The Buddha's teachings were passed down orally until the first written record of the Buddha's teachings appeared hundreds of years after his life. It is believed that the teachings available today are an accurate representation of what the Buddha taught 2,500 years ago. From the time he rose from his seat under the Bodhi Tree, to the time of his death forty-five years later, the Buddha taught everyone he came in contact with — the sangha grew from a handful of ascetics to Kings and multitudes.