Acharya Prashant explains that while one must become a Buddha to truly know a Buddha, the journey begins by understanding Shri Buddha's words through a mental process of contemplation rather than meditation. He emphasizes that Shri Buddha's teachings must be understood within their historical context. During Shri Buddha's time, the pure Vedic and Vedantic traditions had become corrupted by an excess of intellectual knowledge and ritualism. This 'corruption of knowledge' led to social evils like the rigid caste system and animal sacrifices. Shri Buddha emerged to challenge this intellectual arrogance, particularly the authority of those who claimed to possess absolute knowledge.