Four seals

Four Seals or the four hallmarks of the Buddha's teachings.

They are:

All that is conditioned is impermanent,
All that is defiling is suffering,
Nirvana is peace,
All phenomena are empty and devoid of self.

‘du byed thams cad ni mi rtag pa’o
zag pa dang bcas pa ni sdug bsngal ba’o
mya ngan las ‘das pa ni zhi ba’o
chos thams cad ni stong zhing bdag med pa’o

These statements are sometimes known as ‘the four seals’ (chak gya shyi) and sometimes as ‘four summaries of the Dharma’ (chö kyi dom shyi). They are said to be the hallmark of the Buddha’s teaching, and it is often said that the mark of a real buddhist is that he or she accepts these four. Of course, taking refuge is the real entrance to the buddhist path, and that which serves to distinguish buddhists from non-buddhists, but in terms of the View, these four statements encapsulate the uniqueness of the Buddha’s teachings and really set the Buddhadharma apart from all other religions and philosophies.

The four are explained in detail in Mipham Rinpoche's Khenjuk.