Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Four Seals of the Dharma
    The Four Seals of the Dharma
    The Four Seals of the Dharma
    Ebook136 pages1 hour

    The Four Seals of the Dharma

    By Lama Khenpo Karma Ngedön

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Upon completing the path that led him to fully develop compassion and wisdom, Shakyamuni arrived at enlightenment, the state of Buddhahood that marks the end of suffering.Replying to the requests made of him, he transmitted three cycles of teachings to explain the path he had taken and the methods he used.Traditionally, Buddhism counts 84,000 teachings, and the four seals of the Dharma contain the essence of all these. Like a royal seal that historically proved authenticity and authority, the four seals give a true description of our current situation and that to which we can progress:All phenomena are impermanent by nature.All contaminated phenomena are suffering by nature.All phenomena are empty and devoid of inherent existence.Nirvana is a state of absolute peace.The first two seals allow us to understand the characteristics of our condition and the last two, the qualities of liberation. In this way, the teaching shows the Buddha' s path and the Buddhist perspective.Today, Buddhism is no longer an exotic movement but a methodology that has taken root and is practiced in the West. Nevertheless, do we really know what it means to be Buddhist? Using the introspective process of investigation that is precious to this tradition, Lama Khenpo Nged n directly involves the reader in this discovery by asking simple, to-the-point questions and then bringing together the elements of an answer connected with these four statements.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRabsel Publications
    Release dateMay 1, 2021
    ISBN9782360170302
    The Four Seals of the Dharma

    Related to The Four Seals of the Dharma

    Related ebooks

    Buddhism For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Embodied Practice, Experiential Awareness

      Mar 11, 2024

      Embodied Practice, Experiential Awareness
      3 min read

    • Article

      Looking Into Vajrayana Buddhism’s Future

      Mar 11, 2024

      Looking Into Vajrayana Buddhism’s Future
      20 min read

    • Article

      Listen, Contemplate, Meditate

      Jun 28, 2022

      Listen, Contemplate, Meditate
      11 min read

    • Article

      10 Steps to Tame the Elephant

      Mar 8, 2022

      10 Steps to Tame the Elephant
      11 min read

    • Article

      Venerable Bhante Suhita Dharma

      Jan 24, 2023

      VENERABLE Bhante Suhita Dharma was the first and possibly only African American to be monastically ordained in Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana Buddhist lineages. He thus promoted what he called “the Triyana,” a blended Buddhism that was both fluid

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Sakyadhita Movement

      Aug 13, 2019

      The Sakyadhita Movement
      9 min read

    • Article

      Teacher of Teachers

      Nov 6, 2018

      Teacher of Teachers
      5 min read

    • Article

      Advice to a Young Woman Teacher

      Jul 23, 2019

      Myokei Caine-Barrett (Bishop of the Nicheren Shu Order of North America): I would say to follow your heart, because we are all uniquely equipped. Rather than looking elsewhere, you’ll need to go deep into yourself, find your own strengths, and learn

      3 min read

    • Article

      What’s It Like to Be Me Right Now?

      Nov 6, 2018

      What’s It Like to Be Me Right Now?
      4 min read

    • Article

      Awakening Fueled by Rage

      Nov 12, 2019

      Awakening Fueled by Rage
      5 min read

    • Article

      Book Briefs

      Nov 7, 2017

      Shozan Jack Haubner’s SINGLE WHITE MONK (Shambhala 2017) is self-deprecating, blunt, humorous, and profoundly troubling. Haubner was a close disciple of the Zen teacher Joshu Sasaki, whose reputation crumbled when his long history of sexually abusing

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Uncertain Path

      Nov 23, 2021

      The Uncertain Path
      42 min read

    • Article

      Going Around In Samsara

      Jan 19, 2021

      Going Around In Samsara
      4 min read

    • Article

      An Enlightened Feminist

      Jan 22, 2018

      An Enlightened Feminist
      4 min read

    • Article

      Why Meditation Isn’t Enough

      May 21, 2019

      IN THE TIBETAN tradition, the study of Buddhist philosophy is known as “learning and reflecting on the view.” Through a process of sustained inquiry, we can become free from all doubts about the true nature of reality as described by the Buddhist tea

      4 min read

    • Article

      Ask The Teachers

      May 8, 2018

      CHAGDUD KHADRO: According to the teachings I have heard and the realized masters I have observed, emotions such as grief and sorrow—as well as disappointment, frustration, and fear—do arise. But such masters liberate emotions by recognizing their eph

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Swift Path to Buddhahood

      Mar 11, 2024

      The Swift Path to Buddhahood
      8 min read

    • Article

      Amida Buddha Welcomes All Refugees

      Nov 12, 2019

      Amida Buddha Welcomes All Refugees
      7 min read

    • Article

      Forum: Is the Guru Model Broken?

