Partly because of its special ecological characteristics, but partly as well because "early Buddhism in India was influenced by Brahmanism and Hinduism, as well as Indian folklore," holds Lu Yen-ping.
因此除了生態上的解釋方便，「起於印度的佛教也受早於它的婆羅門教（早期印度教）、印度教，甚至民間思想影響」，陸豔冰認為。