The Four Excursion of the Buddha

The Four Excursions

According to the legend, Buddha decide leave the protected world of his father’s after venturing out of it on four occasions.

* In his first excursion, Siddhartha went out through the eastern gate of the city and met an elderly man. He was overcome by the sight of old age: strength and energy were gone, the sense waning. Siddhartha was surprised when the old told him, it is everyone’s fate to become old and frail: a healthy body does not endure, but begins to decay as soon as it enters the world.

* On his second excursion, Siddhartha left the city through the south gate. There he met a sick and suffering man. The prince realized that all happiness is illusory (unreal/illusion) and that the world is ruled by suffering.

* Siddhartha’s third excursion led him through the western gate of the city, where he saw a funeral procession. The prince was surrounded by weeping and mourning people. He then recognized that life is not everlasting.

* On his fourth and last excursion, Siddhartha left the city through the northern gate. An itinerant (travelling/no permanent address) monk with a serene disposition (calm mood) crossed his path: he had given up everything and now sought inner peace in homelessness.

After discovering all of this, Siddhartha decided to shave his hair and beard, put on the robes of an ascetic (someone who practices self-denial as a spiritual discipline) and moved out of his palace into homelessness.

* Siddhartha had two ascetics as teacher and as model.

* He castigated himself as they did, refused food and drink, and denied himself every comfort. In fact, he nearly starved himself to death.

* But after a dream he decided to reject extreme asceticism and began eating again, realizing the futility (uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result) of all types of mortification (strong feelings of embarrassment).

* He meditated and freed his soul through a form of moderate ascetism.

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