Pompeii - Archaeology of the Famous Roman Tragedy

Pompeii is arguably the most famous archaeological site in the world. There has never been a site as well preserved, as evocative, or as memorable as that of Pompeii, the luxurious resort for the Roman Empire, which was buried along with its sister cities of Stabiae and Herculaneum under the ash and lava erupted from Mount Vesuvius during the fall of 79 AD. Pompeii is located in the area of Italy known, then as now, as Campania. The vicinity of Pompeii was first occupied during the Middle Neolithic, and by the 6th century BC, it came under the rule of the Etruscans. The citys origins and the original name are unknown, nor are we clear on the sequence of settlers there, but it seems clear that Etruscans, Greeks, Oscans, and Samnites competed to occupy the land prior to the Roman conquest. The Roman occupation began in the 4th century BC, and the town reached its heyday when the Romans turned it into a seaside resort, beginning 81 BC. Pompeii as a Thriving Community At the time of its destruction, Pompeii was a thriving commercial port at the mouth of the Sarno River in southwestern Italy, on the southern flank of Mount Vesuvius. Pompeiis known buildings--and there are many that were preserved under the mud and ashfall--include a Roman basilica, built ca 130-120 BC, and an amphitheater built circa 80 BC. The forum contained several temples; the streets included hotels, food vendors and other eating places, a purpose-built lupanar, and other brothels, and gardens within the city walls. But probably of most fascination  to us today are the look into private homes, and the eerie negative images of human bodies caught in the eruption: the utter humanness of the tragedy seen at Pompeii. Dating the Eruption and an Eyewitness Romans watched the spectacular eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, many from a safe distance, but one early naturalist named Pliny (the Elder) watched while he helped evacuate refugees on the Roman warships under his charge. Pliny was killed during the eruption, but his nephew (called  Pliny the Younger), watching the eruption from Misenum about 30 kilometers (18 miles) away, survived and wrote about the events in letters that form the basis of our eye-witness knowledge about it. The traditional date of the eruption is August 24th, supposed to have been the date reported in Pliny the Youngers letters, but as early as 1797, the archaeologist Carlo Maria Rosini questioned the date on the basis of the remains of fall fruits he found preserved at the site, such as chestnuts, pomegranates, figs, raisins, and pine cones. A recent study of the distribution of the wind-blown ash at Pompeii (Rolandi and colleagues) also supports a fall date: the patterns shows that prevailing winds blew from a direction most prevalent in the fall. Further, a silver coin found with a victim in Pompeii was struck after September 8th, AD 79. If only Plinys manuscript had survived! Unfortunately, we only have copies. Its possible that a scribal error crept in regarding the date: compiling all the data together, Rolandi and colleagues (2008) propose a date of October 24th for the eruption of the volcano. Archaeology The excavations at Pompeii are an important watershed in the history of archaeology, as it was among the earliest of archaeological excavations, tunneled into by the  Bourbon rulers of Naples and Palermo beginning in the fall of 1738. The Bourbons undertook full-scale excavations in 1748--much to the belated distress of modern archaeologists who would have preferred they wait until better techniques were available. Of the many archaeologists associated with Pompeii and Herculaneum are pioneers of the field Karl Weber, Johann-Joachim Winckelmann, and Guiseppe Fiorelli; a team was sent to Pompeii by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who had a  fascination with archaeology and was responsible for the  Rosetta stone  ending up in the British Museum.   Modern research at the site and others affected by the 79 Vesuvian eruption was conducted by the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii, led by Rick Jones at the University of Bradford, with colleagues at Stanford and the University of Oxford. Several field schools were conducted at Pompeii between 1995 and 2006, mostly targeting the section known as Regio VI. Many more sections of the city remain unexcavated, left for future scholars with improved techniques. Pottery at Pompeii Pottery was always an important element of Roman society and it has figured in many of the modern studies of Pompeii. According to recent research (Peà ±a and McCallum 2009), thin-walled pottery tableware and lamps were manufactured elsewhere and brought into the city to sell. Amphorae were used to pack goods such as garum and wine and they too were brought in to Pompeii. That makes Pompeii somewhat anomalous among Roman cities, in that the largest portion of their pottery was produced outside its city walls. A ceramics works called the Via Lepanto was located just outside the walls on the Nuceria-Pompeii road. Grifa and colleagues (2013) report that the workshop was rebuilt after the AD 79 