WHAT IS A DHARMA SEAL?

The Three Dharma Seals are the axioms that distinguish the Dharma from non-Dharma, Buddhism from non-Buddhism. They are essential to establishing what the Dharma truly is.

The Three Dharma Seals and the Four Dharma Seals are actually the same thing since the first three seals are the practice, while the last seal is the result. The first three are the cause, the fourth its effect. By practicing the first three seals, we can reach the state of nirvana.

As in any practice, we must first know its underlying concept. It is only after full apprehension of the concept that practice can proceed. Without right understanding, our practice is blind. Without practice, right understanding is also useless. Hence, one complements the other; each is indispensable. We can eradicate our afflictions and attain liberation only with the perfect union of the two. Accordingly, before we discuss the actual practice of the Three Dharma Seals, we must also know its concept.

~ Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA : Summation