What were the social and cultural conditions that informed and set the stage for the birth and spread of Buddhism?

An
important social context for the rise of Buddhism had to do with developments within Hinduism.
The rigid caste structure endorsed by Hinduism in the fifth century BCE had become distasteful
to many who disliked the opulent lifestyles and corruption of the priestly Brahman caste. So
when Siddhartha Gautama (himself a member of the priestly Kshatriya caste) became the Buddha,
the Enlightened One, his message of simplicity and rejection of earthly...

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