eruption, and continued to produce red-painted and burnished tablewares up until the Vesuvius eruption of 472. The red-slipped tableware called terra sigillata was found in numerous locations in and around Pompeii and using petrographic and elemental trace analysis of 1,089 sherds, McKenzie-Clark (2011) concluded that all but 23 were manufactured in Italy, accounting for 97% of the total investigated. Scarpelli et al. (2014) found that black slips on Vesuvian pottery were made of ferrous materials, consisting of one or more of magnetite, hercynite and/or hematite. Since the closure of the excavations at Pompeii in 2006, researchers have been busy publishing their results. Here are a few of the most recent ones, but there are many others: In Benefiels (2010) study of graffiti on the walls of the House of Maius Castricius is documented several pieces of incised romantic graffiti in different areas of the house. A conversation of 11 graffiti inscribed in a stairwell appears to be a literary and romantic conversation between two individuals. Most of the lines are original romantic poetry or plays on known texts, arranged vertically in two columns. Benefiel says the Latin lines hint at a kind of one-up-man-ship between two or more people.Piovesan and colleagues studied paints and pigments at Pompeiis Temple of Venus, identifying a range of mural colors made from the natural earth, minerals, and a few rare artificial pigments--black, yellow, red and brown ochre, cinnabar, Egyptian blue, green earth (mostly celadonite or glauconite) and white calcite.Cova (2015) reports on the alae--architectural wings--in many houses in the section of Pompeii known as Regio VI, and how the size and shape of the alae may reflect socioeconom ic changes in the Late Republic/Early Empire period. Miiello et al (2010) investigated construction phases in Regio VI by the variations of mortar.Astrid Lundgren at the University of Oslo published her dissertation on Pompeii in 2014, focusing on male sexuality and prostitution; Severy-Hoven is another scholar investigating the incredible wealth of erotica discovered at Pompeii.Murphy et al. (2013) looked at middens (garbage dumps) and was able to identify evidence that the waste is primarily kitchen food preparation of olives, grapes, figs, cereals, and pulses. However, they found little evidence for crop-processing, suggesting that the food was processed outside of the city before being brought to market. Sources This article is part of the About.com Dictionary of Archaeology: Ball LF, and Dobbins JJ. 2013. Pompeii Forum Project: Current Thinking on the Pompeii Forum. American Journal of Archaeology 117(3):461-492.Benefiel RR. 2010. Dialogues of Ancient Graffiti in the House of Maius Castricius in Pompeii. American Journal of Archaeology 114(1):59-101.Cova E. 2015. Stasis and Change in Roman Domestic Space: The Alae of Pompeiis Regio VI. American Journal of Archaeology 119(1):69-102.Grifa C, De Bonis A, Langella A, Mercurio M, Soricelli G, and Morra V. 2013. A Late Roman ceramic production from Pompeii. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(2):810-826.Lundgren AK. 2014. The Pastime of Venus: An archaeological investigation of male sexuality and protitution in Pompeii. Oslo, Norway: University of Oslo.McKenzie-Clark J. 2012. The supply of Campanian-made sigillata to the city of Pompeii. Archaeometry 54(5):796-820.Miriello D, Barca D, Bloise A, Ciarallo A, Crisci GM, De Rose T, Gattuso C, Gazineo F, and La Russa MF. 2010. Characterisation of archaeological mo rtars from Pompeii (Campania, Italy) and identification of construction phases by compositional data analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 37(9):2207-2223.Murphy C, Thompson G, and Fuller D. 2013. Roman food refuse: urban archaeobotany in Pompeii, Regio VI, Insula 1. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 22(5):409-419.Peà ±a JT, and McCallum M. 2009. The Production and Distribution of Pottery at Pompeii: A Review of the Evidence; Part 2, The Material Basis for Production and Distribution. American Journal of Archaeology 113(2):165-201.Piovesan R, Siddall R, Mazzoli C, and Nodari L. 2011. The Temple of Venus (Pompeii): a study of the pigments and painting techniques. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(10):2633-2643.Rolandi G, Paone A, Di Lascio M, and Stefani G. 2008. The 79 AD eruption of Somma: The relationship between the date of the eruption and the southeast tephra dispersion. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 169(1–2):87-98.Scarpelli R, Clark RJH, an d De Francesco AM. 2014. Archaeometric study of black-coated pottery from Pompeii by different analytical techniques. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 120(0):60-66.Senatore MR, Ciarallo A, and Stanley J-D. 2014. Pompeii Damaged by Volcaniclastic Debris Flows Triggered Centuries Prior to the 79 A.D. Vesuvius Eruption. Geoarchaeology 29(1):1-15.Severy-Hoven B. 2012. Master Narratives and the Wall Painting of the House of the Vettii, Pompeii. Gender History 24(3):540-580.Sheldon N. 2014. Dating the 79AD Eruption of Vesuvius: Is 24th August Really the Date? Decoded Past: Accessed 30 July 2016.

