But as a religion, Hinduism has a problem, at least if you want to start an empire. Everyone's path to salvation is individual. The original Brahmins tried to set themselves up as political leaders, but Hinduism doesn't really place a premium on worshippers obeying their leaders. And if you are a leader trying to make your subjects listen to you, that's kind of a bummer. Which brings us to part five, Buddhism. We can't establish this historically, but according to traditional biographies, our story begins in the 6th century BCE. Let's go to the Thought Bubble.