Why did the prince renounce the secular world? The first story that can be offered to describe his motivation is the dramatic “Four Excursions out of the Gate” from the Lalita Vistara. This sūtra describes his going out of the east, west, south, and north gates of the Kapila Castle. As he left the east gate he encountered an old person. As he left the south gate he encountered a sick person. As he left the west gate he encountered a funeral procession. These encounters made him unable to live without sensing that his death would arrive at some point. In other words, he came face to face with the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. As he left the final north gate, he encountered the purity of one who had renounced the world. This gave the despairing prince a ray of hope. This “Four Excursions out of the Gate” episode can be seen as symbolically depicting the troubled mind of the young prince.