Book
5. A Wandering Monk
On his way back to the palace, he received news of the birth of his son. That night he ordered his charioteer to saddle his favorite horse, Kanthaka. He rode all night and at dawn assumed the guise of an ascetic, exchanging clothes with his charioteer, whom he sent back to his father's palace.
Thus, Gautama began the life of a wandering monk. Immediately he went in search of the most learned teachers of the day to instruct him in truth, quickly mastering all they taught. Unsatisfied and restless, he determined to find a permanent truth, impervious to the illusions of the world.
Traveling through the Magadha country, he was noticed for his handsome countenance and noble stature. He arrived at a village called Senanigama, near Uruvela, where he was joined by a group of five ascetics, among whom was Kondañña, the Brahmin who had foretold his Buddhahood.
Here, for almost six years, Gautama practiced severe austerities. Finally realizing the futility of asceticism, Gautama abandoned his austerities to seek his own path of enlightenment—whereupon his companions rejected and deserted him.