Buddhist Concepts

From a Buddhist perspective, the Three Universal Characteristics of existence are:

  1. Impermanence of all phenomena
  2. The selflessness of all phenomena
  3. Suffering  (also sometimes referred to as “stress”, “anxiety”, or “dissatisfaction”)

As a result of understanding the three characteristics, we eliminate our attachment, and arrive at the threshold of Nibbāna (a.k.a. Nirvana).

The Three Universal Truths (a.k.a. The Three Dhamma Seals) are similar to The Three Universal Characteristics:

  1. Impermanence of all phenomena
  2. The selflessness of all phenomena
  3. The serenity of Nibbāna

Suffering is often added to the above three to form the Four Dhamma Seals:

  1. Impermanence
  2. Selflessness (a.k.a. Not-self)
  3. Suffering
  4. Nibbāna

These “Seals” mark a given set of teachings as being authentically Buddhist, and any teaching not based on them can be said to be non-Buddhist.

Within ourselves and the natural world, all things arise, cease, and change. That such arising and cessation occurs every single instant is the meaning of the “impermanence of all phenomena”.

If we think about it, most of us accept things are constantly changing. Nevertheless, even though we know our bodies and minds are always changing, we tend to cling to the idea that the “I” that is “me”, though changing, somehow still remains unchanging. Even today most religions and philosophical schools consider this changing-but-unchanging aspect exists as an immortal essence, variously called “I”, “self”, or “soul”. This “self” is considered to exist through past and future, life and death. The notion of a substantial self however, was clearly denied by the Buddha. As he affirmed, if we are to accept that all things are transient – i.e. arise, cease and change, then the idea of a self (or a soul) is simply untenable. This is what Buddhists mean by the “selflessness of all phenomena”.

(Buddhist Door; Soka Gakkai International; and Tagawa Shun’ei, 2009: 39-40; ).

For more detail on some of the other principles (a.k.a doctrines) of Buddhist thinking please follow any of the links below:

Some additional external Buddhist Resources may also be found by following any of these links: