The rise of Buddhism is a vital part of what is known about the Indian subcontinent as it was in the 6th Century BCE, and thus it is important to understand the social and economic environment of that era to understand how a form of religion so different from the common Vedic practices emerged and flourished.
The age of the Vedas led to the emergence of a very rigid system that governed how a certain sect was supposed to act and how certain groups of people were to be treated by other groups. It also brought in a hierarchy which placed religion (Bramhins) at the very top, and placed occupations related to trade and manual labour at the bottom. This hierarchy can be said to have functioned adequately when agriculture was still mostly the main means of living, but the emergence of non-agricultural professions
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Buddha’s teachings mentioned that ability of women to function as individuals outside the boundaries of marriage, a concept that provided women who craved even the slightest degree of independence a way to retain control over their lives. While even Buddhism offered only a limited amount of freedom to them, it was more than they could expect from the Hindu society, and thus they were drawn to Buddhism.
The rise of Buddhism in the early empires on India is, therefore, a result of political expansion and stability, the transition of economic structures, and the change in the status quo presented by the Vedic or Brahmanical religion. The ethical way of life prescribed by Buddha can also be seen as an efficient way of ensuring the settled nature of life; by promoting a way of living that is not injurious to anyone, Buddha’s teachings also promote a life that is free of conflict—indirectly protecting the fabric of a stable