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Yeah I know, the rise of Buddhism in the Mediterranean and Europe was a gradual process, so finding an exact cutoff point might be difficult. I suppose to make it somewhat easier, we'll say no PoDs prior to Augustus, since "preserve the republic" is a common enough trope as is.

Maybe the one of the early emperors makes a hash of the religious significance of his office, creating a cult that literally worships him as a heavenly god on earth (before the new imperial government had time to devise an effective check)? Or maybe one of the religions in a "foreign" corner of the empire starts taking off in popularity? Or maybe the Parthian Wars just go differently, such that trade and exchange with the Kushan Empire is more difficult? Or something else?
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