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The

Spiritual
Self
Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, the learners


must have:
•identified various religious
practices and beliefs;
•Examined one’s spiritual self in
relation with religious beliefs; and
•explained ways of finding meaning
of life.
Introduction
•Spiritual self is one of the three
sections of the self according to
William James. It is the most intimate,
inner subjective part of self.
•It is the most intimate version of the
self because of the satisfaction
experience when one thinks of one’s
ability to argue and discriminate, of
one’s moral sensibility and
conscience, of our unconquerable will
is more pure than all other sentiments
of satisfaction. (Green, 1997)
Introduction

•The ability to use moral sensibility


and conscience may be seen
through the expressions of religion,
its beliefs, and practices.

• In the same manner, cultural rituals


and ceremonies are some
manifestations of what people
believe in. Moreover, seeking the
meaning of life is a journey that the
Spiritual Self is on.
Activity: Group Work
• Each group will be assigned a religion.
• Discuss the respective practices and beliefs of your
group’s assigned religion.
• In ½ CW, list down 2-3 beliefs and 3 practices.
• Share your work in class after 30 minutes.

RELIGION Beliefs Customs and


Practices
ANALYSIS
•What new learnings and insights have
you gained from other religion and
their respective religious beliefs,
customs and practices?
•What is the relevance of being aware
of our own religious practices as well
as other religious beliefs, customs and
practices to one’s spiritual self?
ABSTRACTION
•Religion
•Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on
the definition of religion “as a set of
cultural beliefs and practices that
usually includes some or all of basic
characteristics.
These characteristics are:
1. a belief in anthropomorphic
supernatural being, such as spirit
and gods;
2. a focus of the sacred supernatural,
where sacred refers to a feeling or
reverence and awe;
3. The presence of supernatural power
or energy that is found in
supernatural beings as well as
physical beings and objects
These characteristics are:
4. the performance of ritual activities that
involves the manipulation of sacred
object to communicate to supernatural
beings and/or to influence or control
events;
5. the articulation of worldview and moral
codes through narratives and other
means; and;
6. Provide the creation and maintenance
of social bonds and mechanism of
social control within a community;
provides explanation for unknown and a
sense of control for individuals.
•An individual lives in a society where
there are many practices of religion.
The choice of religious belief lies
within the Spiritual Self. Although the
choice may be influenced by the
society and its culture.
Ritual
•It is the performance of ceremonial
acts prescribed by a tradition or
sacred law (Penner 2017).
•It is a specific, observable mode of
behavior exhibited by all known
societies.
•Thus, it is possible to view ritual as a
way of defining or describing humans.
Three fundamental characteristics of
rituals (Penner 2017).
1. a feeling or emotion of respect, awe,
fascination, or dread in relation to
the sacred;
2. dependence upon a belief system
that is usually expressed in the
language of myth; and
3. is symbolic in relation to its
reference.
Some World Religious Beliefs and
Practices

•There are different religions with


different beliefs and practices. Some
of the major world religions are
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, and Judaism.
Buddhism
Beliefs
•It teaches that life is unsatisfactory.
•When experience is unsatisfying, we tend
to crave pleasant experiences and avoid
disappointing ones. Our habits tie us into
a reactive cycle of craving and aversion.
•The Buddha taught that a way to break
this cycle is to practice ethics and
meditation, and to cultivate wisdom,
which is a deep understanding and
acceptance of things as they are.
Buddhism
Customs and Practices
• Meditation practices can be
divided into two:
• Samatha practices develop
calm, concentration, and
positive emotion.
• Vipassana practices aim at
developing insight into
reality. Developing and
cultivating wisdom happens
through studying and
reflecting the Dharma, the
Buddha's teaching.
Buddhism
•Buddhists celebrate a number of
festivals timed to the full moon:
Parinirvana Day in February, Buddha
Day (Wesak) in May, Dharma Day in
July, Padmasambhava Day in October
and Sangha Day in November. All are
important events to celebrate together
and to contemplate key teachings of
the Buddha.
Christianity
Beliefs
•Christians believe that God became
fully present in the world in the person
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
•Christians believe that Jesus Christ’s
dying on the cross, made Him a
sacrifice to reconcile all humanity with
their Creator.
Christianity
Customs and Practices
•One becomes a Christian through the
Sacrament of Baptism (water
ceremony) that symbolizes a sharing
in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
•They also follow Jesus’ instruction of
taking bread and wine, and declaring
these as his body and blood offered in
sacrifice for all through the Sacrament
of Holy Communion.
Christianity
Customs and Practices
The principal Christian festivals are:
• Christmas. It is when the birth of
Jesus is remembered.
• Easter. It is when Jesus’ resurrection
from the dead is celebrated.
HINDUISM
Beliefs
•The term “Hinduism” was coined as
recently as the 19th century to cover a
wide range of ancient creeds, textual
traditions, and religious groups.
•Hinduism is best understood as a
complete way of life, a path of
sanctification, and discipline that leads to
a higher level of consciousness.
•Hindus revere a body of texts as sacred
scriptures known as the Vedas.
Hinduism
Customs and Practices

