That was EXACTLY the problem with Buddhism. It was taken on by others immediately and warped into 10001 different things until it is ALmost gobbly-de-gook.
It really doesn't work as well as the God-faith just because worship HAS to be to a God, not a man, especially a man who was ADAMANT that he was not God or a god.
Talking about meditation in the same breath ALWAYS happens and, really Buddha and meditation have NOTHING to do with each other. Humans have been meditating without a Buddha ever since there have been humans so the two shouldn't be linked at all.
I taught yoga for years and had to quash so many myths and legends about Buddha, Hinduism and meditation. Buddha WAS Indian but the faith NEVER made it in India. The Indians have their own pantheon of gods and goddesses, some human, some animal, some objects and some mixtures of any of those. There are ABOUT 330 MILLION deities in Hinduism. Buddha was only ONE little god...and not the most important one either.
One difference is in yoga, one should not meditate while defecating, whereas in Buddhism, one should continue to medidate even if one has to defecate.
Meditation is one of a number of practices absorbed by Buddhism from Brahmism. There seems to be a different goal for the meditation.