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Buddhist Victory Banner

After the Enlightenment, an overwhelmed Buddha knelt and touched the earth. The earth and nature saved him, not his brilliance or social status. In A Night at the Forest, Tracy Cochran described this process through the Latin word humus, “the rich living soil.” The concept of humility is rooted in humus, the experience of being humbled when ego defenses are under attack. By touching the earth for help, the Buddha was humbled and was finally able to overcome the world of his egotistic needs and passions. The Banner of Victory symbolized the Buddha’s victory over Maras, a reminder that enlightenment occurs when the delusion ends that power, wealth, and human passions are the path to happiness.