Buddhism developed as a direct reaction to:

a) The caste system related restrictions present in the Vedic and Hindu traditions. The Vedic/Hindu tradition was the main religion present in India prior to the 6th century B.C.E and was heavily integrated into Indian society. The restriction present in the Vedic/Hindu traditions entailed that only Brahmin male priests were able to achieve the cessation of the life/death cycle through moksa. In addition to this, the Buddhist tradition rejected the links between religious function and social status/wealth that were found in the Vedic/Hindu traditions. This is seen clearly in the Vedic sacrificial culture through the horse sacrifice ritual, in which an important religious ritual is centred on the role of a ruler/king. Also, Buddhism allowed all members of society to be actively involved as a �religious function� through allowing all members of society the possibility to achieve nirvana. Whereas, in the Vedic tradition, only Brahmin Priests were allowed to perform in important religious rituals.

b) The violent atmosphere that plagued India�s society at the time of its origination. During the time of the historical Buddha, India was experiencing many internal wars between different states. Again, the Vedic ritual of horse sacrifice is a brilliant example of the violence that Indian society was experiencing during this time period. This ritual entailed a horse being set loose on the ruler�s land, and then allowed to travel to any destination it pleased. Hence, wherever the horse went, became the ruler�s land. It is important to note that the horse was most often followed by the ruler�s army. It is also important to note that this violent behaviour was being endorsed by the current religion. It can been seen through the doctrines that condemn any type of harm unto others present throughout Buddhism developed as a direct reaction to the violence that was occurring in Indian society at the time and throughout the countries previously predominant religion.

c) Commentary: In addition, to this, it is quite possible that Buddhism would not have been able to evolve if India had not been experiencing major transformations at this time. The major transformations that India did experience, essentially changed many of the social situations that perhaps made the Vedic religion so important to Indian society. Previous to the 6th century B.C.E., Indian communities were primarily nomadic pastorial based economies, yet during the 5th century B.C.E, they became settled, agricultural communities. Also, iron implements became widespread during this time period. Essentially, the religious functions of the Vedic/Hindu traditions served the nomadic pastorial based communities well, but during such dramatic social changes, it must be expected that unless the current religion changes, a new religion will be there to accommodate the social changes appropriately.