Everyone knew that this was a very special baby. Right after he was born, he took seven steps! Most babies do not start walking until much much later.
Once the baby and his family got back to the wonderful palace where they lived, they were visited by an astrologer, a person who can predict the future by looking where the stars in the sky were.
This astrologer, Asita, told the family that their baby was going to become a great king like his father, or he would become a great religious teacher. The astrologer named the baby Siddhartha, which means, “He who achieves his goals”.
Siddhartha’s father did not know how to respond to this prediction. But soon enough, he decided it would be much better for Siddhartha to become a ruler than a religious teacher. He conjured a plan to assure that this would happen.
Siddhartha’s father decided that the goal of all religious leaders was to try to stop pain and suffering. He then figured that if that if Siddhartha never knew about the sickness, , age or death, then he would have no reason to try to prevent them. How could he if he did not know about them?
As Siddhartha grew up, his father made sure he was surrounded by young, happy, and healthy people. His father kept him inside the palace, never allowing him to go outside where he might accidentally run into a sick, old, or dead person. However, he knew this would not last forever.
Eventually, when Siddhartha was twenty-nine years old, he went on a chariot ride outside of the palace. During the duration of this ride, Siddhartha spotted a person bent over with saggy skin. He was absolutely shocked when he saw this, so he asked his servant what it was. His servant explained that it was old age and that it happens to everybody.
Siddhartha spent a lot of time thinking about this old person. So he went on another chariot ride. This time however, instead of seeing an elderly person, he encountered a person coughing. When he asked his servant what this was, he was told that it was sickness. It too happened to everyone at some point in there lives.
After returning to the palace again, Siddhartha wondered what else could be outside the palace walls that he did not know about. As a result, he went on a third chariot ride outside the palace. On this ride, he saw a person covered by a blanket. When he asked his servant what this was, his servant sold him that it was deaths. And once again, it happened to every single living things at the end of their lives.
Now, Siddhartha went on a fourth voyage outside the palace. Instead of seeing anyone suffering, he saw a wandering holy man. Siddhartha was inspired by the man’s dedication to finding a way to end all kinds of suffering, including reincarnation, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Siddhartha decided that he too would dedicate his life to finding an end to this suffering.
Siddhartha knew that his father would not approve of his decision. So, he decided to sneak out of the palace in the middle of the night, so his father would not have the ability to stop him.
Siddhartha’s father did not know he had departed until the next morning, when Siddhartha’s servant returned with his horse, jewelry, and all of his belonging. The ruler was upset, but remembered what Siddhartha’s name meant, and knew that although it was not what he wanted, Siddhartha would become a great religious teacher.
