The historical Buddha: the social setting of Buddhism

At the time when Buddhism emerged, India had as much religious variety as it has today
The Buddha was born into Hindu culture, which appears to have contained elements of Hinduism that prevail today such as social structuring, core religious values, the expectations that come with each of the stages (ashrama) of life and the four aims of life

Social setting
There were major social changes taking place, one of the most significant of which were changes to the caste (varna) system

• Brahmin or priest
• Kshatriya or warrior
• Vaishya or merchant, professional or skilled…