Level 6: 4 Seals and 4 Reminders

The four dharma seals are four truths that are present in every Buddhist teaching. They serve as a ‘seal of approval’ because any teaching which contradicts one or more of these seals is not authentic dharma. Also, understanding the four seals of Buddhism ‘seals’ our practice. Once we fully recognize the truth of these four, they cannot be forgotten. The four seals inform our understanding of reality and illuminate the path to living a joyful, contented life.

The four thoughts that turn the mind to the dharma are four truths that when realized, motivate us to look to spiritual teachings (versus mundane people, places or things) as a source of freedom from our pain and suffering. These four thoughts are the realization that our human life is precious, that all things are impermanent and capable of changing, that cause and effect, aka karma, is infallible, and that samsara, or the cycle of habit, can never lead us to nirvana.

The Buddhist philosophy of impermanence is the teaching that all things change. When we truly understand this we cease grasping to the things we mistakenly credit as the source of our happiness, and cease avoiding the things we label as the source of our pain. We remember instead that all suffering and happiness arises in the mind. Thus, we become more accepting of things as they are, realizing the true and only source of lasting joy is within.

True Buddhist renunciation is not giving up our clothes, homes and cars, but letting go of thinking that these impermanent things could ever be the cause of our happiness. What we actually renounce is wrong view. Having understood what to put down, we create space for what we should pick up instead, the wisdom of the four seals.