Flags are commonly used in various cultures, for both secular and religious purpose. Early Buddhist texts also contain evidence to show that flags were used in India from ancient times. These references show that they were used not only by men, but also by gods and other super-human beings. the Sakka, the king of gods as well as other leading gods had their own flags.
Flags were used in celebration of important events. For example, when the Bodhisatta's mother, queen Mahamaya, went to her parental home for her confinement, the road from Kapilavastu to Devadaha was decorated with flags. The Buddhist texts also mention that the devotees built pavilions and hoisted flags to receive the Buddha and his disciples. Flags were used to honour the Bodhi-tree. The route, both in India and Sri Lanka, was beautifully decorated with flags. The railings of the Bharhut depict a stupa decorated with flags. In Sri Lank flags were used to celebrate Buddhist religious events. It is recorded in the great chronicle, the Mahavamsa, that when king Dutthagamini went to enshrine the Buddha-relics in the Great-Stupa - the Ruvanvalisaya in Anuradhapura, he was accompanied by one-thousand and eight youths carrying multicoloured flags. These evidence show that flags symbolised honour, respect, joy and unity.
In keeping with this age-old tradition of using flags, the Buddhists have designed a flag of their own to symbolise religious piety, solidarity and unity, it is the Sri Lankan Buddhists who first felt the necessity and took the lead in designing a Buddhist flag. As a consequence of the triumph of the Buddhist revivalist movement in Sri Lanka in the later part of the 19th century, some eminent Buddhist leaders, both clergy and laity, formed an organization called the Colombo Commitee. It comprised of Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera (Chairman) Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Messrs. Don Carolis Hewawitharana, Muhandiram A.P. dharmagunawardhana, William de Abrew, Charles, A. de Silva, N. S. Fernando, Peter de Abrew, H. william Fernando and Carolis Pujitha Gunawardhana (Secretary). An immediate task of this Committee was to celebrate the Vesak festival of the year 1885 which, due to the continuous agitation of the Buddhists, was declared a public holiday by the British rulers. They also decided to highlight this event by hoisting a flag which had Buddhist significance. It is for this purpose that the Colombo Committee designed the new Buddhist flag.
This flag was made up of six colours. These colours are: blue (nila), yellow (pita), crimson (lohita), white (odata), tawng (manjesta) and a bright and resplendent colour (pabhassara), made up of mixture of the above five colours. These colours are of great significance to the Buddhists.
The Buddha, one of the greatest personalities the world has ever seen, was extremely charismatic person, a great being (mahapurusha). The early Buddhist texts record that the Buddha possessed thirty-two signs of a Great Being (mahapurusha lakshana) and also eighty-minor signs (asiti anuvyanjana). One of these signs is the aura - rays of splendour and lustre emanating from his whole body. In canonical Pali texts this is called sarirappabha, byamappabha or sarira ramsi. This radience consisted of six colourss namely:
Nila (blue)...... issuing from his hair and the blue portions of his eyes.
Pita (yellow)...... issuing from his skin and the yellow portion of his eyes.
Lohita (crimson) ...... from flesh, blood and red portions of his eyes.
Odata (white) ........... issuing from his bones, teeth and the white portions of his eyes.
Manjesta (tawny) ......issuing from different parts of his body.
Pabhassara ....combination of these colour issuing also from different parts of the Buddha's body.
These colours have been considered by Buddhists as denoting sanctity of the Great Being - the Buddha, and the Colombo Committee was quite right in selecting these colours for the Buddhist flag. This flag was first presented to the public on the 17th of April 1885, when it appeared in the newspaper called Sarasavi Sandarasa. The first occasion that it was used in public was when it was hoisted at the temple called Dipaduttarama, in Kotahena. This was on the Vesak Full Moon day which fell on the 28th of May, 1885. Ceremonial hoisting was done by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera. This Vesak day, besides its religious significance, was of greeat importance for the Buddhists of Sri lanka, for it marked thee first occasion, under the British rule, of celebrating the Vesak Full Moon day as public holiday.
