What is the traditional name for Siddhartha Gautama’s departure from palace life?

The traditional name for Siddhartha Gautama’s departure from palace life is the Great Renunciation.

Buddhist biographies describe Siddhartha leaving his privileged life to search for an answer to aging, sickness, and death. This departure is often called the Great Renunciation, or Mahabhinishkramana in Sanskrit. It marks the beginning of his life as a wandering seeker.

The story traditionally places the event at age 29, after Siddhartha encountered the Four Sights: an old person, a sick person, a corpse, and a wandering ascetic. These encounters are said to have changed his understanding of sheltered palace life.

The Great Renunciation is distinct from enlightenment, which occurred years later at Uruvela, and from the first sermon at Sarnath. It is also distinct from the Buddha’s final passing at Kushinagar.