Leaves the palace at midnight to go forth

Date: the Buddha biography Taizi ruiying benqi jing and the Chinese Fo bannihuan jing and Bannihuan jing have the eighth day of the fourth month; the Xiuxing benqi jing has after midnight on the seventh day of the fourth month; the Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing has the seventh day of the second month; the later commentaries of the Southern tradition have midnight on the full moon of Āsāḷha. Source text

The manner of going forth: Majjhima Nikāya 26 of the Southern tradition and others say the parents were present and weeping as the Bodhisatta shaved his hair and beard; the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya says the Bodhisatta shaved his own head against his parents' wishes; the Chinese Mahīśāsaka and Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinayas and the later commentaries of the Southern tradition say the Bodhisatta rode away at midnight while everyone slept. Source text

Help in leaving the city: the Chinese Mahīśāsaka Vinaya says the city gate opened of itself; the Chinese Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya says Sakka put everyone to sleep and a yakkha general set up a ladder for the Bodhisatta to descend from the city wall; the later commentaries of the Southern tradition say gods held up the horse's hooves. The horse's name is given as Kanthaka, and the charioteer is also rendered Chanda and so on. Source text