The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
The Very First Sermon of The Buddha
About 2,600 years ago, in a small kingdom just below the Himalayan Foothills, the Shakya clan celebrated the birth of a new prince — Siddhartha Gautama. Twelve years before he was even born, the Brahmins had prophesied that the prince’s fate lay in two possible paths: to become a universal monarch that ruled with inordinate power, or a great sage of unrivaled wisdom.
The seductive appeal of the former over the latter instigated the king to confine Siddhartha within the palace’s walls as the prince grew up. Luxury in all shapes and forms surrounded the prince’s life — he was tutored by the Brahmins, trained in the noble arts of archery and swordsmanship, entertained by dancing girls, and fed with extravagant feasts. When he came of age, he was wedded to Yaśodharā, who bore him a son, Rāhula. By society’s standards, he had everything. But it wasn’t enough.
The prince found himself drawn to the mysterious world lying beyond the palace’s walls. He couldn’t help it, and ventured to this great unknown. There, in the streets, he encountered three things that were absurdly foreign to his lifestyle in the palace.
What he saw was nothing any common folk would take note of — a sick man, an old man, and a corpse that was being carried to the burning grounds…
