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The Buddha and the Four Truths

- Anne-Marie Reidy

On his first trip outside the palace walls, Siddhartha saw something strange. A man was walking along the road. He had white hair and weak, skinny legs. Walking was very hard for him and he had to lean on a cane. Siddhartha asked his driver why the man was having so much trouble. The driver explained that the man was very old, and his body didn't work as well as a young man's body does. Siddhartha was shocked. He had never known that people aged and grew weaker.
Siddhartha spent more time outside the palace and saw people who were sick and in pain. This upset the prince. He had never known that there was pain and illness in the world.
On his last trip outside the walls, Siddhartha saw a holy man. The driver explained that the holy man led a simple life. He did not have a home. He owned very few things. He traveled through the land, praying and searching for knowledge.
Siddhartha was very unhappy to learn that other people felt so much sadness and pain. He wanted to be like the holy man. He wanted to find a way to help people live without pain.

License information: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
MPAA: G
Go to source: https://www.commonlit.org/texts/the-buddha-and-the-four-truths

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