Biblical Flood Myth of Genesis and the Flood Myth of the...

The Flood of the Bible and the Flood of Gilgamesh The story of Noah’s Ark, as told in the old testament, tells how God punished the world because it had become corrupt. God accomplished this by flooding the world, and annihilating all the creatures upon it, except for Noah and his family and a pair of each type of creature on the earth. Each decade, more insight is gained into the origin of the flood story. Based on the information available at the present time, one could argue that the story of Noah’s Ark was based on the Epic of Gilgamesh. The story of Noah’s Ark was first written as part of the old testament by the Jewish people. However, it is predated by far by the story of the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story that†¦show more content†¦The dimensions of the ship underwent some drastic changes however, quite possibly because the dimensions of Gilgamesh’s boat were rather unreasonable: â€Å"Equal shall be her width and her length†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . Both Gilgamesh and Noah received 7 days notice, and after the flood ceased, both employed doves and ravens as scouts to determine if the land was dry yet (Gilgamesh also employed a swallow, but the results of its trip did not greatly differ from the first trip of the dove in Noah’s tale ). After the flood waters recessed, and the ships were able to empty their contents, both Noah and Gilgamesh also offered sacrifices to their respective gods, Noah with burnt offerings and Gilgamesh with a libation he poured on the mountainside where his ship came to r est. The other really large change was that God showed some signs of remorse and sorrow in Noah’s tale, opposed to Gilgamesh’s tale, where God showed little involvement beyond the initial instructions and the flood itself. It was Gilgamesh alone who displayed sorrow for the loss of his people. The shift of sympathy from Gilgamesh to God, however, does good to accommodate the Christian and Jewish perspective of a loving and forgiving God, who would only sweep the world of his own creations at a deep sentimental price. This idea is further confirmed by his promise never to commit such an act again after the flood ceases: â€Å"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though everyShow MoreRelated Flood Myth in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical Flood Myth of Genesis2119 Words   |  9 PagesThe Flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Flood of Genesis      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Biblical book, Genesis, of the Old Testament contains an account of an historic Flood which has never been equaled in intensity. Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh also records a Flood quite expansive and quite devastating. Are they a record of the same event?    E.A. Budge states in Babylonian Story of the Deluge and the Epic of Gilgamesh that the narration of the Flood in Sumero-BabylonianRead More Comparing the Epic of Gilgamesh Flood Myth and Book of Genesis Biblical Flood Myth1792 Words   |  8 Pagesthe Gilgamesh and Genesis Floods      Ã‚  Ã‚   The rendition of the historic, worldwide Flood recorded in Genesis of the Old Testament is similar to the account recorded on Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh, discovered in the 1800’s by British archaeologists in Assyria. Let us compare the two in this essay.    Alexander Heidel in his book, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, provides a background for the survivor of the Sumero-Babylonian Flood, Utnapishtim:Read More The Biblical Flood of Genesis Based Upon the Flood of the Epic of Gilgamesh1650 Words   |  7 PagesBiblical  Flood Based Upon the Flood of Gilgamesh      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the middle of the nineteenth century, archaeologists unearthed twelve clay tablets. Around the turn of the twentieth century, archaeologists finally managed to decipher the tablets written in Akkadian, the language of ancient royalty and diplomacy. The tablets tell of the story of Gilgamesh. (1) The eleventh tablet tells that Gilgamesh, in his quest for immortality set out on a long journey to look for his ancestor, UtnapishtimRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh And The Biblical Narrative Of The Genesis1332 Words   |  6 Pagesvariation among symbolism and moral values, however collective literary essentials exist. For instance, an abundance of flood stories that expand across the world verifies a connection among the traditions of mankind. The strong resemblance between the flood accounts in the ancient Mesopotamian myth The Epic of Gilgamesh and the biblical narrative of Noah’s Ark in The Genesis propose a closer relationship that encourages further analysis. The major plot points are echoed in both texts despite differentiationRead MoreGilgamesh vs Bible1424 Words   |  6 Pageswhy the Epic of Gilgamesh compares to the Bible in many different ways and the epic also has an extraordinarily different perspective than the Bible does. Yet the Bible and Gilgamesh, story or truth, myth or religion, these are questions that are applied to the ancient epic of