Siddhartha Gautama Buddha wandered around Northeast India for decades, teaching all who would listen. He covered a "territory some 150 miles long by 250 miles wide, an area somewhat smaller than Ireland or the state of Pennsylvania." Siddhartha Gautama Buddha had tens of thousands of disciples and accumulated a large public following. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha later established an order of monks and a corresponding order of nuns. His wife Yasodhara became the first nun.

His health began to fail when he was in this late 70s. After forty-five years of teaching, he died in a small town named Kusinagara, at the age of 80, apparently of natural causes. His final words were: "Decay is inherent in all things. Be sure to strive with clarity of mind" for Nirvana. The traditional date of his death used by Theravadin Buddhists is 544 or 543 BCE. However, dates have been suggested from 544 to 380 BCE.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha did not choose a successor. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha felt that the Dharma -- his teachings -- plus the Vinaya -- his code of rules for the monks and nuns -- would be a sufficient guide. Two and a half centuries later, a council of Buddhist monks collected his teachings and the oral traditions of the faith into written form, called the Tripitaka. This included a very large collection of commentaries and traditions; most are called Sutras (discourses).

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