Four Heavenly Messengers

Four Heavenly Messengers

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This image depicts Prince Siddhartha when he leaves his palace and sees the four sights. This is a significant part of his life because when he was born, it was predicted that after he saw the four sights, he would become the Buddha. The four sights include an old man, a diseased man, a corpse, and a nomadic monk. When he left, he saw these four sights and realized he lived in a world of suffering which made him question the truth about life. These realizations affected him deeply and he left all of his possessions and his palace behind for a life asceticism. Prince Siddhartha had been kept sheltered his whole life by his father so when he was 29 years old, he first took a trip outside of the palace walls. The first thing he encountered was an old man. The old man presented the concept of aging to Prince Siddhartha and this thought scared him. It made him realize that every being would one day suffer from aging. The second sight Prince Siddhartha encountered was that of a diseased man. This sight surprised him as well because he had never seen a sick person before. He then realized that all humans will suffer from disease and pain one day. The third sight he encountered was that of a corpse. This sight scared him more and he realized that one day he would have to go through this too. After he had seen all these three negative things about life, he became sad about all the sufferings that the world has to encounter. After these three sights, he saw a more positive fourth sight. It was of a monk who had dedicated his life to find an end to suffering. This sight inspired Prince Siddhartha into becoming a monk because it gave him hope that he would one day be released from the constant cycle of suffering. This image was obtained on Wikimedia Commons and all rights go to the user Sacca.

Aafreen Vohra

Sacca. <i>Four Heavenly Messengers</i>. Digital image. <i>Wikimedia Commons</i>. N.p., May 2006. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. &lt;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four_Heavenly_Messengers.jpg

Buddhism, REL 222

Buddhism: REL 222, Arts of Asia: Art 276

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Sacca - public domain license

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Painting on canvas

English

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