The original Buddhists flag underwent minor changes on the suggestion of Henry Steele Olcott, who pioneered the Buddhist education movement in Sri Lanka. He first saw the flag in 1886. He was greatly impressed by the idea behind the flag, but was not very pleased with its size and shape. This is clear from what he has said about the flag: "as the Colombo Committee has sketched the flag it was of the inconvenient shape of a ship's long streaming pennant which would be quite unsuitable for carrying in processions or hoisting in houses". Therefore he suggested that it should be made in keeping with the normal size of national flags. Modifications were made accordingly, and unanimously approved by the leading monks of the time. This modified Buddhist flag appeared in the Sarasavi Sandarasa of 8th April 1886, and it was this modified flag that was hoisted on the Vesak Fullmoon day of 1886. It is this modified flag that is in use now at all Buddhist functions.
This flag was introduced to Japan in 1889 by Anagarika Dharmapala and Henry Steele Olcott, and subsequently introduced to Burma.
This Buddhist flag that originated in Sri Lanka has now become the flag of all Buddhists in the world. Perhaps you are all aware that this is due to the farsighted proposal of the late Professor G. P. Malalasekera, the Founder President of the World Fellowship of Buddhist (W.F.B). He made this proposal at the inaugural conference of the W.F.B. held in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on May, 25th, 1950, which was attended by 138 delegates from 29 different countries. This proposal was unanimously accepted, and since then thee Buddhist flag has been enjoying international recognition as the emblem and symbol of Buddhist piety, unity and solidarity. This is why this Buddhist flag has been adopted as an important item n the official insignia of the W.F.B.
Thus it is seen that the Buddhist flag is of great sanctity and immense significance to all Buddhists should honour the Buddhist flag, hold it in the highest esteem and treat it as they treat their national flag. Care and attention should be paid both in making the Buddhist flag as well as in hoisting it. A standard size should be adopted and thee usual standard size is that of the national flag. The arrangement of colours, too, should be done methodically. The first five colours should be represented by vertical, narrow bands of equal size in the following order - blue, yellow, crimson, white and tawny. The sixth colour, which is made up of a combination of above five colours, is represented by horizonted rectangular bands with blue at the top and tawny at the bottom. When hoisting on a flag-staff the staff should be fixed to the vertical blue band. Similarly when hoisting on a string, the string should be attached to thee narrow blue band.
Flags were used in celebration of important events. For example, when the Bodhisatta's mother, queen Mahamaya, went to her parental home for her confinement, the road from Kapilavastu to Devadaha was decorated with flags. The Buddhist texts also mention that the devotees built pavilions and hoisted flags to receive the Buddha and his disciples. Flags were used to honour the Bodhi-tree. The route, both in India and Sri Lanka, was beautifully decorated with flags. The railings of the Bharhut depict a stupa decorated with flags. In Sri Lank flags were used to celebrate Buddhist religious events. It is recorded in the great chronicle, the Mahavamsa, that when king Dutthagamini went to enshrine the Buddha-relics in the Great-Stupa - the Ruvanvalisaya in Anuradhapura, he was accompanied by one-thousand and eight youths carrying multicoloured flags. These evidence show that flags symbolised honour, respect, joy and unity.
In keeping with this age-old tradition of using flags, the Buddhists have designed a flag of their own to symbolise religious piety, solidarity and unity, it is the Sri Lankan Buddhists who first felt the necessity and took the lead in designing a Buddhist flag. As a consequence of the triumph of the Buddhist revivalist movement in Sri Lanka in the later part of the 19th century, some eminent Buddhist leaders, both clergy and laity, formed an organization called the Colombo Commitee. It comprised of Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera (Chairman) Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Messrs. Don Carolis Hewawitharana, Muhandiram A.P. dharmagunawardhana, William de Abrew, Charles, A. de Silva, N. S. Fernando, Peter de Abrew, H. william Fernando and Carolis Pujitha Gunawardhana (Secretary). An immediate task of this Committee was to celebrate the Vesak festival of the year 1885 which, due to the continuous agitation of the Buddhists, was declared a public holiday by the British rulers. They also decided to highlight this event by hoisting a flag which had Buddhist significance. It is for this purpose that the Colombo Committee designed the new Buddhist flag.
