One of the first visitors to the palace after his birth, was a wise Sage called Asita. On seeing the baby, he first smiled and then tears began to trickle down his face. The King and Queen were worried. " Will any harm come to our son?" " Oh, no, Your Majesties," the Sage replied. "Your son will be extremely fortunate. I am smiling because I am very lucky to see him, who is no ordinary human being. He will be most unusual. In fact, he will become a Buddha one day, a Fully Enlightened One, who will teach the whole world how to find true happiness and relief from sorrow. I am old now and shall not live to see that day. That is why I am sad." The King was not altogether happy at what he geared. He invited more learned and wise men to the palace, eight of them for the naming ceremony of his child. They studied special markings on the body of the baby. Seven of them said that he would one day become a great Emperor, or, indeed, a Buddha. But the eighth sage, whose name was Kondanna, was very definite that the Prince would one day see four Special Signs and give up his palace and family. He would lead the simple life of an ascetic in meditation and become a Buddha.