Toh 256The Seal of the Dharma

Exposition of the Sūtra of the Dharma Seal (Toh 256)

Background

The Sūtra of the Dharma Seal (The Seal of the Dharma) is transmitted in the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition, specifically the Northern canon (the Tibetan Mahāyāna tradition), and is recorded in the Kangyur—the Tibetan collection of sūtras. This sūtra reflects a prominent feature of the Mahāyāna: the emphasis on liberation for all sentient beings through the bodhisattva path (bodhisattva-yāna).

The title “Dharma Seal” (Dharma-mudrā) refers to the special signs or formulas that mark genuine understanding of the Dharma. In the Mahāyāna, the “seal” (mudrā) is not merely an outward sign, but an inner proof of insight—the clear understanding of the selfless (anātman) and impermanent (anicca) nature of all dharmas.

Main Content

This sūtra chiefly presents reliable signs for recognizing the true Dharma (saddharmā) and authentic paths of practice. According to the Northern Tibetan tradition, the sūtra focuses on three basic Dharma seals:

The first is the Dharma Seal of selfless nature. The Mahāyāna affirms that all phenomena (dharma) lack an independent nature that exists permanently. To understand this thoroughly—not merely at the theoretical level, but through direct experience (experiential realization)—is the first Dharma seal.

The second is the Dharma Seal of the bodhisattva mind. The sūtra emphasizes that the true Dharma cannot be separated from the bodhisattva vow—the aspiration to liberate all sentient beings, not oneself alone. A scripture truly bears this Dharma seal when it guides the spirit toward bodhi—complete awakening for the benefit of all living beings.

The third is the Dharma Seal of the absence of intrinsic nature in the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This is the concept of “Buddha-nature”—all sentient beings have the capacity to attain Buddhahood because the profound nature of the mind is not fundamentally defiled.