At different times in your life, different things may mean a lot to you.
Today in United States tattoo removal is a huge business – it's bigger business than tattoo (Laughter),
Shall I tell you my experience with tattoos?
If you really want to get a good tattoo, Kentucky (Laughter/Applause).
Superscript: Sadhguru's Tattoo Experience in Prison!
Moderator 3: So Sadhguru,
I love tattoos, I have a lot of tattoos
and I'm and I'm sure a lot of people in this room do.
So when I got my first tattoo, there was a lot of clashes opinion between me and my parents,
we fought a lot,
“Why did you get this?”
So my question to you is,
is getting a tattoo something which looks unprofessional
or is it something which lacks gravitas, or why?
Why is this clash of opinion?
Sadhguru: Well, the question is at different times in your life, different things may mean a lot to you.
At that moment, if you have yourself marked permanently,
and today in United States tattoo removal is a huge business – it's bigger business than tattoo (Laughter),
all right?
Because you know, when they were in college, they fell in love, they wrote your name
all over the arm (Laughter) and then its over, then rubbing it off, you have to peel your skin.
So maybe it's better you wait before you tattoo yourself all over the place
to something that matters to you, if you want to write it on your forehead,
it better be something that matters to you for the rest of your life.
Because after one or two years if it falls off, then you'll have to peel your skin.
Plus also, see everything that you are need not be written on your face.
When you want to do work in the world, when you want to do things in the world,
it’s not necessary that everything that you are is all upfront.
You must have (Laughs)...
what to expose to whom, isn’t it? (Laughs)
So if your tattoo is already saying what you are, your philosophy and everything is written,
So we know you are, the moment you enter.
If you are wanting to live a very simplistic life, it's okay.
If you're looking for a more complex involvement in life,
it's better people are not able to mark you in any particular way.
Sadhguru: Shall I tell you my experience with tattoos?
No, I don't have any (Laughter).
I am too dark for the tattoos, what to do (Laughs)?
There are white color tattoo?
Okay (Laughs).
I was… you know, we've been working in the prisons, both in India and United States.
This movement is called “Inner Freedom for the Imprisoned”.
It's a…
It's a very touching movement.
So when I was in Kentucky Correction Center, it’s a high security prison.
There, there was one guy who's a tattoo maker.
He makes tattoos.
So I was doing a ten day program there for these prisoners, so they got really pally with me.
Then they revealed…
I said, “Where did you get these tattoos within the prison?”
Everything is searched, okay?
Even from your body orifices, everything is searched so that nothing goes in.
But somehow this guy tattoos everybody at a tremendous price, okay?
And he showed me all his tricks - how he tattoos.
He breaks off one little thing off the fork and sharpens it and sharpened it makes…
makes it into a needle.
Anything little plastic he gets, bits and pieces of plastic he gathers, melts it out
and different colors – you should see the prisoners, they are tattooed from head to toe.
This decides which gang they belong to.
You know it's like a…
They…
A particular type of tattoo means you belong to this group.
Wherever they go, in there this thing, they have a lingo that this is where you belong
and it also tells them what grade of criminal are you.
Are you really high grade or low grade criminal?
Literally entire torso is always tattooed for most of them and this is the guy who does it.
And all these people, they have made a this thing that they owe him.
When they leave the prison, if they ever go back, they owe him how much it is -
thousands of dollars they owe this guy.
He’s keeping accounts of all that, writing it on his arm (Laughs) – accounts.
So it was an incredible thing to see.
I told him, “You show it how you do.”
Well, the guards were there, he said, “I cannot show it,” but he explained to me how he does it.
It's just ingenious.
Within the prison what he’s doing with these tattoos.
If you really want to get a good tattoo, Kentucky (Laughter/Applause).