Siddhartha Gotama gets to a point where he decided to tell his royal attendant he is no longer needed, gives him some provisions for the journey, and turns his horse loose. He then cuts off his hair.
During this timeframe, members of the royal family would grow their hair very long. This is how people knew you were a member of the royal family. If you went out into the Kingdom with long, beautiful, flowing hair, they would know you are a member of the royal family.
Common people, labors, farmers, etc. would be unable to grow long, beautiful, flowing hair. They did not have the time nor resources to care for the hair, as their hair would get all knotted up due to their laborious daily activities. It was only members of the royal family who had the time to sit around with servants washing, shampooing, brushing, and detangling their hair. Therefore, if you had long beautiful hair, they knew you were a member of the royal family.
So, cutting off his hair, was Siddhartha Gotama essentially saying “I am never going back”. He would have difficulties ever assuming the throne as the King because those in the Kingdom would never think he was the King since he had cut off his hair that he had been growing for twenty-nine (29) years.
There are other benefits to cutting off the hair as part of one’s journey to Enlightenment but, you can learn that another time. And, not everyone who will get to Enlightenment will need to cut off their hair but, it is a big help in one’s journey to Enlightenment.
I am going to pause the life story of Siddhartha Gotama here and teach you something that is not The Teachings of The Buddha, then I will continue his life story after I teach you this aspect of what you will see here at this Temple.