The 3 Dharma Seals – Universal Marks – Connected with Existence

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3 Dharma Seals (Universal Marks) Connected with Existence
• Impermanence – all phenomena are impermanent
• Not-self – all Dharma are not-self
• Nirvana is the eternity
Note: Sometimes, people add “suffering” to the 3 Seals

The Practice of Looking Deeply Using Three Dharma Seals by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that by looking deeply we develop insight into impermanence and no self. These are the keys to the door of reality.

All authentic practices of the Buddha carry within them three essential teachings called the Dharma Seals. These three teachings of the Buddha are: impermanence, no self and nirvana. Just as all-important legal documents have the mark or signature of a witness, all genuine practices of the Buddha bear the mark of these three teachings.

If we look into the first Dharma Seal, impermanence, we see that it doesn’t just mean that everything changes. By looking into the nature of things, we can see that nothing remains the same for even two consecutive moments. Because nothing remains unchanged from moment to moment it therefore has no fixed identity or a permanent self. So in the teaching of impermanence we always see the lack of an unchanging self. We call this “no self,” the second Dharma Seal. It is because things are always transforming and have no self that freedom is possible.

The third Dharma Seal is nirvana. This means solidity and freedom, freedom from all ideas and notions. The word “nirvana” literally means “the extinction of all concepts.” Looking deeply into impermanence leads to the discovery of no self. The discovery of no self leads to nirvana. Nirvana is the Kingdom of God.

See more at http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1647

This picture IS worth 1000 words of compassion and love…

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Mo Phat, Gassho, Namaste, Shalom, Salaam, Peace — HAVE A PICTURE OF IT?   Does it look something light a Lighthouse, Lamp, Candle or 3 jeweled gemstone holding quantum images of everything in every reflection. GOOD!  To learn more about our practice please visit:

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Visit our English page at
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AND

The Dharma Teacher Order [ON-LINE DHARMA STUDY] is a group of monastics and lay people who follow the Vietnamese Zen (Thien) Buddhist tradition and are interested in:

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Nam Mo Phat Bon Su Thich Ca Mau Ni