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{{short description|Event in the life of the Buddha}}
[[File:Baocheng Four Sights.jpg|thumb|Siddharta sees the dead man, China, 15th-century printed and hand-coloured edition of Baocheng's biography.]]
{{buddhism}}▼
The '''four sights''' are four events described in the legendary account of [[Gautama Buddha]]'s life which led to his realization of the impermanence and the ultimate dissatisfaction of conditioned existence. According to this legend, before these encounters Gautama Siddhartha had been confined to his palace by his father, who feared that he would become an [[asceticism|ascetic]] if he came into contact with sufferings of life according to a prediction. However, his first venture out of the palace affected him deeply and made him realize the sufferings of all
==The Legendary Account of the Four Sights==
[[File:201304061243a Wat Bang Riang.jpg|thumb|Modern Thai temple mural (detail)]]
===Background===
Siddhartha, belonged to the Kshatriya gana(clan) of the Sakya. He was born in [[Lumbini]] near Kapilavastu in [[Nepal]]. His father was the king of the Sakya clan. After the birth of his son, King [[Śuddhodana]] called upon eight [[Brahmins]] to predict his son's future. While seven of them declared that the prince would either be a Buddha or a great king, the Brahmin [[Kaundinya]] was confident that he would renounce the world and become a Buddha.<ref name="dictionary">{{cite book|last= Keown|first=Damien|author2= Hodge, Stephen|author3=Tinti, Paola |title=A Dictionary of Buddhism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2003|page=15|isbn=0-19-860560-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KE56vyhOHGsC&q=Kondanna%2Bpredict%2Bbuddha&pg=PA15}}</ref>
Śuddhodana, who was determined that his son should be a great king, confined the prince within the palace and surrounded him with earthly pleasures and luxury, thereby concealing the realities of life that might encourage him to renounce these pleasures and become an [[ascetic]].<ref name="silacara">{{cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/silacara/youngpeoples.html#ch-04|title=A Young People's Life of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Silacara| publisher=AccessToInsight|access-date=2014-07-18}}</ref>
===Observing the sights===
[[File:Four Heavenly Messengers.jpg|thumb|
After leading a sheltered existence surrounded by luxury and pleasure in his younger years, Prince Siddhārtha ventured out of his palace for the first time at the age of 29.<ref name="silacara" /><ref name="future">{{cite book|last=McFaul|first=Thomas R. |title=The future of peace and justice in the global village|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2006|pages=30, 31|isbn=0-275-99313-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V_XCDYzE8qsC&q=four+sights+buddhism&pg=PA30}}</ref> He set off from the palace to the city in a [[chariot]], accompanied by his charioteer [[Channa (Buddhist)|Channa]] (Sanskrit: Chandaka).<ref name="buddhism">{{cite book|last=Trainor|first=Kevin |title=Buddhism |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|isbn=0-19-517398-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PrloTKuAjwC&q=four+sights+buddhism&pg=PA28}}</ref>
According to the more elaborated accounts such as the ''[[Lalitavistara Sūtra]]'', a [[Mahayana]] text originally in [[Sanskrit]], probably from the 3rd century, the Four Sights were placed on his route by the gods, to encourage the development of Siddharta's thinking. The 9th-century Borobudor reliefs illustrate this account.
==== 1st sight: senescence ====
On this journey he first saw an [[old age|old man]], revealing to Siddhārtha the consequences of aging.<ref name="aging">{{cite book|last=Mehrotra|first=Chandra |author2=Wagner, Lisa|title=Aging and Diversity|publisher=CRC Press|year=2008|page=344|isbn=978-0-415-95214-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZ-WGc85UGYC&q=old+man%2Bsights%2Bbuddha&pg=PA344}}</ref> When the prince asked about this person, Channa replied that aging was something that happened to all beings alike.<ref name="buddhism" />
[[File:Borobudur - Lalitavistara - 057 W, Siddhartha encounters a Sick Man (seen on the far left) (11246596305).jpg|thumb|Seeing the sick man (at far left), [[Borobudur]], [[Indonesia]]]]
==== 2nd sight: disease ====
The second sight was of a sick person suffering from a [[disease]]. Once again, the prince was surprised at the sight, and Channa explained that all beings are subject to disease and pain. This further troubled the mind of the prince.<ref name="buddhism" />
==== 3rd sight: death ====
The third sight was of a [[Death|dead body]]. As before, Channa explained to the prince that death is an inevitable fate that befalls everyone.<ref name="buddhism" /> After seeing these three sights, Siddhārtha was troubled in his mind and sorrowful about the sufferings that have to be endured in life.<ref name="wsu">{{cite web|url=http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/BUDDHISM/SIDD.HTM |title=Siddhartha Gautama |publisher=Washington State University |access-date=2009-04-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403050645/http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/BUDDHISM/SIDD.HTM |archive-date=April 3, 2008 }}</ref>
==== 4th sight: asceticism ====
After seeing these three negative sights, Siddhārtha came upon the fourth sight, an ascetic who had devoted himself to finding the cause of human suffering.<ref name="seasite">{{cite web|url=http://www.seasite.niu.edu/crossroads/cooler/Cooler-%20Buddhism%20and%20Pagan%20webpage.html|title=Buddhism|last=Cooler|first=Richard
===Aftermath===
▲{{buddhism}}
After observing these four sights, Siddhārtha returned to the palace, where a performance of dancing girls was arranged for him. Throughout the performance, the prince kept on thinking about the sights. In the early hours of morning, he finally looked about him and saw the dancers asleep and in disarray. The sight of this drastic change strengthened his resolve to leave in search of an end to the suffering of beings.<ref name="dhammapada">{{cite book|last=Easwaran|first=Eknath |title=The Dhammapada|publisher=Nilgiri Press|author-link=Eknath Easwaran |year=2007|isbn=978-1-58638-020-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtYYu6Z6_V0C&q=Siddharta%2Bdancing+girls&pg=PA34}} '''[[Dhammapada (Easwaran translation)|(see article on book)]]'''</ref><ref name="guide">{{cite book|last=Gach|first=Gary |title=The complete idiot's guide to understanding Buddhism|publisher=Alpha Books|year=2001|page=[https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00gach/page/8 8]|isbn=0-02-864170-1|url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00gach|url-access=registration|quote=Siddharta+dancing girls.}}</ref>
In the early Pali suttas, the four sights as
{{quote|Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging, sees another who is aged, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging. If
Similarly, the Ariya-pariyesana Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 26) describes rather abstract considerations:
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===Different versions===
Some accounts say that the four sights were observed by Siddhārtha in one day, during a single journey. Others describe that the four sightings were observed by him on four occasions, or the three bad sights were seen in one trip, and the ascetic on another. Some versions of the story also say that the prince's father had the route beautified and guarded to ensure that he does not see anything that might turn his thoughts towards suffering.
===Lesson learned===
After his ascetic experience, the Buddha chose the [[Middle Way]].
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|The Four Sights}}
{{Gautama Buddha}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
[[Category:Life of Gautama Buddha]]
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