You don’t get out alive

Abstract

Once upon a time, in a small country located in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, there lived a king, Shuddodana Gauthama, whose wife was expecting her first child. Before the birth of the child she had a strange dream in which a baby elephant blessed her with his trunk. When she recounted the dream, it was perceived by her courtiers as a very auspicious sign. The infant when born was named Siddhartha, which means “he who has attained his goals.” After his birth, Siddhartha’s father consulted an illustrious soothsayer, and asked him about the future of his son. The soothsayer proclaimed that his son would be one of two things: he could become a great king, even an emperor, or he would be a great sage and savior of humanity. As Siddhartha was the only heir to the throne, his father did not want him to renounce the world. Eager that his son should become a king like himself, he was determined to shield him from anything that might result in taking up the religious life, that is, religious teachings or knowledge of human suffering. King Shuddodana told his courtiers that his son was not permitted to see the elderly, the sick, the dead, or anyone who had dedicated themselves to spiritual practices. He wanted Siddhartha to grow up surrounded only by beauty and health.