Abouth the Tibetan Flag - 2
A 1995 note by: andrew@dorje.demon.co.uk





I am told that the design was orginally proposed by a Japanese Military advisor to the 13th Dalai Lama who was part of amove by the Japanese Government to make allegances with other buddhist countries. Aparrently the incorporation of the rising sun and Fuji-style mountain elements into the flag were seen as a victory in diplomacy...

The various elements of the flag have symbolic meanings. I am not sure about them but here's what I recall:

The two snow lions represent the religious and secular realms.
The mountain represents skangs.dzong, the Land of the Snows (Tibet itself)
The flaming jewel represents ... er ? .. the fact that the teachings have been preserved in Tibet, or that the wisdom of the dharma is upheld as the guiding principle of governence...?
The yin yang symbol represents the dharma. It appears on the flags of all the other buddhist countries: S. Korea, Mongolia (on the new flag I think), and Tuva (actually a Russian republic, but very much autonomous). (..but what about Sri Lanka...?)
I believe the colours also mean something too.




Mail me at: andrew@dorje.demon.co.uk


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