Gilgamesh. Interestingly, these same questions apply to another major? They were written many years ago, both with many different versions, and in different languages work, the Bible. While the Sumerians wrote Gilgamesh as earlyRead MoreBiblical Flood Story Vs. Gilgamesh Flood1981 Words   |  8 PagesBiblical Flood Story versus Gilgamesh Flood Story The Biblical Flood story and the Gilgamesh Flood story include similarities and differences. There are two versions we know of the flood story in Babylonian literature, and both have different hero’s in each, although the cause of each flood is different. I will prove that I understand the task at hand by reading both of the stories, and taking it apart piece by piece to understand it in a whole. By doing this, I am able to know what I am readingRead MoreThe Purpose of the Biblical Flood narrative1977 Words   |  8 Pagesand early Judaism† (Coogen 2008) that contains many forms of writings and stories which address not only myth, main historical events and laws, but also those that follow the Israelites unique relationship with God. The first book of the Old Testament is known as Genesis, which is highly concerned with the world’s creation and its initial stages. It is also the origin of the biblical Flood Narrative concerning Noah and the Ark. The story is characterised by a man that is instructed to build anRead More Comparing and Contrasting Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bibles Noahs Ark642 Words   |  3 PagesComparing and Contrasting Epic of Gilgamesh and Noahs Ark Many cultures have stories of a great flood, and probably the best known story is of Noahs Ark. The next most notable is the Sumerian story of Ut-Napishtim found in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the ancient Babylonian depiction of the flood story, the god Enlil creates a flood to destroy a noisy mankind that is disturbing his sleep. Gilgamesh is told by another god, Ea, to build an ark (Monack 1). The Epic of Gilgamesh has broadly the sameRead MoreKnowledge in Gilgamesh and Genesis Essay1133 Words   |  5 Pagesboth the people of biblical times as well as those of the epic era. However, their stories have some differences according to cultural variation but the main structure, idea and theme are generally found correlative. It is hard to believe that that one work did not affect the others. The first great heroic epic poem of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are two cultures that are hundreds of years apart. Upon studying the book of Genesis and the story of Gilgamesh; whereas one is m yth and the other oneRead MoreBiblical Vs. Classical Phenomenon2078 Words   |  9 PagesBiblical vs. Classical Phenomenon Throughout the semester, we have analyzed various texts that constitute some of the most important publications in the history of humankind. These myths and legends are known as the oldest in centuries and possibly the first sight of written text that humans have encountered. Dating back to the times of traditional oral-based stories, texts such as The Epic of Gilgamesh have given humankind a sense of emergence in the old times of script and literature. The Epic

Taoism Essay Research Paper It is always free essay sample

Taoism Essay, Research Paper It is ever present in you. You can utilize it anyhow you want. # 8212 ; Lao-tzu Taoism is one of the two great philosophical and spiritual traditions that originated in China. The other doctrine native to China is Confucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at about the same clip, around the 6th century B.C. China # 8217 ; s 3rd great faith, Buddhism, came to China from India around the 2nd century of the common epoch. Together, these three religions have shaped Chinese life and idea for about 25 hundred old ages. One dominate construct in Taoism and Buddhism is the belief in some signifier of reincarnation. The thought that life does non stop when 1 dies is an built-in portion of these faiths and the civilization of the Chinese people. Although non accepted by our beliefs, its apprehension helps construct strength in our ain faith. Reincarnation, life after decease, beliefs are non standardized between the faiths. Each faith has a different manner of using this construct to its beliefs. Ignorance of these beliefs is a mark of failing in the head. To truly understand 1s ain faith, one must besides understand those constructs of the other faiths of the universe. Hopefully this will be an enlightenment on the reincarnation constructs as they apply to Taoism and Buddhism. The end in Taoism is to accomplish Taoist, to happen the manner. Tao is the ultimate world, a presence that existed before the existence was formed and which continues to steer the universe and everything in it. Tao is sometimes identified as the Mother, or the beginning of all things. That beginning is non a God or a supreme being as with Christians, for Taoism is non monotheistic. The focal point is non to idolize one God, but alternatively on coming into harmoniousness with Taoist. Tao is the kernel of everything that is right, and complications exist merely because people choose to perplex their ain lives. Desire, aspiration, celebrity, and selfishness are seen as hinderances to