You can read through hundreds of beautiful inscriptions which were placed over the Greek tombs.

They are contained in the Greek Anthology.

You will find there almost nothing about hope of a future life, or about Heaven.

They are not for the most part sad; they are actually joyous in many cases.

You would say that the Greek mind thought thus about death--"I have had my share of the beauty and the love of this world, and I am grateful for this enjoyment, and now it is time to go to sleep." There is actually an inscription to the effect, "I have supped well of the banquet of life." The Eastern religions, including Christianity, taught that because everything in the world is uncertain, impermanent, perishable, therefore we ought not to allow our minds to love worldly things.