      Nov 6, 2018

      Forum: Is the Guru Model Broken?
      18 min read

    • Article

      Pema Khandro

      Jul 18, 2023

      Pema Khandro
      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Briefs

      Nov 3, 2020

      Human beings have written paeans to everything from shadows to nightingales, but few things inspire more admiration in bodhisattvas than compassion. Yet what exactly does compassion, a word used so liberally today, consist of? In Praise of Great Comp

      4 min read

    • Article

      India

      Aug 9, 2021

      India
      2 min read

    • Article

      Welcome To The Charnel Ground

      Nov 3, 2020

      Welcome To The Charnel Ground
      6 min read

    • Article

      Profound View, Precise Conduct

      Mar 7, 2023

      Profound View, Precise Conduct
      9 min read

    • Article

      Freda Bedi

      Jan 21, 2020

      FREDA BEDI WAS BORN Freda Houston above a quaint watchmaker’s shop in Derby, England, in 1911. Tall, blue-eyed, and with an imposing manner, she wore many hats: Oxford scholar, professor, social worker, champion of women’s rights, wife and mother of

      2 min read

    • Article

      Beginner’s Mind

      Mar 19, 2019

      WITH SO MANY lineages, practices, and unique terms, the world of Tibetan Buddhism can be confusing. Here is a short primer on the four main schools and some of their key practices. Gelugpa: Established in the fifteenth century, the Gelugpas are the n

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Four Seals of the Dharma

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Four Seals of the Dharma - Lama Khenpo Karma Ngedön

      Introduction

      The four seals of the Dharma represent the essence of all of the Buddha’s teachings. The explanations given here are short. Nevertheless, the meaning they express is as vast as it is profound. Furthermore, it is invaluable.¹²

      Shakyamuni Buddha committed to the path by generating bodhicitta—the wish to attain enlightenment in order to accomplish the benefit of all beings. He followed the path by accumulating merit and, in the end, he realized enlightenment—the state of Buddhahood.

      Once he had attained enlightenment based on his immense compassion for beings, he turned the wheel of Dharma three times. He transmitted three cycles of instruction, which make up a total of 84,000 teachings. The four seals sum up the essence of these teachings.

      We consider ourselves Buddhist, but what does this expression mean?

      Atisha said that a person who takes refuge vows toward the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha is a Buddhist. Thus, a Buddhist is someone who affirms the Three Jewels.

      There are two differences between a Buddhist and a non-Buddhist.

      - One difference relates to conduct or behavior (taking refuge falls into this category).

      - One difference relates to the point of view regarding phenomena.

      Manifesting love for all beings and practicing generosity is not ethical conduct exclusive to Buddhism. Many people of different convictions adopt this ethic—from a religious and non-religious point of view. We can, therefore, speak of a general or common conduct in this regard.

      The specificity of Buddhism lies in the practice of generosity and of beneficial acts for others based on refuge in the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

      Regarding the point of view, we can distinguish two types of individuals:

      - Those who accept the four seals (which we will explain in detail in the current text) can be called Buddhist.

      - Those who do not accept or do not act in accordance with the four seals are not authentic Buddhists, even if they refer to themselves this way or wear monastic clothing or other identifying articles.

      Study and understanding of these four seals are therefore essential.

      In the world, we can distinguish those people who choose to follow a spiritual path from those do not follow any form of spirituality.

      Furthermore, among those individuals who adopt a spiritual path, we can distinguish two types:

      - Those who believe in the existence of a creator god.

      - Those who do not accept the principle of a creator.

      Today, those who believe in a creator god generally belong to one of the following four religious groups:

      Christianity

      Hinduism

      Islam

      Judaism

      The religious traditions that do not accept a creator god include, notably:

      The Samkhya school of India. This is a very ancient tradition including a school of thought that still exists today.

      Jainism.

      Buddhism.

      With the exception of Buddhism, all religions affirm the existence of an inherent and independent self. Buddhism is the sole religion or philosophy that does not accept the reality of a self independent of any other factor.

      Buddhism adopts the perspective of both the dependent origination and the emptiness of all phenomena. As such, no phenomenon exists solely based on itself in an independent fashion. This is also referred to as the absence of inherent existence. The teaching on the four seals of Dharma explains this point of

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1