Upon his birth, Siddhartha was predicted by the astrologer that he would either be a great king or a great sage. Worried with the prediction as his father never wanted him to be the Sage, he put him to a secluded palace where he won’t face any suffering or ugliness of life.
One day, Siddhartha asked his charioteer to take him for the town visit. He saw an old man for the first time in his life; he asked the charioteer, “What is this? Why is the man looking so miserable?”
The charioteer replied, “He’s a weak and aged old man. We all are going to be aged like him as we grow up.” Siddhartha looking at his young body felt amused.
The chariot proceeded further. Siddhartha saw a sick man shouting for help under the banyan tree. He asked, “Why does that man sound so miserable?”
The charioteer replied, “He is a sick man suffering from an acute disease.” Siddhartha never had any experience with suffering. He felt surprised.
Siddhartha spotted people carrying a dead body for the funeral. He asked, “Why so many people carrying this man?”
The charioteer said, “He is dead now. People are taking him to the funeral.”
Siddhartha was in the deep grief experiencing the miserable suffering. On his return, he could not sleep for the whole night thinking about his day experience. The experience of suffering was his seed of transcendence. When did you last looked at life around you? When are you going to transcend?