• As in the microcosm-macrocosm connection that we saw earlier on, so too in tattooing, a link is made between the body as a site of ritualized magic and the divinized universe that is invoked for protection.
• Tattoos may also involved initiation by a guru, a ritual regimen (to ensure magical efficacy), the use of certai mantras, both spoken and written on the body, and some allusions to Hindu deities (as in Tantric Buddhism).
• It does not necessarily aim to Buddhist enlightenment, but rather the acquisition of certain divine powers under the tutelage of a deity. The ritual process allows for the symbolic rebirth of one’s body in a divinized form.