ns. Buddhists goal was to obtain nirvana, which is the Buddhist equivalent of Hindu moksha: release from human life and its woes (Adler, 51). Nirvana is attained by mastery of oneself and the following of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which Buddha laid out in his teachings (Adler, 51). In the Four Noble Truths it is said that all suffering is brought on by desire and desire can only be overcome by reaching the state of nirvana (Adler, 51). The Eightfold Path is a path of righteous done on Earth. The grasp of oneself, as well as, nature is the only true way to reach nirvana. Religious belief, rather than government, was the cement that held its people together and gave the basis for their consciousness of being a nation (Adler, 53).These ancient civilizations differ rather drastically when it comes to the afterlife. Although that phenomenon is true, it is the afterlife that molded these different cultures. The Sumerians were pessimistic about nature and religion because they had nothing to look forward to after death, just a life in the dirt, complete darkness. Egyptians lived optimistic lives and hoped to eventually live in that circle around the sun with no worries. Lastly, the Buddhists of India wanted to become masters of themselves and obtain nirvana; the Hindus hoped to sustain good kharma and survive the dharma to flee from the Wheel of Life and become one with Brahman. All of these religious beliefs became of a way of life for the ancient civilizations, just as Christianity is the basis of human in most of the Western world....
