 The later Mahayana schools may have preserved ideas that had been abandoned by the "orthodox" Theravada, including

Pre-sectarian Buddhism was originally one of the śramaṇic movements.The time of the Buddha was a time of urbanisation in India, and saw the growth of the "śramaṇas", wandering philosophers that had rejected the authority of "Vedas" and Brahmanic priesthood, intent on escaping "saṃsāra" through various means, which involved the study of ascetic practices, and ethical behavior.The "śramaṇas" gave rise to different religious and philosophical schools, among which pre-sectarian Buddhism itself, Yoga and similar schools of Hinduism, Jainism, Ājīvika, Ajñana and Cārvāka were the most important, and also to popular concepts in all major Indian religions such as "saṃsāra" (endless cycle of birth and death) and "moksha" (liberation from that cycle).