when he taught, he did not pretend to be a god. he said he was just a man who had found the meaning of life (enlightenment), and that any person can also find the meaning of life. for the rest of his life, he walked all over what is now southern nepal and parts of india to teach people what he believed. he started a "sangha", which is a group of buddhist monks and nuns. many people became enlightened because of him. at the age of 80, after 45 years teaching the four noble truths, gautama buddha died.