user-1: The four marks are, in order from coarse to subtle

Cessation 
Changing 
Abiding 
Arising

These are discussed in a number of places, but the English language translator of Kihwa's (Korean) commentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, seems to associate them with the Awakening of Faith in Mahayana. See e.g. p157 of that book.
What I'm wondering, is how this works, how does the meditator go about "eliminating its mistaken function" (presumably -- see them to be empty), if there are no entities to be found in the first place?
i.e. do they study the mark of cessation, then study the mark of change, etc., as if each mark inhered on some identical object? Or is the mark of change just another way of looking at the mark of cessation, without any thought really bearing the four?

user4722: "Turn to your experience"
Simply go as deep as you can go with each word.  Try and apply the word "abiding" to what is going on around you right now, then to your body, then to the totality of your undivided experience of the world.
Try and view the world from a frame where one could catch a glimpse of the flicker between moments.  What is that?  =)
Arising, Abiding, Cessation ... all of these together are "change"  but the wording is very particular here:
abiding is a process of sustaining, that is: something is upheld by causes and the context much like how a tree holds out a branch, whereupon there is a leaf, whereupon there is a ladybug, for now.
cessation is also a process, the translator clearly opted for "cessation" as opposed to "cessating" because it would be strange, but the -ing makes for better contemplation because cessation or cessating is also a process, the process of dissolution of one entity, because whatever was sustaining its causes burned out or the context shifted ... micro and macro terms for the "same thing"
arising is the process of becoming, the process of manifesting, and this is precisely what Noble Arya Nagarjuna illuminates with Madhyamika (or middle-way) reasoning in his composition Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way
For sake of completion to this answer, i'll add some words about arising
Arising is also no doubt a process; that of manifesting, as mentioned above.  Arising, the more we investigate it, can be seen to be a spontaneous (in-the-flash-of-the-moment) process yet there is clearly some sort of trajectory between qualities of moments.
In order to investigate on this level, one needs a lot of calm.  So first ones neural activity has to be very relaxed and near a state of homeostasis, which is Shamatha or Calm-abiding, the Tibetan term is Shi-nay.
Then there is insight meditation, it's possible for some people to really be able to get a perfect brief fissure/upheat of awareness and thereby polish their wisdom, but for the most part, and for sustaining clearer and more open / bare forms of attentiveness, it's crucial and wonderful, necessary and also exhilarating to develop a strong meditation practice.  That is, meditating every day for at least 30 minutes.  
Just make time to sit and at least try and stay undistracted for that long,
and when a good settling fits, try and crank up the light on your personal experience of the moment and its transitionings.
With consistency and quality of meditation time, you are gradually making the conditions more and more perfect for something to happen.
Which is why we must totally discard the notion of expectation, and totally discard the notion of happening.  We are not investigating what will happen, we are investigating how everything is currently happening and therefore, ah i just adore the phrase, "turn to your experience."

-1: <p>The four marks are, in order from coarse to subtle</p>

<ol>
<li>Cessation </li>
<li>Changing </li>
<li>Abiding </li>
<li>Arising</li>
</ol>

<p>These are discussed in a number of places, but the English language translator of Kihwa's (Korean) commentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, seems to associate them with the Awakening of Faith in Mahayana. See e.g. p157 of that book.</p>

<p>What I'm wondering, is how this works, how does the meditator go about "eliminating its mistaken function" (presumably -- see them to be empty), if there are no entities to be found in the first place?</p>

<p>i.e. do they study the mark of cessation, then study the mark of change, etc., as if each mark inhered on some identical object? Or is the mark of change just another way of looking at the mark of cessation, without any thought really bearing the four?</p>
 4722: <p>"Turn to your experience"</p>

<p>Simply go as deep as you can go with each word.  Try and apply the word "abiding" to what is going on around you right now, then to your body, then to the totality of your undivided experience of the world.</p>

<p>Try and view the world from a frame where one could catch a glimpse of the flicker between moments.  What is that?  =)</p>

<p>Arising, Abiding, Cessation ... all of these together are "change"  but the wording is very particular here:</p>

<p>abiding is a process of sustaining, that is: something is upheld by causes and the context much like how a tree holds out a branch, whereupon there is a leaf, whereupon there is a ladybug, for now.</p>

<p>cessation is also a process, the translator clearly opted for "cessation" as opposed to "cessating" because it would be strange, but the -ing makes for better contemplation because cessation or cessating is also a process, the process of dissolution of one entity, because whatever was sustaining its causes burned out or the context shifted ... micro and macro terms for the "same thing"</p>

<p>arising is the process of becoming, the process of manifesting, and this is precisely what Noble Arya Nagarjuna illuminates with Madhyamika (or middle-way) reasoning in his composition <em>Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way</em></p>

<p>For sake of completion to this answer, i'll add some words about arising</p>

<p>Arising is also no doubt a process; that of manifesting, as mentioned above.  Arising, the more we investigate it, can be seen to be a spontaneous (in-the-flash-of-the-moment) process yet there is clearly some sort of trajectory between qualities of moments.</p>

<p>In order to investigate on this level, one needs a lot of calm.  So first ones neural activity has to be very relaxed and near a state of homeostasis, which is Shamatha or Calm-abiding, the Tibetan term is Shi-nay.</p>

<p>Then there is insight meditation, it's possible for some people to really be able to get a perfect brief fissure/upheat of awareness and thereby polish their wisdom, but for the most part, and for sustaining clearer and more open / bare forms of attentiveness, it's crucial and wonderful, necessary and also exhilarating to develop a strong meditation practice.  That is, meditating every day for at least 30 minutes.  </p>

<p>Just make time to sit and at least try and stay undistracted for that long,
and when a good settling fits, try and crank up the light on your personal experience of the moment and its transitionings.</p>

<p>With consistency and quality of meditation time, you are gradually making the conditions more and more perfect for something to happen.</p>

<p>Which is why we must totally discard the notion of expectation, and totally discard the notion of happening.  We are not investigating what <em>will</em> happen, we are investigating how everything is currently <em>happening</em> and therefore, ah i just adore the phrase, "turn to your experience."</p>
