The Four Dharma Seals
The Four Dharma Seals are really four quintessential insights that will completely transform your life.
Once seen they can never be unseen.
Once experienced they will completely change the way you see and experience the world.
Right now you are bound. You’re trapped and wrapped up in concepts and notions that are keeping you from seeing the truth of the way things are.
It’s as if a veil has been placed over your eyes.
Each one of the Dharma Seals will help you pierce through the veil.
You will come unbound and discover your innate boundlessness.
Limited knowledge
Is bondage
A prison of thinking
Binds and blinds boundlessness
Without the breakthrough of true wisdom
You live in a state of illusion
The true principle ever shrouded
Hidden from view though you look upon it
~ The Shiva Sutras
Just to be clear – any teaching that includes these four seals can be said to be an authentic path that all realized masters teach.
It doesn’t matter if you call it Buddhism or not.
Some schools call the Four Dharma Seals the Four Basic Facts of All Existence.
If you take and incorporate these for ‘seals’ or four insights into your life you will see tremendous and liberating results.
The Four Dharma Seals Are:
Anicca: Impermanence
Dukkha: Suffering
Anatma: Not-Self
Nirvana: Unbound Freedom
The Four Dharma Seals As Phrases:
Anicca: All Composite Phenomena are Impermanent.
Dukkha: All Contaminated Things are Unsatisfactory.
Anatma: All Phenomena Lack Self-Existence.
Nirvana: Unbound Freedom is True Peace.
1. Impermanence (Anicca)
Everything is Changing. Nothing Lasts Forever.
All Composite (compounded) things are impermanent, transient and ever changing. So anything and everything aside from the clear light nature of mind is subject to change.
2. Unsatisfactoriness/Suffering (Duhkha)
All Contaminated Things are Unsatisfactory.
All Impermanent Things Will Never Make You Truly Happy.
All Impermanent Things Are Tinged With Stress
and Are Ultimate Unsatisfactory
All composite compounded things will eventually and ultimately not bring you the happiness and freedom that you seek. All compounded and transient things are contaminated with impermanence and ultimately unsatisfactory.
3. Selflessness (Anatma)
There is No Permanent Separate Inherently Existing Self
to be Found In Anything
All compounded and conditioned things are not self, do not have an independent inherently existing self and cannot be taken as a true and lasting self.
4. Unbound Freedom (Nirvana)
True Peace is Discovered
When All Notions and Clinging Have Been Let Go Of.
When Truth Is Seen
One Discovers Innate Unbound Freedom
Nirvana is peace. Nirvana is true happiness. What you truly are looking for is uncompounded and unconditioned. No thing, no new shiny piece of jewelry/partner/job/car etc can ever measure up to or even compare to the happiness, contentment and peace you will discover when you breakthrough to discover your own innate Buddha Nature. When you’ve become undone is when you will discover a peace and contentment that is beyond what you ever could imagine. This is the realm of No-Thought, No-Mind, Don’t Know Mind.
These are the Four Dharma Seals. The first three seals lead to the discovery of the fourth – Nirvana.
A great unbinding, unraveling, unfolding occurs.