agni, the god of fire, blessed him with immunity to fire. Surya, the sun god, gave him the power to change the size of his body. Yama blessed him with good health and immortality. Vishwakarma, the divine architect, offered the gift that Hanuman would be safe from all objects of his creation. With all these powers, Hanuman went on to become a great warrior and the hero of many great fables. Within Thai culture, Hanuman is believed to have led a monkey army to rid the world of unwanted spirits. His main traits were humility and bravery and he was looked upon as hope for humanity, demonstrating to man that a mortal being can in fact rise above the shallowness of our worldly plain, which is of course one of the main traits of the lord Buddha.
There are different variations of Sak Yants depicting Hanuman but they are all believed to bestow the wearer with Hanuman’s qualities and strengths such as protection from danger as well as becoming fearless in the face of adversity. The Hanuman Sak Yant is also believed to help strengthen self-confidence, the ability to influence people, whilst also empowering the wearer to stay focused and determined.
The blessing that comes with the Hanuman Sak Yant is as follows:
- Maeta ma hah niyom: With this blessing you will be treated by others with kindness and compassion.
- Klaeoklad: This blessing ensures the wearer will not suffer serious injury on an accident.
- Chana Satru: This blessing gives the ability to defeat the enemy.
- Ma hah Amnat: This will give the wearer great power, authority and control over other people.
- Awk Seuk: Gives you the strength of courage to go to war or to fight battles for those who have earned your loyalty.
- Kong Kra Phan: Magical protection and invincibility.