ngs before. He asked Channa to explain the meaning of these sights. Channa explained that old age, sickness, and death were "natural and unavoidable things that came to all people. They were to be endured" (Wangu 19). Gautama was shocked, and returned to the palace to think about what he had seen. For the first time, he "confronted the reality of life: 'Everything is transient; nothing is permanent in this world...Knowing that, I can find delight in nothing...How can a man, who knows that death is inevitable, still feel greed in his heart, enjoy the world of senses, and not weep in this great danger?" (Wangu 19) After seeing his first three sights, Gautama asked Channa to take him into the city once more. This time, he saw a wandering holy man. The man had shaven his head, wore only a ragged yellow robe, and carried a walking stick. Gautama stopped his chariot and questioned the man. The man told him that he was an ascetic, and, "I am... terrified by birth and death and therefore have ad
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