dear to us.
When we develop pure thoughts, we purify that which is harmful.
The Buddha said:
Give up harmful actions;
Practice virtue tirelessly;
Cultivate a balanced state of mind;
This is the Buddha’s teaching.
1 This book is the result of teachings given by Khenpo Ngedön at the Buddhist center Karma Txöpel in Vic, Catalonia, Spain on May 26 and 27, 2012.
2 sangs rgyas bcom Idan ‘das. dran pa nye bar gzhag pa bzhi bstan pa, [The Sutra on Establishing Mindfulness]. Biollet: Kundreul Ling, Undated.
3 Patrul Rinpoche, Padmakara Translation Group. The Words of My Perfect Teacher [rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying tig gi sngon ‘gro’i khrid yig kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung zhes bya ba zhugs so]. Boston: Shambala Publications, 1999, P. 54.
4 Patrul Rinpoche, previously cited Footnote 3, p.137.
5 We count five states of existence (instead of six) when not distinguishing the demigods from the gods.
6 Patrul Rinpoche, previously cited Footnote 3, p.137.
7 Zangpo, Gyelse Thogme. “The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas.” Lotsawa House. https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/gyalse-thogme-zang-po/37-practices-all-bodhisattvas. December 3, 2019.
8 Zangpo, Bengar Jampel. Sgrub brgyud rin po che’i phreng ba kar+ma kA tshang rtogs pa’i don brgyud las byung ba’i gsung dri ma me dpa rnams bkod nas ngag ‘don rgyun khyer gyi rim pa ‘phags lam bgrod pa’i shing rta [The Supplication to the Past Lineage of the Mahamudra]. Biollet: Kundreul Ling, Undated.
9 Sangs rgyas bcom ldan ‘das. ched du brjod pa’i tshoms (Udānavarga) [The Chapters Stated with Intention]. Publisher Unknown, Undated.
10 Ahimsa means nonviolence in Sanskrit.
11 Shila means moral ethics in Sanskrit.
Prologue
Lord,
Clothed in a saffron robe, luminous
As the setting sun,
You incarnate natural peace and noble ethics.
Always considering others—
Guide of people, you turn the wheel
Of the excellent teachings concerning
Emptiness and interdependence.
Supreme Instructor!
Incomparable Muni!
Buddha!
Filled with trust, I pay homage to you.
An Invitation to the Reader
It is important that readers of this teaching have the appropriate motivation—the wish to apply the teaching in order to attain enlightenment and thus become capable of benefitting beings by helping them liberate themselves from suffering.
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
