Almost everyone back during the first centuries of the Common Era had to choose a religion even if they did not want to. Buddhism and the Vedic religion were very different in many ways. Buddhists believed that when someone died there was no reincarnation when the Vedic religion believed so. Vedic followers believed in gods and worshiped them when Buddhists don't. Also Priests were the highest class of the Vedic religion while the Buddhist is the leader of Buddhism. The Buddhist religion was a complete reaction against the Vedic religion.
To begin with, Buddhism and the Vedic religion were very different and therefore Buddhism is a negative reaction against Vedic teachings and their religion. For example, Buddhists believe that when one of their members die they will not get reincarnated and have a new life, they will just be rewarded with nirvana which released their soul from the world. Vedic people such as the Hindus believe that during a persons lifetime they have karma, and having good karma can move you up on the caste ladder, and having bad karma lowering you on the caste ladder. Karma is resulting in reincarnation and that is a teaching of the Vedic religion showing that Buddhists are against it and the Vedic religion.
The teachers of reincarnation were the highest caste level of the Vedic religion, the Priests. The Brahmin (Priests and high level scholars) were the rulers of the Vedic religion areas and they taught people their own rules and completely disregarded the writing of the people living their. The Buddhists believed in only one leader, the Buddha. Many people started believing in the Buddha as a god, and after he had died he left his worshipers with a last few words urging them to “Be their own lamp.” While Buddhists started believing that the Buddha was a god after he died, they did not believe in any other gods although worshipers of the Vedic religion did. Hindus of the Vedic religion for example believed in two gods, Vishnu, Shiva, and “the Goddess” Devi. Buddhists began to worship the Buddha himself as a god but that was only after he had died. Before the Buddha had died, the Buddhists believed in no god therefore being the exact opposite of their rival religion, the Hindus.
In conclusion, Buddhism is a complete negative response to the making of the Vedic religion. Buddhists did not believe in any gods until their Buddha died while Hindus believe in a couple gods. The Buddha is the Buddhists main leader while the Brahmin controls the Vedic religion. Worshipers of the Vedic religion, Hindu for example, believe in reincarnation while Buddhists just believe that they will be rewarded with nirvana. Buddhism truly is wanted to get rid of the Vedic religion once and for all.
