The Origin and Meaning of the Buddhist Flag

BuddhistCouncilofQueensland.org; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Origin of the Buddhist Flag

The universal Buddhist flag, first hoisted in 1885 in Sri Lanka, is a symbol of confidence and peace used throughout the world to represent Buddhism.

There appears to have been a controversy over who designed the Buddhist flag.

American Colonel Henry Steele Olcott

Some give the credit to U.S. Colonel Henry Steele Olcott, a retired American Army colonel in Sri Lanka in May 1880.

Col. Olcott embraced Theravada Buddhism and joined the Buddhist Revivalist Movement and pioneered Buddhist education. He initiated the establishment of almost 400 Buddhist schools and colleges in Sri Lanka.

Ananda, Nalanda, Mahinda, and Dharmaraja stand as monuments to his pioneering efforts.

In 1884, Buddhists succeeded in getting Sri Lanka's British rulers to declare Vesak Day [the thrice blessed day commemorating the historical Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing into final nirvana] a public holiday beginning in May 1885.

At this stage Buddhists established the "Colombo Committee," and Col. Olcott was one of its members, but there were also more than ten other eminent members, both Sri Lankan laypersons and monks.

The committee set about the task of creating a Buddhist flag to be hoisted on the full moon day of Vesak, May 28th 1885, the day declared a public holiday, for the first time.

So it was this committee that jointly designed and approved the Buddhist flag. The secretary of the committee then presented it to the public on April 17th 1885.

Ven. Gunananda of Sri Lanka

The Buddhist flag it designed was indeed hoisted for the first time on Vesak in 1885 by Ven. Gunananda Thera at Dipaduttaramaya monastery in Kotahena.

On the suggestion of Col. Olcott, the flag was modified to be the size of other national flags. The Buddhist flag was then hoisted on Vesak in 1886 and remains unchanged to this day and is used by all Buddhist traditions and schools throughout the world.

Professor G. P. Malalasekera was instrumental in making it the flag of the Buddhist world. He proposed -- at the meeting of the World Federation of Buddhists held in Kandy, Sri Lanka on May 25th 1950 -- that it be accepted as Buddhism's official flag.

It was accepted as the "international Buddhist flag" by the 1952 World Buddhist Congress.

Meaning of the colors of the Buddhist flag

Some variations of the flag have since evolved even in the original (scarlet to orange).

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The original design's six colors were

1. blue (nila)
2. yellow (pita)
3. red (lohita)
4. white (odata)
5. scarlet (manjestha), and
6. the mixture of these six (prabaswara).

They represent the colors of the aura that emanated from the Buddha's body when he attained the great awakening or enlightenment (maha bodhi) under the bodhi tree.

The original color of scarlet was subsequently altered to monastic orange (representing the original saffron robes of wandering ascetics).

The horizontal stripes represent the races of the world living in harmony, and the vertical stripes represent eternal world peace.

The colors symbolize the perfection of buddhahood and the Dharma.

The Buddha's aura

The Buddha had a bright aura since awakening.

The blue light that radiated from the Buddha's hair symbolizes the spirit of universal compassion for all beings.

The yellow light that radiated from the Buddha's skin symbolizes the Middle Way which avoids all extremes and brings balance and liberation.

The red light that radiated from the Buddha's flesh symbolizes the blessings that the practice of the Buddha's Teaching or Dharma brings.

The white light that radiated from the Buddha's bones (and teeth) symbolizes the purity of the Buddha's Teaching and the liberation it brings.

The orange light that radiated from the Buddha's palms, heels, and lips symbolizes the unshakable wisdom of the Buddha's Teaching.

The combination of colors symbolizes the universality of the Truth of the Buddha's Teaching.

Therefore, the overall flag represents that -- regardless of race, nationality, ethnic division, or skin color -- all sentient beings possess the potential for awakening and buddhahood.

There is a more contemporary, more modern definition of the six colors:

1. Blue signifies the concept of loving kindness and peace in Buddhism.
2. Yellow signifies the Middle Path, the complete absence of form, and emptiness.
3. Red signifies achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune, and dignity.
4. White signifies purity, emancipation, and that the Dharma [the Truth, although it may not be known] will always exist regardless of time or space.
5. Orange signifies the essence of Buddhism, which is full of wisdom, strength, and dignity.
6. The combination of these five colors symbolizes the one and only Truth. More