Acharya Shantideva, in his 'A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life', said:
Although wishing to be rid of misery,
The beings run towards misery itself.
Although wishing to have happiness,
Like an enemy they ignorantly destroy it.
We are mesmerized by the appealing though deceptive appearances of this world on the basis of which we see things as permanent and paradise-like. This delusion ensnares us in misery instead. We fail to recognize what constitutes the truth or reality as opposed to our flawed perception and wishful thinking. When examined well, our experiences of the world starkly contrast its deceptively appealing appearance. Chasing after this appearance binds us more tightly in misery. Wisely taking caution of this appearance instead, the Buddha said, will lead us to a genuine healing of all problems. The Buddha thus offered the healing wisdom - popularly known as "The Four Seals" - to free us from the unending, agonizing suffering of samsara. The first two Seals are as follows. All composite things are impermanent; and all objects which are contaminated by mental defilements are of suffering nature. These two highlight the reality and the prison nature of our defilements. Failure to realize this binds us from taking a step forward to total freedom. Realizing the appearance as flawed in this way, one naturally seeks an escape from it. What is the escape? It is the light of wisdom which sees the reality as it is which alone has the ability to destroy the darkness of ignorance which underlies all our suffering. To bring us to this realization, the third seal - Everything is empty of independent existence and self - is taught. Understanding this truth engenders a sense of true relief and freedom from suffering. The Buddha points to this consummate joyful state in the form of the fourth seal - Transcending sorrow is the ultimate peace.
Geshe Dorji Damdul is going to highlight the Four Seals of the Buddha's Teachings pointing to its relevance to our everyday-life happiness.
