Final answer:
Westerners likely missed how Theravada Buddhism's traditions of organization and rule-based systems bolstered its integration into societal and state structures in East Asia, apart from its spiritual teachings.
Step-by-step explanation:
Early Western observers of Theravada Buddhism might have missed the tradition of drawing on existing systems of organization, rules, and regulations that were crucial to its functioning and integration into the societies it entered. Theravada, the oldest branch of Buddhism, emphasizes meditation and individual spiritual journey towards enlightenment, but its successful spread throughout East Asia was also due to the strategic role it played in statecraft and organization. Monks, known for their discipline and non-materialistic values, were difficult to bribe and became trusted advisors to kings, helping to strengthen central governments through their advised policies and practices of organization by rules. This aspect of the adoption of Buddhism, where its organizational systems contributed to state administration, rather than just its philosophical teachings, likely escaped early Western interpretations that focused more on the religion's metaphysical and spiritual dimensions.