Why did prince Siddhartha become and ascetic?
Answers
As he grew, Siddhartha’s curiosity could not be contained. He felt that his life of luxury was empty. At the age of 29, he persuaded his chariot driver, Channa, to take him out of the palace to the city. There he encountered the Four Sights:
An old person - Siddhartha had never before seen an old person. He asked his chariot driver, Channa, what he was looking at. Channa explained that when people get older, they physically decline.
A sick person - when Siddhartha saw an ill person by the side of the road, he was upset as he had never before seen anyone who was ill. Channa explained that, during their lives, people get ill.
A dead person - the third sight was a dead person being carried. Channa explained that everyone dies eventually.
A holy man (ascetic), who lived a life of self-denial, was the fourth sight. This person made Siddhartha curious, because the holy man was looking to understand truth.
After Channa explained what the first three sights meant, Siddhartha was very shocked. Then, when he encountered the holy man (the fourth sight), he was struck by how calm and serene the holy man seemed amid the crowds and noise. From that point, Siddhartha knew that his own path would be understanding, not the privilege and responsibility.
Siddhartha left the palace at night, never to return. He left behind a young wife and son, as well as his father. Siddhartha’s decision to give up his life of comfort and ease was his first step to becoming a Buddha.
Siddhartha became an ascetic. He wandered and searched for truth, training with different teachers to learn yoga and meditation. Eventually, he became a teacher himself.
Siddhartha wanted to fully understand suffering. He fasted for long periods of time and did other things to cause himself to suffer. He fasted until he was near starvation, but then he realised that his death would help no one. He moved onto a more moderate path, one between luxury and poverty, which he called the Middle Way. All this time, he taught, meditated, discussed ideas with other people, and learned new things.