{{Short description|Universal symbol of Buddhism}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} [[File:Flag of Buddhism.svg|thumb|right|International Buddhist flag of the World Fellowship of Buddhists]] [[File:Buddhist flag sky lantern.jpg|thumb|Flag depicted on a sky lantern in Bangladesh]] thumb|Horizontal ''goshikimaku'' flag on Buddhist temple. This variant uses the standard Buddhist flag colors in Japan {{Buddhism}} There are various '''Buddhist flags''' used to represent Buddhism as a whole or specific schools of Buddhism.
One popular flag with six bands of colour was designed in late 19th century Sri Lanka as a universal symbol of Buddhism.<ref name="queensland">{{cite web|title=The Origin and Meaning of the Buddhist Flag|url=http://buddhistcouncilofqueensland.org/node/143|publisher=The Buddhist Council of Queensland|access-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> This flag became popular throughout South East Asia, and was adopted by the World Fellowship of Buddhists as an official flag. The flag's five vertical bands represent the five colors of the aura which Buddhists believe emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained enlightenment.
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 of Buddhist prayer flags, which serve a different function.
==The International Buddhist Flag== [[File:(October 2021) Wat Hiranyawat (Temple of the Woven Buddha) วัดหิรัญญาวาส (วัดพระสาน แม่สาย) - img 05.jpg|thumb|The Buddhist flag alongside Dharmachakra flags (Thai Buddhist flag) and Thai flags in {{ill|Wat Hiranyawat|th|วัดหิรัญญาวาส (จังหวัดเชียงราย)}}, Thailand]] [[File:Buddhist flag at Nan Tien Temple.jpg|thumb|The Buddhist flag flying at the Nan Tien Temple, Wollongong, Australia]]
The International six stripe Buddhist flag was originally designed in 1885 by the Colombo Committee, in Colombo, Ceylon (''now Sri Lanka''). The committee consisted of Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera (chairman), Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Don Carolis Hewavitharana (father of Anagarika 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).<ref name="bodhi">{{cite book|title=The Maha Bodhi, Volumes 98–99; Volumes 1891–1991|publisher=Maha Bodhi Society|page=286|year=1892}}</ref>
It was first publicly hoisted on Vesak day, 28 May 1885<ref name="queensland"/> at the Dipaduttamarama, Kotahena, by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera.<ref name="Lopez">{{cite book|last=Lopez|first=Donald S. Jr.|author-link=Donald S. Lopez, Jr.|title=A Modern Buddhist Bible: Essential Readings from East and West|publisher=Beacon Press|year=2002|page=xiv|isbn=9780807012437}}</ref> This was the first Vesak public holiday under British rule.<ref name="Lopez"/>
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, an American journalist, founder and first president of the Theosophical 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 of national flags.<ref name="queensland"/>
In 1889, the modified flag was introduced to Japan by Anagarika Dharmapala and Olcott—who presented it to Emperor Meiji—and subsequently to Myanmar.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buddhist flag marks 125th anniversary|url=https://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=43,9162,0,0,1,0|publisher=Sunday Observer|date=16 March 2010|access-date=8 November 2018}}</ref>
At the 1950 World Fellowship of Buddhists, the flag of Buddhists was adopted as the International Buddhist Flag.<ref name="dk">{{cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=Phillip|title=DK Eyewitness Books: Buddhism|publisher=Penguin Putnam|year=2003|page=64|isbn=9781782682875}}</ref>
=== Colours === The flag's five vertical bands represent the five colors of the aura which Buddhists believe emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment:<ref>{{cite web|title=The Buddhist Flag|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_flag.htm|publisher=Buddhanet|access-date=2 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="queensland"/>
* Blue (Pāli and Sanskrit: ''nīla''): The Spirit of Universal Compassion * Yellow (Pāli and Sanskrit: ''pīta''): The Middle Way * Red (Pāli and Sanskrit: ''lohitaka''): The Blessings of Practice – achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity * White ({{Langx|pi|odāta}}; {{Langx|sa|avadāta}}): The Purity of Dhamma – leading to liberation, timeless * Orange ({{Langx|pi|mañjeṭṭha|links=no}}; {{Langx|sa|mañjiṣṭhā|links=no}}), alternatively scarlet: The Wisdom of the Buddha's teachings
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's spectrum. This new, compound color is referred to as the Truth of the Buddha's teaching or ''Pabbhassara ''({{Literal translation|essence of light}}).
=== Variant Six Band flags === thumb|Variant six stripe flag with the Dharma-wheel in front
thumb|The variant Japanese flag in Kyoto{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}
thumb|Myanmar variant flying in the 2007 Myanmar protests
There are numerous variations of the six stripe Buddhist flags, most commonly achieved by changing the color of one of the stripes. For example:
* Sometimes, Buddhist symbols are placed in front of the stripes. The common one is the Dharmawheel. * The colour ''mañjeṭṭha'' is interpreted as pink<ref>{{cite book |title=သာသနာ့အလံတော် |author=အရှင်စန္ဒောဘာသ(ရွှေဘို) |orig-date=1357 ME |publisher=ရွှေပုရပိုက်စာပေ |language=my |url=https://spsuygn.edu.mm/book/bdhhgen-81/detail}}</ref> in Myanmar, a Theravāda Buddhist country and Vietnam, a Mahayana Buddhist country. * In Japan, there is a traditional Buddhist flag (五色幕 — ''goshikimaku'') which has different colors but is sometimes merged with the design of the international flag to represent international cooperation.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} * In Tibet, the stripes' colors represent the different colors of Buddhist robes comprehensively united in one banner. Tibetan monastic robes are maroon, so the orange stripes in the original design are often replaced with maroon.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} * Tibetan Buddhists in Nepal replace the orange stripes with plum stripes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}
<gallery> File:Sasana Flag – Buddhist flag in Myanmar.png|Burmese and Vietnamese Buddhist flag File:Tibetan buddhist flag.svg|Tibetan Buddhist flag File:Nepal Buddhist flag.svg|Nepalese Buddhist flag File:Japanese Buddhist flag.svg|{{nihongo|Japanese Buddhist flag|五色幕|goshikimaku}} File:Buddhist flag with Dharma wheel.svg|A common variant with the dharmachakra File:Lao buddhist flag.svg|Laotian Buddhist flag </gallery>
== Other Buddhist flags == thumb|The Dharma-wheel flag, symbol of Buddhism in Thailand{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} 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.
