Dharmamudrā (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

: 法印) is a Buddhist term translated as "the seal of the dharma" or "the distinguishing mark of the dharma". It can be construed as the objective qualities of all phenomena (a related term is the

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 '' anicca'' (impermanence), '' dukkha'' (commonly translated ...

), but is generally interpreted as the "seal" or "mark" that distinguish the Buddhist teachings from non-Buddhist ones. ''Dharmamudrā'' also provides doctrinal insight that distinguishes the definitive teachings of Buddhism from the provisional teachings.

Types of Dharmamudrā

One general type is called Trilakṣaṇā dharmamudrā (

;

: 三法印), or the three marks: *

Impermanence 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 Buddhism, Buddhist three marks of existe ...

: All compounded things are characterized by impermanence. * Non-self: All existing things are characterized by the lack of a self. *

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

: Nirvana is characterized by uncompounded quiescence. In another typology, the third 'mark' is replaced by "all experiences are characterized by suffering" (

Duḥkha ''Duḥkha'' (; , ) "suffering", "pain", "unease", or "unsatisfactoriness", is an important concept in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. Its meaning depends on the context, and may refer more specifically to the "unsatisfactoriness" or "uneas ...

). Another type is called caturmudrā (

;

: 四法印), or the four seals, which include "suffering" to the three seals or marks mentioned above. There is also the five marks or seals, which refer to impermanence, non-self, nirvana, suffering and emptiness.

References

Buddhist philosophical concepts {{Buddhist-philo-stub

Types of Dharmamudrā

See also

References