a harmonious life. It is merely when one rids himself of all desires can tao be achieved. By eschewing every earthly distraction, the Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself. The longer the one # 8217 ; s life, the closer to tao one is presumed to hold become. Finally the hope is to go immortal, to accomplish Taoist, to hold reached the deeper life. This is the hereafter for a Taoist # 8212 ; to be in harmoniousness with the existence. To understand the relationship between life and the Taoism construct of life and decease, the beginning of the word Taoist must be understood. The Chinese character for Taoist is a combination of two characters that stand for the words caput and pes. The character for pes represents a individual # 8217 ; s way or way. The character for caput represents a witting pick. The character for caput besides suggests a beginning, and pes, an stoping. Thus the character for Taoist besides conveys the go oning class of the existence, the circle of Eden and Earth. Finally, the character for tao represents the Taoist impression that the ageless Tao is both traveling and unmoving. The caput in the character means the beginning, the beginning of all things, or Tao itself, which neer moves or alterations ; the pes is the motion on the way. Taoism upholds the belief in the endurance of the spirit after decease. To hold attained the human signifier must be ever a beginning of joy for the Taoist. It is genuinely a ground to joy because despite whatever is lost, life ever endures. Taoists believe birth is non a get downing and decease is non an terminal. There is an being without bound. There is continuity without a starting point. Using reincarnation theory to Taoism is the belief that the psyche neer dies, a individual # 8217 ; s psyche is ageless. It is possible to see decease in contrast to life ; both are unreal and altering. One # 8217 ; s psyche does non go forth the universe into the unknown, for it can neer travel off. Therefore there is no fright to come with decease. In the Hagiographas of The Tao Te Ching, Taoist is described as holding existed before Eden and Earth. Tao is formless ; it stands entirely without alteration and ranges everyplace without injury. The Taoist is told to utilize the visible radiation that is indoors to return to the natural clarity of sight. By depriving oneself of all external distractions and desires, one can accomplish Taoist. In ancient yearss, a Taoist that had transcended birth and decease and achieved Taoist was said to hold cut the Thread of Life. The psyche, or spirit, is Taoism does non decease at decease. The psyche is non born-again, it migrates to another life. This procedure, the Taoist version of reincarnation, is repeated until Taoist is achieved. The followings of the Buddha believe life goes on through a repitition of reincarnations or metempsychosiss. The ageless hope for all followings of Buddha is that through reincarnation one comes back into in turn better lives until one achieves the end of being free from hurting and agony and non holding to come back once more. This wheel of metempsychosis, known as samsara, goes on forever or until one achieves Nirvana. The Buddhist definition of Nirvana can be summerized as the highest province of religious cloud nine, absolute immortality through soaking up of the psyche into itself, while continuing individualism. Birth is non the beginning and decease is non the terminal. This rhythm of life has no beginning and can travel on everlastingly without an terminal. The ultimate end for every Buddhist, Nirvana, represents entire enlightenment and release. Merely through accomplishing this end is one liberated from the neer stoping rhythm of birth, decease, and metempsychosis. Transmigration, the Buddhist rhythm of birth, decease, and metempsychosis, involves non the reincarnation of a spirit but the metempsychosis of a consciousness incorporating the seeds of good and evil workss. Buddhism # 8217 ; s universe of transmigration encompasses three phases. The first phase in concerned with desire, which goes against the instructions of Buddha and is the lowest signifier and involves a metempsychosis into any figure of snake pits. The P > 2nd phase is one in which animate beings dominate. But after many reincarnations in this phase the spirit becomes more and more homos, until one attains a deep religious apprehension. At this point in the 2nd phase the Buddhist bit by bit begins to abandon philistinism and seek a brooding life. The Buddhist in the 3rd phase is finally able to set his self-importance to the side and go a pure spirit, holding no perceptual experience of the material universe. This phase requires one to move from perceptual experience to non-perception. And so, through many phases of religious development and legion reincarnations, the Buddhist ranges the province of Nirvana. The passage from one phase to another, or the patterned advance within a phase is based on the actions of the Buddhist. All actions are merely the show of idea, the will of adult male. This will is caused by character, and character is manufactured from karma. Karma means action or making. Any sort of knowing action whether mental, verbal or physical is