=== Flags representing Buddhism as a whole === One example of alternative universalist Buddhist flags is that used by Theravāda Buddhists in Thailand, who opt for the usage of a yellow flag with a red Dhammacakka (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|date=October 2018}} <gallery> File:Dharmacakra flag (Thailand).svg|Thai Buddhist Dharma-wheel flag File:Red swastika flag.svg|Korean Buddhist swastika flag File:Army Chapel Flag Buddhist.jpg|US Army chapel Buddhist flag using an eight spoked Dharma-wheel File:Flag of various Republican Parties of India.svg|A blue Dharma-wheel flag used by the Dalit Buddhist movement which uses the Ashoka Chakra </gallery>
===Flags representing specific Buddhist traditions or people=== [[file:Tibet monks and flag.jpg|thumb|Buddhist monks flying the Flag of Tibet]]
One example of this is class of Buddhist flags is the flag of Tibet, which is unofficially used to represent Tibetan Buddhism. The flag contains various Buddhist symbols representing the spread of Buddhism.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Goldstein, Melvyn C. |author-link=Melvyn Goldstein |title=A History of Modern Tibet: The Calm Before the Storm: 1951–1955 |publisher=University of California Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-520-25995-9 |volume=2 |page=302}}</ref>
[[File:威徳寺本堂.JPG|thumb|The main hall of a Japanese Buddhist temple with flags depicting the sect emblem (mon) of the Honganji sect of Jōdo Shinshū. The emblem is the Nishi Rokujō Fuji (Western Rokujō Wisteria).]] [[file:Azukizaka 1564.JPG|thumb|Japanese illustration depicting Tokugawa Ieyasu and Jodo sect monks in combat with the Ikkō-ikki at the Battle of Azukizaka (1564). Some of the men in the illustration carry a white flag with the slogan "Seeking Rebirth in the Pure Land" (欣求浄土).]] 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 as mon or monshō 紋章 in Japanese).
The new religion of Soka Gakkai flies a tricolour of blue, yellow, and red.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flags of the World: Buddhism|url=http://flagspot.net/flags/buddhism.html |access-date=2008-09-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924075754/http://flagspot.net/flags/buddhism.html |archive-date=24 September 2008 }}</ref> It is often mistaken for the flags of Chad and Romania.
<gallery> File:Flag of Tibet.svg|Tibetan Flag File:Royal flag of Sikkim.svg|The old flag of Sikkim was purely made up of Buddhist symbols File:Flag of Kalmykia.svg|The Flag of Kalmykia's yellow color symbolizes the people's Buddhist faith, and the white lotus is a common Buddhist symbol File:Flagkarmapa.svg|Karma Kagyu flag (Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa's "dream flag"). File:Flag of the Burma YMBA.svg|Flag of the Burmese Young Men's Buddhist Association File:Flag of Vietnamese Pure Land Buddhist Laity Association.svg|Flag of Vietnamese Pure Land Buddhist Laity Association File:Jodo Shinshu Honganji flag with Kujokamon.png|Jōdo Shinshū Honganji flag with Kujokamon emblem File:Jōdo-shū flag.png|Jōdo-shū flag with the crest (mon) of the school. These flags are sold on the main website of the Japanese sect.<ref>{{Cite web |title=浄土宗出版 / 浄土宗宗旗（小） |url=https://press.jodo.or.jp/products/detail/268 |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=press.jodo.or.jp |language=ja}}</ref> File:Sanshokuki.svg|The flag of the Soka Gakkai movement File:Soka Gakkai International Flag.gif|The flag of Soka Gakkai International </gallery>
== Bans == {{main|Huế Phật Đản shootings}}
In 1963, the Catholic President of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem invoked a law prohibiting flags other than that of the nation, to ban the Buddhist flag from being flown on Vesak, when Vatican flags had habitually flown at government events. This led to protests, which were ended by lethal firing of weapons, starting the Buddhist crisis.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Renovating politics in contemporary Vietnam|last=Zachary.|first=Abuza|date=2001|publisher=L. Rienner Publishers|isbn=1588261778|location=Boulder|oclc=65180894|page=191}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Buddhism }} * Bhagwa Dhwaj * Dhvaja, banner-like flag in Sanskrit & Hinduism with a distinctive long flowing frontal tail * Culture of Buddhism * Dharmachakra
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071216190601/https://www.fotw.info/flags/buddhism.html Buddhist flag] at Flags of the World * [https://viewonbuddhism.org/general_symbols_buddhism.html General Buddhist symbols]
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buddhist Flag}} Category:Rainbow flags Category:Buddhist symbols Category:Religious flags Category:Symbols introduced in the 1800s Category:1885 establishments in Ceylon Category:Flags introduced in 1885