Buddhist Flag

Helo Haoqi

My niece is very keen on Buddhism and she wants me to ask Haoqi what is the meaning of Buddhist flag? Why are there 5 colours?

Hmm.. should also introduce and encourage her to join Haoqi's Forum!

Thanks
Jessie Tan

Ah Gong: Now Haoqi, you got a question again. Can you remember the colours on the Buddhist Flag?

Haoqi: Yes, of course. There are 5 colours, blue, yellow, red, white and orange. They represent the colours of the lights emitting from Buddha’s body when he attained Enlightenment. And, err…From his hair is blue, and it represents loving kindness, i.e. compassion for sentient beings. From his skin is yellow, and it stands for the Middle Path, i.e. avoiding extremes; red is radiated from his flesh, and it symbolises blessings from practicing the Buddha’s teachings. White is from his bone and teeth which is for purity, which leads to liberation, and orange is radiated from the Buddha's palms, heels and lips, symbolising the unshakable Wisdom of the Buddha's Teaching.

Ah Gong: It is 6 colours to be more exact; and it is not the skin, but epidermis, which is the non-sensitive layer of the skin, covering the true skin.

Haoqi: Oh, but I only see 5 colours. Where is the sixth?

Ah Gong: Well, the sixth colour is a conglomeration of the five mentioned above. It has been separated into its constituent colours for the design. It represents the universality of the Truth of the Buddha's Teaching.

Haoqi: Oh I see, and so the Buddha designed it according to the six colours, not five.

Ah Gong: No, it was not designed by the Buddha. It was designed in 1880 by the Colombo Committee, headed by Colonel Henry S. Olcott, an American journalist, together with Mr J.R. de Silva to mark the revival of Buddhism in Ceylon since its suppression by the British.

Haoqi: 1880? He had not seen Buddha in person? How did he know about the colours of Buddha’s aura then?

Ah Gong: It is a symbol, my boy. It was believed that the six colours shone from the Buddha’s head when he attained enlightenment. It was believed that people who meditate well emit these colours too.

Haoqi: In that case, how did it become an international Buddhist flag?

Ah Gong: Well, it was first hoisted in 1885 in Sri Lanka as a symbol of faith and peace, and was accepted as the International Buddhist Flag by the 1952 World Buddhist Congress. It is how and why it is now used throughout the world to represent the Buddhism, and you can see it hang in the Buddhist Monasteries around the world, especially during Vesak Day.

Haoqi: Wow, I will look at Buddhist flag differently from now onwards…

***Note: Colonel Olcott is also known as the ‘father’ of the Buddhist education movement in Sri Lanka as he initiated the establishment of close to 400 Buddhist schools and colleges in the country.

Hi, Haoqi and Ah Gong, I have another question that is related to the Buddhist flag. Is the symbolism similar to the Tibetan buddhist flag?

Meijun

Oh, got Tibetan buddhist flag? I am curious again.... Thot Buddhist flag is like "a country flag"? Will the flag differs across Buddhism juz like country flags differs across countries? Haoqi pls. advice....

Haoqi: Ah Gong, I thought that ever since 1952, the Buddhist flag is used throughout the world to represent Buddhism? I don’t know the answer…Can you answer Jessie?

Ah Gong: OK. Yes, the official Buddhist flag is the one mentioned above, Jessie. I believe what Meijun is referring to is the Tibetan Prayer Flag, “Dar Cho” (or “Dar Chen”).

Haoqi: Oh, you mean those flags which are usually hung from or draped on monasteries and stupas etc? They are in 5 colours – yellow, green, red, white and blue, right? Oh Ah Gong, why are the colours different from the Buddhist Flag? They are Buddhist too, aren’t they?

Ah Gong: Yes, my boy. These five colours symbolise the colours of the 5 Buddhas of the 5 cardinal directions. They also represent Earth (yellow), Air (Green), Fire (Red), White (Water), and Space/Sky (Blue). Yes, yes, they are Buddhist, although some scholars traced the origin of these prayer flags to the Bon religion (pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet). Unlike the Buddhist flag which is a symbol of peace, prayer flags are believed to be able to harmonise the environment, and increase the happiness and good fortune of all sentient beings.

Haoqi: Oh I see. I remember seeing some patterns printed on them. Do the flags get their power of harmonising the environment from the patterns?

Ah Gong: They are not “patterns”. The flags are printed with mantras and different Buddhist deities and symbols. There are Prayer flags of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Taras (Compassion), Rinpoches, animals, lotus, teachers, and various Buddhist deities etc. They are very interesting iconographically, e.g. the Wind Horse carries wish-fulfilling jewels (sometimes interpreted as the three jewels of Buddhism) on his back. Now, do you remember what are the Three Jewels (ratna), Haoqi?

Haoqi: Of course I remember the Three Jewels of Buddhism, Ah Gong. They are Buddha, Dharma and Sangha! Wish-fulfilling jewels? You mean Cintamani like the one carried by the Bodhisattva Cintamani-Cakra Avalokitesvara? You mean the Lung-ta carries all these things on his back? Won’t he be tired?

Ah Gong: Hahaha… Lung-Ta is a symbol of wind, carrying prayers and blessings of material and ethereal forms on the wind to all sentient beings. It may sometimes carry a “Kalachakra tantra” or the “Wheel of Life” too. Lung-Ta is surrounded by various mantras of the deities and 4 animals at the corner. The mantras is believed to be imbued with the deities’ power and attributes, while the 4 animals, Garuda, Dragon, Tiger and Snow Lion symbolise wisdom, gentle power, confidence and fearlessness respectively.

Haoqi: Wow, they are indeed full of symbolism.

Ah Gong: Yes, and new flags are hung on chosen dates or during the New Year. It is believed that they are hung up so that they may flutter in the wind, and at the same time purifying it with the mantras and symbols, carrying the blessings to the sentient beings. It is also used as a reminder of impermanence, as the prints and colours onthe flags will fade like the things we see and feel; and as life progresses and is replaced by new life, new flags are mounted, renewing hopes each year.

Haoqi: So the prayer flags are “Buddhist flags” yet not “Buddhist Flags”…heehee…

Wow! Thank you Haoqi and Ah Gong! I never knew that there is so much symbolsim behind these flags. So they are not just for decorative purposes.