regarded as karma. All good and bad actions constitute karma. As is the karma, so is the will of the adult male. A individual # 8217 ; s karma determines what he deserves and what ends can be achieved. The Buddhists past life actions determine present standing in life and current actions determine the following life # 8212 ; all is determined by the Buddhist # 8217 ; s karma. Buddha developed a philosophy known as the Four Noble Truths based on his experience and inspiration about the nature of life. These truths are the footing for all schools of Buddhism. The 4th truth describes the manner to get the better of personal desire through the Eightfold Path. Buddha called this way the Middle Way, because it lies between a life of luxury and a life of poorness. Not everyone can make the end of Nirvana, but every Buddhist is at least on the way toward enlightenment. To accomplish Nirvana the Buddhist must follow the stairss of the Noble Eightfold Path. The way consists of cognition of the truth ; the purpose to defy immorality ; stating nil to ache others ; esteeming life, morality, and belongings ; keeping a occupation that does non wound others ; endeavoring to free 1s head of immorality ; commanding one # 8217 ; s feelings and ideas ; and practising proper signifiers of concentration. Conformity to the way does non vouch making Nirvana, but it is the lone way that leads to Nirvana. Merely through following this way established by Buddha does a Buddhist have a opportunity to make enlightenment # 8212 ; to liberate oneself from the uninterrupted unit of ammunitions of birth, decease and metempsychosis, to hold reached the ultimate end # 8212 ; to be absorbed into a province of Nirvana. The end in both Taoism and Buddhism is to make the ultimate end, to exceed life on Earth as a physical being, to accomplish harmoniousness with nature and the existence. The ultimate end for both faiths is to achieve immortality. The Taoist called this ultimate end Tao, while the Buddhist seek Nirvana. Whatever the name, the followings of these faiths believe there is an being beyond life which can be achieved provided the right way or behaviour is followed. The way to Tao and Nirvana are similar, yet different. Both believe there is an inner visible radiation which guides a individual in the right way to the ultimate end. Personal desires must be forsaken to enable the inner visible radiation to steer a individual to accomplish ageless cloud nine. The instructions that discuss the interior visible radiation of a individual are every bit good celebrated in the Tao doctrine as that of the Buddhist. The interior visible radiation that is sought is similar, but the existent way is the primary difference between Taoism and Buddhism. The way toward enlightenment for the Buddhist was defined by Buddha in his Octuple Path. Merely through following this way does the Buddhist range Nirvana. The way to Tao is single, it comes from within. No 1 can specify a way for the Taoist, it must semen from within. Tao means the manner, but this manner is neer taught. Desire, aspiration, celebrity, and selfishness are seen as complications to the terminal. That thought is consistent with Buddhist instructions ; it is the personal life of each person that gives Taoism its particular signifier. Taoism and Buddhism perceive life, decease and metempsychosis as a uninterrupted rhythm. This rhythm has no beginning and no terminal. The psyche is ageless, yet the psyche is non the object of reincarnation. Taoist believe the psyche is non reborn. Alternatively it migrates to another life. Buddhist besides believe the psyche is non born-again, but alternatively consciousness is the object of metempsychosis. One major difference between Taoism and Buddhism is the construct of karma to the Buddhist. This thought that all actions are the show of idea, the will of adult male, is known as karma. Karma determines the Buddhist actions and place in life. A individual # 8217 ; s karma limits the ends which can be achieved. Karma determines where in the rhythm of birth, decease and rebirth the consciousness returns. This return can be in the signifier of an animate being or human, and the Buddhist must come on through a hierarchy to accomplish Nirvana. The Taoist has no construct similar to karma, and no reference of the psyche migrating to an animate being signifier. The finding factor to one # 8217 ; s life is contained in the single behaviour for the Taoist. By abandoning personal desires in life, by concentrating of the ego, a longer life is prolonged. Finally, by following the interior visible radiation, immortality can be achieved. The similarities between Taoism and Buddhism in the belief of life after decease far outweigh the differences. Both faiths believe the single must concentrate on the ego to accomplish the ultimate end. To focal point on oneself, all desires and personal aspirations must be forsaken. One must concentrate on the ego and the proper manner of life to make immortality. The rhythm of life continues indefinitely until the Thread of Life is broken. Merely through proper life, by following the correct way guided by the inner visible radiation, can one accomplish the ultimate end of Tao or Nirvana.