The first two seals – impermanence and selflessness – with the addition of “unsatisfactoriness,” are known as the “Three Marks,” which the Buddha used to describe the real nature of all things. He described things in this way so that his followers could free themselves from attachments which cannot bring real happiness. The logic behind the marks of impermanence, selflessness, and unsatisfactoriness is as follows: All things, which appear and disappear in accordance with the law of cause and effect, are impermanent. If all the things that make up our life are impermanent and depend upon causes and conditions, then none of them should be clung to as the basis of a secure self. In other words, we cannot find eternal life and happiness by depending upon anything that is impermanent – and therefore undependable – including our own body and mind. If everything, including our body and mind, is impermanent and unable to provide the basis for an unchanging and independent self, then nothing can be called a truly satisfactory source of happiness or of eternal life. All things are therefore unsatisfactory.