In short: the four sights are an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a wandering renunciant. In the traditional story the young prince Siddhartha, sheltered in his palace, sees them on trips outside and is moved to seek a way beyond suffering. The early suttas describe his sheltered youth and his shock at aging, sickness and death; the full four-sights story is told in later tradition.
In the early texts
In AN 3.38 the Buddha recalls his delicate upbringing and how, when he reflected on aging, sickness and death, his youthful pride left him.
What it teaches
- Aging, sickness and death are universal. See mindfulness of death and the five remembrances.
- The fourth sight points to a way out: a life of practice.
Read next: who was the Buddha? · his awakening · Buddhist teachings on death
Questions people ask
What are the four sights?
An old person, a sick person, a corpse and a wandering renunciant. In the story they move a young prince to seek freedom from suffering.
Is the story of the four sights in the early texts?
The early suttas mention the prince's sheltered, delicate life and the shock of facing aging, sickness and death, but the full story with the four sights appears in later biographies and in the account of the earlier Buddha Vipassi.
What is the lesson?
Aging, sickness and death are not exceptions; they are part of life, and seeing them clearly opens the way to practice.