This flag was made up of six colours. These colours are: blue (nila), yellow (pita), crimson (lohita), white (odata), tawng (manjesta) and a bright and resplendent colour (pabhassara), made up of mixture of the above five colours. These colours are of great significance to the Buddhists.
The Buddha, one of the greatest personalities the world has ever seen, was extremely charismatic person, a great being (mahapurusha). The early Buddhist texts record that the Buddha possessed thirty-two signs of a Great Being (mahapurusha lakshana) and also eighty-minor signs (asiti anuvyanjana). One of these signs is the aura - rays of splendour and lustre emanating from his whole body. In canonical Pali texts this is called sarirappabha, byamappabha or sarira ramsi. This radience consisted of six colourss namely:
Nila (blue)...... issuing from his hair and the blue portions of his eyes.
Pita (yellow)...... issuing from his skin and the yellow portion of his eyes.
Lohita (crimson) ...... from flesh, blood and red portions of his eyes.
Odata (white) ........... issuing from his bones, teeth and the white portions of his eyes.
Manjesta (tawny) ......issuing from different parts of his body.
Pabhassara ....combination of these colour issuing also from different parts of the Buddha's body.
These colours have been considered by Buddhists as denoting sanctity of the Great Being - the Buddha, and the Colombo Committee was quite right in selecting these colours for the Buddhist flag. This flag was first presented to the public on the 17th of April 1885, when it appeared in the newspaper called Sarasavi Sandarasa. The first occasion that it was used in public was when it was hoisted at the temple called Dipaduttarama, in Kotahena. This was on the Vesak Full Moon day which fell on the 28th of May, 1885. Ceremonial hoisting was done by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera. This Vesak day, besides its religious significance, was of greeat importance for the Buddhists of Sri lanka, for it marked thee first occasion, under the British rule, of celebrating the Vesak Full Moon day as public holiday.
The original Buddhists flag underwent minor changes on the suggestion of Henry Steele Olcott, who pioneered the Buddhist education movement in Sri Lanka. He first saw the flag in 1886. He was greatly impressed by the idea behind the flag, but was not very pleased with its size and shape. This is clear from what he has said about the flag: "as the Colombo Committee has sketched the flag it was of the inconvenient shape of a ship's long streaming pennant which would be quite unsuitable for carrying in processions or hoisting in houses". Therefore he suggested that it should be made in keeping with the normal size of national flags. Modifications were made accordingly, and unanimously approved by the leading monks of the time. This modified Buddhist flag appeared in the Sarasavi Sandarasa of 8th April 1886, and it was this modified flag that was hoisted on the Vesak Fullmoon day of 1886. It is this modified flag that is in use now at all Buddhist functions.
This flag was introduced to Japan in 1889 by Anagarika Dharmapala and Henry Steele Olcott, and subsequently introduced to Burma.
This Buddhist flag that originated in Sri Lanka has now become the flag of all Buddhists in the world. Perhaps you are all aware that this is due to the farsighted proposal of the late Professor G. P. Malalasekera, the Founder President of the World Fellowship of Buddhist (W.F.B). He made this proposal at the inaugural conference of the W.F.B. held in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on May, 25th, 1950, which was attended by 138 delegates from 29 different countries. This proposal was unanimously accepted, and since then thee Buddhist flag has been enjoying international recognition as the emblem and symbol of Buddhist piety, unity and solidarity. This is why this Buddhist flag has been adopted as an important item n the official insignia of the W.F.B.
Thus it is seen that the Buddhist flag is of great sanctity and immense significance to all Buddhists should honour the Buddhist flag, hold it in the highest esteem and treat it as they treat their national flag. Care and attention should be paid both in making the Buddhist flag as well as in hoisting it. A standard size should be adopted and thee usual standard size is that of the national flag. The arrangement of colours, too, should be done methodically. The first five colours should be represented by vertical, narrow bands of equal size in the following order - blue, yellow, crimson, white and tawny. The sixth colour, which is made up of a combination of above five colours, is represented by horizonted rectangular bands with blue at the top and tawny at the bottom. When hoisting on a flag-staff the staff should be fixed to the vertical blue band. Similarly when hoisting on a string, the string should be attached to thee narrow blue band.
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