Question

At the age 30, the man who became the Buddha had four specific encounters which would change his life forever. Which of the following series of encounters is correct?

Answer 1

Siddhartha Gautama, who would become the Buddha, had life-changing encounters with an old man, a sick man, a dead body, and a holy man. These events led him to renounce his royal life and seek enlightenment, culminating in his emergence as the founder of Buddhism with teachings on the middle way and the Four Noble Truths.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the age of 30, Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as the Buddha, had four profound encounters that changed the course of his life. These encounters were with an old man, a sick man, a dead body (decaying corpse), and a holy man (ascetic). Through these experiences, he realized the omnipresence of suffering (old age, illness, and death) and the possibility of overcoming it through a spiritual path, leading him to seek enlightenment.

Following a period of intense meditation, asceticism, and reflection, Siddhartha Gautama ultimately found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at the age of 35. He then became known as Buddha, meaning "the awakened one" and began teaching the path to enlightenment through the "middle way" – a balanced approach rejecting both extreme indulgence and severe asceticism. He set forth the Four Noble Truths and introduced the Eightfold Path as a way to achieve nirvana, the cessation of suffering, and the cycle of rebirth.