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The Buddhist Flag

Designed by Colonel H S Olcott in 1880

and still in use worldwide as a

universal symbol of Buddhism today.

Posted 11/3/07

 

The Universal Buddhist flag

 

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott

1832 - 1907

 

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The Universal Buddhist flag was designed by Henry Steele Olcott in 1880 and adopted as a worldwide symbol of Buddhism, transcending sectarian divisions.

 

Colonel Olcott’s Contribution to Buddhism

 

Colonel Olcott embraced Buddhism in 1880 and began a concerted effort to a pubic commitment to live by Buddhist precepts. He united the Buddhist sects of Ceylon; and as a result of the great Buddhist revival which he began, three colleges and 205 schools were established, of which, 177 received government grants. Over 25,000 children were in attendance at these Buddhist schools—children who in former years would have had available only the schools of the Christian missionaries. He united the twelve sects of Japanese Buddhists into a joint committee for promotion of Buddhism; he brought the Burmese, Siamese, and Ceylon Buddhists into a Convention of Southern Buddhists; and he formulated the Fourteen Propositions of Buddhism, a document which was the basis upon which the northern and southern Buddhists were united. He wrote and published a Buddhist Catechism, which was translated into twenty languages and 44 editions. He designed the Buddhist flag, which is made up of the six colors of the aura of the Lord Buddha. That flag is flown throughout Ceylon, especially on Buddhist holidays when it waves from every temple and home. He was successful in getting the government to declare Wesak, the birthday of the Lord Buddha, a holiday. Before that came to pass, the government recognized only the Christian holidays and punished children who were absent from the missionary schools on their own religious holidays. Once the Buddhist holidays were recognized by the government, other religions quickly secured like recognition.

 

H P Blavatsky says of the Buddhist Flag in “Our Three Objects”

 

“One evidence of the practical good sense shown in our management is the creation of the "Buddhist Flag" as a conventional symbol of the religion apart from all sectarian questions. Until now the Buddhists have had no such symbol as the

cross affords to the Christians, and consequently have lacked that essential sign of their common relation to each other, which is the crystallizing point, so to say, of the fraternal force our Society is trying to evoke.

 

The Buddhist flag effectually supplies this want. It is made in the usual proportions of national Ensigns, as to length and width, and composed of six vertical bars of colours in the following order: Sapphire blue, golden yellow, crimson, white,

scarlet and a bar combining all the other colours.

 

This is no arbitrary selection of hues, but the application to this present purpose of the tints

described in the old Pali and Sanskrit works as visible in the psychosphere or aura, around Buddha's person and conventionally depicted as chromatic vibrations around his images in Ceylon and other countries. Esoterically, they are very

suggestive in their combination. The new flag was first hoisted on our Colombo Headquarters, then adopted with acclaim throughout Ceylon; and being introduced by Colonel Olcott into Japan, spread throughout that Empire even within the

brief term of his recent visit.”

 

 

The Flag

 

 

The Buddhist flag is a flag designed to symbolize Buddhism. It was in designed by Colonel Olcott 1880 and is the official flag of the World Buddhism Council.

The five colors of the flag represent the colors of the aura that emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment:

Blue: Loving kindness, peace and universal compassion

Yellow: The Middle Path - avoiding extremes, emptiness

Red: The blessings of practice - achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity

White: The purity of Dharma - leading to liberation, outside of time or space

Orange: The Buddha's teachings – wisdom

 

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