•The main festivals are celebrated in


different ways by different
communities. The most commonly
celebrated festivals are Diwali, the
Festival of Lights, and Navrati, nine
nights which celebrate the triumph of
good over evil. This takes place twice
a year.
Islam
Beliefs
•Islam is an Arabic word which means
willing submission to God.
•The root of the word Islam comes from
a word meaning peace and Muslims
believe it is the way of peace as laid
down in the Quran.
•The Arabic word Allah means one
God.
Islam
Customs and Practices
•Islam has five pillars that represent
the foundation of Islamic worship and
practice:
•Shahada
•Salat
•Zakat
•Hajj
•Sawm
Islam
Customs and Practices
•The end of Ramadan marks the
beginning of the festival of Eid ul-Fitr.

•Eid ul-Adha coincides with the


completion of the Hajj and unites the
whole Islamic community.
Judaism
Beliefs
•The Jewish people believe themselves
to be descended from a Semitic tribe
that originated in the land of Canaan
in the Middle East.
•Jews believes of the coming of the
Messiah, the Savior.
•Study and interpretation of the Torah
is an integral part of Jewish life.
Judaism
Customs and Practices
•The Jewish Sabbath begins on
Friday evening at the sunset and
is an important time when families
gather for the Shabbat meal.
Judaism
Customs and Practices
There are five festivals on which
observant Jews are forbidden to work.
•The New Year (Rosh Hashanah) – falls
in the autumn
•The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) -
the most solemn day of the year.
Judaism
Customs and Practices
Three Pilgrim festivals:
•Passover (Pesach) in the spring,
•Pentecost (Shavuot) occurs seven weeks
later and
•Tabernacles (Sukkot) takes place in the
autumn.
Jewish food laws are highly complicated,
prohibiting certain animals and shellfish.
•Religious beliefs, rituals, practices,
and customs are all part of the
expression of the Spiritual Self.

•Religious beliefs and practices


therefore are formed relative to its
context and culture
Finding and Creating
Meaning of Life
Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

•Another extensive study of self can


be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E.
Frankl. The Viktor Frankl Institute in
Vienna was created in 1992. The
Institute has a website where there
is a synopsis of his life and works
and present programs.
Logotherapy

•Viktor E. Frankl validated a


revolutionary approach to
psychotherapy known as logotherapy.

•Logotherapy has become known as


the “Third Viennese School of
Psychotherapy,” after that of
Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler.
Logotherapy

•According to logotherapy, meaning


can be discovered in three ways:

•By creating a work or doing a deed


•By experiencing something or
encountering someone
•By the attitude we take toward
unavoidable suffering
Logotherapy Assumptions
• All psychotherapies make philosophical
assumptions about the human persons that
cannot be proved with certainty.
• The human being is an entity consisting of body,
mind, and spirit.
• Life has meaning under all circumstances, even
the most miserable.
• People have a will to meaning.
• People have freedom under all circumstances to
activate the will to find meaning.
• Life has a demand quality to which people must
respond if decisions are to be meaningful.
Frankl’s Sources of Meaning
There are three possible sources of meaning of
life:
1. Purposeful work
To find the meaning of life starts with holding a
future goal.
2. Courage in the face of difficulty
Recognizing suffering, pain, and death as part
of life and to have the courage to face these life
difficulties.
3. Love
Frankl considers the transcendental power of
love: “Love goes very far beyond the physical person
of the beloved.”
Frankl contributes to history’s richest definition of
love:
Love is the only way to grasp another human
being in the innermost core of his personality.

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