Editing The Buddha (section)

=== Renunciation ===
{{See also|Great Renunciation}}
[[File:Great Departure.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|The "Great Departure" of Siddhartha Gautama, surrounded by a [[Halo (religious iconography)|halo]], he is accompanied by numerous guards and [[devata]] who have come to pay homage; [[Gandhara]], [[Kushan Empire|Kushan period]].]]

While the earliest sources merely depict Gotama seeking a higher spiritual goal and becoming an ascetic or ''śramaṇa'' after being disillusioned with lay life, the later legendary biographies tell a more elaborate dramatic story about how he became a mendicant.{{sfnp|Hirakawa|1990|p=24}}{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=15}}

The earliest accounts of the Buddha's spiritual quest is found in texts such as the Pali ''Ariyapariyesanā-sutta'' ("The discourse on the noble quest", MN 26) and its Chinese parallel at [[Madhyama Agama|MĀ]] 204.{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=170}} These texts report that what led to Gautama's renunciation was the thought that his life was subject to old age, disease and death and that there might be something better.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last=Wynne |first=Alexander |date=2019 |title=Did the Buddha exist? |journal=JOCBS |volume=16 |pages=98–148}}</ref> The early texts also depict the Buddha's explanation for becoming a sramana as follows: "The household life, this place of impurity, is narrow—the ''samana'' life is the free open air. It is not easy for a householder to lead the perfected, utterly pure and perfect holy life."{{sfnp|Schumann|2003|p=45}} MN 26, MĀ 204, the [[Dharmaguptaka]] Vinaya and the [[Mahāvastu]] all agree that his mother and father opposed his decision and "wept with tearful faces" when he decided to leave.{{sfnp|Schumann|2003|pp=45–46}}{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=173}}
[[File:Siddharta Gautama Borobudur.jpg|thumb|Prince Siddhartha shaves his hair and becomes a [[śramaṇa]]. [[Borobudur]], 8th century]]
Legendary biographies also tell the story of how Gautama left his palace to see the outside world for the first time and how he was shocked by his encounter with human suffering.{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=21}}{{sfnp|Strong|2001|p=63}} These depict Gautama's father as shielding him from religious teachings and from knowledge of human [[dukkha|suffering]], so that he would become a great king instead of a great religious leader.{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=20}} In the ''[[Nidanakatha]]'' (5th century CE), Gautama is said to have seen an old man. When his charioteer [[Channa (Buddhist)|Chandaka]] explained to him that all people grew old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an [[shramana|ascetic]] that inspired him.{{sfnp|Conze|1959|pp=39–40}}{{sfnp|Warder|2000|p=322}}{{sfnp|Schumann|2003|p=44}} This story of the "[[four sights]]" seems to be adapted from an earlier account in the ''Digha Nikaya'' (DN 14.2) which instead depicts the young life of a previous Buddha, [[Vipassī Buddha|Vipassi]].{{sfnp|Schumann|2003|p=44}}

The legendary biographies depict Gautama's departure from his palace as follows. Shortly after seeing the four sights, Gautama woke up at night and saw his female servants lying in unattractive, corpse-like poses, which shocked him.{{sfnp|Strong|2001|loc=Incitements to Leave Home}} Therefore, he discovered what he would later understand more deeply during his [[enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]]: ''[[dukkha]]'' ("standing unstable", "dissatisfaction"{{sfn|Monier-Williams|1899|p=483, entry note:&nbsp;}}{{sfnp|Analayo|2013c}}{{sfnp|Beckwith|2015|p=30}}{{sfnp|Alexander|2019|p=36}}) and the end of ''dukkha''.{{sfnp|Strong|2015|loc=The Beginnings of Discontent}} Moved by all the things he had experienced, he decided to leave the palace in the middle of the night against the will of his father, to live the life of a wandering ascetic.{{sfnp|Conze|1959|pp=39–40}}

Accompanied by Chandaka and riding his horse [[Kanthaka]], Gautama leaves the palace, leaving behind his son [[Rahula]] and [[Yashodhara|Yaśodhara]].{{sfnp|Narada|1992|pp=15–16}} He travelled to the river [[Anoma River|Anomiya]], and cut off his hair. Leaving his servant and horse behind, he journeyed into the woods and changed into [[Kasaya (clothing)|monk's robes]] there,{{sfnp|Strong|2015|loc=The Great Departure}} though in some other versions of the story, he received the robes from a [[Brahma (Buddhism)|''Brahma'']] deity at Anomiya.{{sfnp|Penner|2009|p=28}}

According to the legendary biographies, when the ascetic Gautama first went to Rajagaha (present-day [[Rajgir]]) to beg for [[alms#Buddhism|alms]] in the streets, King [[Bimbisara]] of [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] learned of his quest, and offered him a share of his kingdom. Gautama rejected the offer but promised to visit his kingdom first, upon attaining enlightenment.{{sfnp|Strong|2001|loc=The Great Departure}}{{sfnp|Hirakawa|1990|p=25}}