The Four Messengers

At the age of 29,  during his journey outside of the palace Siddhartha encountered four signs which remind him to fulfill his destiny and take up the spiritual life. Siddhartha first encountered old age ( an old man) sickness ( a sick person),   death ( a dead corpse), and a monk .

 Siddhartha said:
  'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging, sees another who is aged, he is horrified, vexed, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging. If I — who am subject to aging, not beyond aging — were to be horrified, vexed, & disgusted on seeing another person who is aged, that would not be fitting for me.' When I reflected thus, all my intoxication with youth entirely dropped away.
"'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to sickness, not beyond sickness, sees another who is sick, he is horrified, vexed, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to sickness, not beyond sickness. If I — who am subject to sickness, not beyond sickness — were to be horrified, vexed, & disgusted on seeing another person who is sick, that would not be fitting for me.' When I reflected thus, all my intoxication with health entirely dropped away.
"'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to death, not beyond death, sees another who is dead, he is horrified, vexed, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to death, not beyond death. If I — who am subject to death, not beyond death — were to be horrified, vexed, & disgusted on seeing another person who is dead, that would not be fitting for me.' When I reflected thus, all my intoxication with life entirely dropped away."  - Sukhamala Sutta

 

"Before my Awakening, when I was still an unawakened Bodhisatta, the thought occurred to me: " Household life is confining, a dusty path. Life gone forth is the open air. It isn't easy, living in a home, to practice the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, as a polished shell. What if I, having shaved off my hair & beard and putting on the orchre robe, were to go forth from the household life into homelessness?"
" So, at a later time, while still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life- and while my parents, unwilling, were crying with tears streaming down their faces- I shaved off my hair & beard, put on the orche robe and went forth from the home life into homelessness." - Maha-Saccaka Sutta.END=NAM MO SAKYA MUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.2/5/2014.THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTMENT.