I am considering getting a tattoo of the om (aum) symbol either
Sanskrit or Tibetan.

But before I do I would like to know two things:

1.if it is in any way disrespectful  to have this sacred symbol as a tattoo?
2.and is there any restriction as to where this symbol should be
placed on the body? (I was considering an om on my ankle)

I have tried to search these answers on the web and have asked a few
people but seem to have no definitive answer ? so any help would be
much appreciated.

Hi Boysenberry, 

I was unsure about taking this question especially since my first
answer was, "your skin, your future". I thought about it a little
longer and realized you were more concerned with insulting the
Tibetan/Hindi/Sanskrit/etc in general by placing their religious
symbol on your body.

I did a quick search and came up with an interesting comment on this.
I will quote some of it here, and point you to the website/forum.
Perhaps you have different reasons to choose this tattoo, or the
comments made by this person don't match your reason for choosing this
symbol.

"Dharma, and all its components, including religious symbols, should
not be used just for a "show and tell" thing, or for the sake of
"looking like a cool secular modern day Hindu". Hindu religion should
not be made into a fashion accessory."

"here in sydney there are many white and non white people who wear the
Aum symbol in their necklace/chains as a fashion accessory even though
theyre beef eaters"

"By having a religious tattoo done, you are making it vulnerable to
everyday dirt and grime."

"Dirtying a religious symbol is not very "Hindu" in itself."

All quotes were taken from:
Hindunet: The Hindu Universe
Author: Vedaputra
Date: 06/14/04 
http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=generaltalk&Number=43087&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=all
Google Search Terms used: aum tattoo


From these quotes it's easy to see how it could be insulting to put a
religious symbol on your body unless you are a follower. Regardless of
the religion, or the symbol.

I hope this helps with your decision. I thought I might add something
of my own here. I have had numerous opportunities to be tattooed, and
for some very solid reasons. My final decision to never have set ink
into my skin as a permanant mark is that I have not found anything
that I would want to remind myself of every single day for the rest of
my life. I have a close friend who has several tattoos on himself.
Each of them are personal to him. His last one was his first born
child's foot prints. Perhaps there is something in your life which you
would like to remember forever. An occasion to mark or an event to pay
homage to. That could be your tattoo, and then it is completely yours.

Best of luck,
Mother911-ga

On the subject of tattoos, should a "christian" get tattooed?. What
does the Bible say?. Leviticus 19;28.."And you must NOT make cuts in
your flesh for a deceased soul, and you must NOT put tattoo marking
upon yourselves, I am Jehovah "[ God`s name psalm 83;18]. So anyone
who decides to go against what God wants, puts themselves in the
"other" camp. those opposed to God. What is said about them?. The
apostle Paul wrote in second Corinthians 14;15.." Further, what
harmony is there between Christ and Belial [ Satan] or what portion
does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement
does God`s temple have with idols. For we are a temple of the living
God....verse 17. Therefore get out from among them and separate
yourselves, says Jehovah, and quit touching the unclean thing..and I
will take you in...[18] And I shall be a father to you, and you will
be sons and daughters to me, says Jehovah the Almighty".
As to whether or not to get a tattoo is each persons choice, but which
"camp" are we in?

I have no tattoos, and I have only seriously thought about one that is
a visual representation of what is in my heart.
The Om is the only tattoo that I have considered. It is the sound that
was used to create and continues to define, yet represent, our
universe. It is the sound we all are born, live, and die to, and is
undeniable. Listen closely and you will hear it humming in your ear,
or heart.
It is the mother of all mantras; from which, om mani padme hum,
shalom, and amen were derived. It is the essence of what holds us all
together and yet allows us to be seperate drops in the same ocean.
Once I began to get a grasp of this concept, everything else started
to make sense.
I would encourage almost anyone to get an Om tattoo for the sake of
spreading awareness, whether they were conscious of it or not.
Whether or not you feel it in your heart, or understand the
responsibility of wearing the most sacred symbol on your skin
indefinitely, is a choice only you can make.

I must concur with m9g; if your purpose is for attention, for goodness
sake, get something outrageous on your forearm. or head. it frightens
me to see that some tatts are becoming as popular as swastikas were a
few years back, with a similar common awareness of the actual meanings

namaste!

Well, since the word "tattoo" was not in use at the time of the
Levitical laws nor for the KJV translation, I highly doubt that verse
is concerning them.  Furthermore, the "cutting of the flesh" was a
non-christian practice of a way to honor the dead.  Read your own
quote "...for a deceased soul."  Besides, don't christians believe
that when you die you get a nice shiny new body in heaven anyway?  So
what's the problem?  I know several very devout christians who are
tattooed, some of them heavily, and they are absolutely Christ-like,
in that they are tolerant and kind and loving and very concerned with
helping, rather than judging or condeming, their fellow man/woman.

Om Being sacred, and also that addresses the personal aspect of the
absolute Truth Krishna, as is it stated in Bhagavad Gita 9.17 and 8.13
http://www.bhagavadgitaasitis.com/9/17/en
http://www.bhagavadgitaasitis.com/8/13/en

should not be worn below the waist.  For it is considered
disrespectful acccording to the Vedic tradition to wear sacred items
below the waist.