Four Dharma Seals are the four characteristics which reflect some
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
teaching .
It is said that if a teaching contains the Four Dharma Seals then it can be considered
Buddha Dharma
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. This is despite the fact that some believe that the Dharma Seals were all introduced after
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
died.
The Four Seals
The Four Seals can be variously translated as follows:
*All compounded things are
impermanent
Impermanence, also known as the philosophical problem of change, is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety of religions and philosophies. In Eastern philosophy it is notable for its role in the Buddhist three marks of existence. It is ...
*Emotions are prone to
suffering
Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence of a ...
*All phenomena are without inherent existence
*
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
is beyond extremes
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*All compounded things are impermanent.
*All contaminated things are suffering.
*All phenomena are empty and devoid of self.
*Nirvana is true peace.
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*Everything conditioned is impermanent.
*Everything influenced by delusion is suffering.
*All things are empty and selfless.
*Nirvana is peace.
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As suffering is not an inherent aspect of existence
sometimes the second seal is omitted to make Three Dharma Seals.
However, when the second seal is taken to refer to existence contaminated by or influenced by the mental afflictions of ignorance, attachment, and anger and their conditioning actions (karma), this omission is not necessary.
See also
*
Three marks of existence
In Buddhism, the three marks of existence are three characteristics (Pali: tilakkhaṇa; Sanskrit: त्रिलक्षण trilakṣaṇa) of all existence and beings, namely ''Impermanence#Buddhism, aniccā'' (impermanence), ''Duḥkha, dukkh ...
*
Ātman (Buddhism)
Ātman (), attā or attan in Buddhism is the concept of self, and is found in Buddhist literature's discussion of the concept of non-self ('' Anatta'').
Most Buddhist traditions and texts reject the premise of a permanent, unchanging ''atman'' ...
References
4 Four Dharma Seals
Buddhist philosophical concepts
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