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There are variousBuddhist flags used to representBuddhism as a whole or specificschools of Buddhism.
One popularflag with six bands of colour was designed in late 19th centurySri Lanka as a universal symbol ofBuddhism.[1] This flag became popular throughoutSouth East Asia, and was adopted by theWorld Fellowship of Buddhists as an official flag. The flag's five vertical bands represent thefive colors of theaura which Buddhists believe emanated from the body of theBuddha when he attainedenlightenment.
However, alternative versions of this flag and other different Buddhist flags are also flown in other countries, with different Buddhist groups having their own preferences.
There are also various types ofBuddhist prayer flags, which serve a different function.
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The International six stripe Buddhist flag was originally designed in 1885 by the Colombo Committee, inColombo,Ceylon (nowSri Lanka). The committee consisted ofVen.Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera (chairman), Ven.Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera,Don Carolis Hewavitharana (father ofAnagarika Dharmapala),Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardhana (maternal grandfather of Anagarika Dharmapala), Charles A. de Silva,Peter De Abrew, William De Abrew (father of Peter), H. William Fernando,N. S. Fernando and Carolis Pujitha Gunawardena (secretary).[2]
It was first publicly hoisted onVesak day, 28 May 1885[1] at the Dipaduttamarama,Kotahena, by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera.[3] This was the first Vesak public holiday underBritish rule.[3]
ColonelHenry Steel Olcott, an American journalist, founder and first president of theTheosophical Society, felt that its long streaming shape made it inconvenient for general use. He therefore suggested modifying it so that it was the size and shape ofnational flags.[1]
In 1889, the modified flag was introduced to Japan by Anagarika Dharmapala and Olcott—who presented it toEmperor Meiji—and subsequently toMyanmar.[4]
At the 1950World Fellowship of Buddhists, the flag of Buddhists was adopted as the International Buddhist Flag.[5]
The flag's five vertical bands represent thefive colors of theaura which Buddhists believe emanated from the body of theBuddha when he attainedEnlightenment:[6][1]
The sixth vertical band, on the fly, is made up of a combination of the five other colors' rectangular bands, and represents a compound of said colors in the aura'sspectrum. This new, compound color is referred to as the Truth of the Buddha's teaching orPabbhassara(lit. 'essence of light').
There are numerous variations of the six stripe Buddhist flags, most commonly achieved by changing the color of one of the stripes. For example:
In various Buddhist nations and among different Buddhist groups alternative Buddhist flags may be more popular than the six stripe flag. Some of these flags are meant to represent Buddhism as a whole, while others represent specific Buddhist traditions or organizations.
One example of alternative universalist Buddhist flags is that used by Theravāda Buddhists inThailand, who opt for the usage of a yellow flag with a redDhammacakka (ธงธรรมจักร –thong thammajak). This flag is sometimes flown alongside the international Buddhist flag. It was officially adopted in 1958 by Buddhist monks, and flown outside temples alongside the national flag and on important events.[citation needed]
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One example of this is class of Buddhist flags is theflag of Tibet, which is unofficially used to representTibetan Buddhism. The flag contains various Buddhist symbols representing the spread of Buddhism.[8]
Japanese Buddhist sects often depict their sect emblems (宗紋) in flags that are often hung on or near Buddhist temples. These sect flags (宗旗) usually contain the crest or emblem of the school (known asmon or monshō 紋章 in Japanese).
The new religion ofSoka Gakkai flies atricolour of blue, yellow, and red.[9] It is often mistaken for the flags ofChad andRomania.
![Jōdo-shū flag with the crest (mon) of the school. These flags are sold on the main website of the Japanese sect.[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJ%25C5%258Ddo-sh%25C5%25AB_flag.png)
In 1963, the Catholic President ofSouth VietnamNgo Dinh Diem invoked a law prohibiting flags other than that of the nation, to ban the Buddhist flag from being flown onVesak, whenVatican flags had habitually flown at government events. This led to protests, which were ended by lethal firing of weapons, starting theBuddhist crisis.[11]
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