The ancient Chinese regarded cicadas as symbols of rebirth or immortality. Man is in a position to work out his own salvation and his immortality. The hill stones mean the pursuit of immortality and water represents emptiness and existence. He begins by briefly proving the immortality of the soul. A human expedition intends to find God and receive knowledge about belief, immortality and death. He entrusted Xu Fu with the task of finding the secret elixir of immortality. Gilgamesh mourns the death of Enkidu wandering in his quest for immortality. This is closely related to the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. Alevis, believes in the immortality of the soul. The Spaniard claims that only God can grant immortality, not the Fountain. He was cursed with immortality by Krishna after the Kurukshetra war. Pasternak's post-"Zhivago" poetry probes the universal questions of love, immortality, and reconciliation with God. The novel deals with the quest for immortality, nanotechnology, and microengineering. He argued strongly against the doctrine of immortality. He may choose to temporarily abandon his powers, including his immortality.