The Buddha taught the Three Marks of Existence to help liberate people from the cycle of suffering by revealing to them the true nature of conditioned existence. The Three Marks of Existence are:

  • That all compounded things are Impermanent (Anicca)
  • That all contaminated phenomenon is suffering/dissatisfaction (Dukkha)
  • That all phenomena are empty and have no permanent, unchanging self (Anatta).  

By understanding these universal characteristics of all conditioned things, people can diminish attachment and aversion, realize the true nature of reality as a constantly changing process, and ultimately liberate themselves from discontent and the cycle of suffering.  

Rinpoche has taught that: “It’s important to state at the outset that emptiness doesn’t refer to a void or black hole. It is not the same as nonexistence. To say that a person or thing is “empty” simply means that it doesn’t exist in the intrinsic way we think it does. When we say phenomena are empty, we mean that we can’t grasp them or pin them down. It doesn’t mean that they don’t function or appear to our senses.”