Kyle's response to Buddhism statement

The Vedic Religions were centered around ceremonies and rituals. This was a cramped and restrictive religion, and could even be described as a "spiritual vacuum". This created a negative connotation to the Vedic Religions, because at times it seemed like the rituals were more important than the gods themselves. There was a "spiritual hunger" during this time which had people looking for some kind of change. Buddhism was exactly the kind of change that people were looking for. The Buddah offered an escape from the constant cycle of death and rebirth: meditation. Through meditation, people could get out of the cycle of constant suffering temporarily, or if they were able to achieve a state of enlightenment, they could be free forever. The Buddah was preaching hope to a group of people hopelessly ensnared in a rigid caste system. Buddhism is a reaction to the Vedic religions because it gave people hope in a hopeless religious social system.