deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Buddhist Flag. “Buddhism is an Indian religion based on a series of original teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha”. It originated in India somewhere between the 4th and 6th Century. It is the fourth largest religion in the world with 7% of the population practicing some form of it’s teachings.

“As expressed in the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, the goal of Buddhism is to overcome suffering (duḥkha) caused by desire and ignorance of reality‘s true nature, including impermanence (anicca) and the non-existence of the self (anattā).^[7] Most Buddhist traditions emphasize transcending the individual self through the attainment of Nirvana or by following the path of Buddhahood, ending the cycle of death and rebirth.”

The flag was first hoisted in 1885.

“The flag’s six vertical bands represent the six colors of the aura which Buddhists believe emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment.

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 (Pāli: odāta; Sanskrit: avadāta): The Purity of Dhamma – leading to liberation, timeless

Orange (Pāli: mañjeṭṭha; Sanskrit: mañjiṣṭhā – 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 (‘essence of light’).”