佛祖統紀 2.41

2.41

Forty-third year (xinwei): The Prince informed the King that he was going to tour the parks and groves. Escorted before and behind, he exited through the eastern gate of the city. At that time, a Śuddhāvāsa deity transformed into an old man with white hair and a bent back. Seeing him, the Prince returned to the palace, sorrowful and joyless, reflecting: 'Old age arrives like lightning; how could I alone escape it? Why are the people of the world not terrified of it?' On another day, he exited again through the southern gate of the city. A Śuddhāvāsa deity transformed into a sick man, emaciated of body with a distended belly, unable to support himself. The Prince reflected: 'Why are people not terrified of such suffering of illness?' He immediately turned his carriage back into the palace. A short while later, he exited through the western gate of the city. A Śuddhāvāsa deity transformed into a dead man, carried by four men while his family wailed and escorted him. The Prince said to his minister Udāyin: 'The world actually contains this suffering of death; why does one indulge in heedlessness amidst it?' He immediately ordered the carriage turned back. Finally, he exited through the northern gate of the city. A Śuddhāvāsa deity transformed into a monk, wearing Dharma robes, holding an alms-bowl, and grasping a khakkhara staff. The Prince asked who he was. He answered: 'I am a monk, cultivating the holy path and forever attaining the unconditioned.' Having spoken, he ascended into the sky and departed. The Prince led his horse back to the palace and thought to himself: 'I previously saw the sufferings of old age, illness, and death, and always feared being oppressed by them. Now seeing this monk has awakened my mind and shown me the path of liberation.' He then contemplated expedient means, desiring to leave the household life (Sūtra on Cause and Effect. According to the Ruiying jing, he toured the four gates at age fourteen. The Benxing jing states: The Prince asked who he was. He replied, 'I am a disciple of the Buddha, a śramaṇa.' The Prince asked, 'What is meant by a śramaṇa?' He replied: 'The three realms are turbulent; the six destinies are benighted. Understanding the mind and penetrating the original source, one is therefore called a śramaṇa.').