What are the Three Doors of Liberation?

[finalfrogo]

I have a conceptual idea of the Three Doors of Liberation (Also known as The Three Concentrations), but I'm having trouble actually defining them on paper. What are they, and how are they related to the Three Dharma Seals?

Thanks for your help.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I actually had to google the Three Doors of Liberation, Frogo. I'd not heard of this teaching in a loooooooooong time.





Thich Nhat Hanh describes these modes of practice very, very well. But here they are listed and officially defined:



1. Emptiness - the path between existance and non-existance

2. Signlessness - looking beyond how objects appear

3. Aimlessness - (also called wishlessness) no purpose other than this moment




The three Dharma Seals are:



Impermanence
Non-self
Nirvana




I've read that the seals are a way of actually defining how a certain philosophy or teaching can be authentically defined as a "Buddhist" teaching, and not as a teaching that is considered universalist. If a teaching conveys that all things are impermanent, that there is no such thing as a permanent self, and that nirvana is the ultimate extinction of afflictions and notions...........then said teaching could be called a Buddhist teaching.





The three doors of liberation it seems are interrelated to the dharma seals (when are things not?), as in these are all attitudes to adopt in one's mind that can open doors to enlightenment. Practicing aimlessness where one cares not but for this moment is much like practicing concentration on impermanence.




Although, I am quite tired right now. And I think I will go to bed since I wonder if this post is at all coherent.




Maybe you can tell us all how you see it?




Peace,
Mystic

 

[finalfrogo]

these are all attitudes to adopt in one's mind that can open doors to enlightenment.

Thanks. I find that ^ statement particularly useful. I had a difficulty putting the concept into words, but you managed to accomplish this. Thanks again.

 

[satori860]

the three doors of liberation are 1. impermanance 2. suffering 3. no self

the first door reveals to us that the world is always decaying and being rebuilt out of its own ashes nothing lasts there are no things only events. the second shows us that there is only one problem in life and that is the problem with problems and that problem is negative sensation. the third shows us that there is no thing to be called you you cant put a finger on a thing to be called you. kinda like a piece of wood when we look to see what the board of wood really is we find no board of wood we find a hundred thousand splinters each separate from each other but no board of wood. we have an event not a thing and as far as we can call it a thing it is fabricated, made up of otherthings so the wood has the no self nature, it does not have independant existance.

the purpose of contemplating the three doors is to simply realighn our perspective on our world so as to obtain right view. in the same way a mathmatician sees numbers in everything because of his consistant contemplation of numbers we come to see these factors in everything and then react properly.

the three doors are separate from the dharma seals and the only connection they have with each other is that they come from the same philosophy