The
Spiritual
Self
SPIRITUALITY - comes from the
Latin word "spiritus" which means
breath or life force.
Spirituality can be understood as a search for the
sacred, a process through which people seek to
discover, hold on to, and when necessary,
transform whatever they hold sacred in their
lives. It refers to finding meaning and purpose
in one’s life, a search for wholeness, and a
relationship with a transcendent being (higher
being). One of the practices in Spirituality is
worship. Worship is regarded as an essential
act to realize the ultimate meaning of
transcendence and human life. Acts of worship
may include prayer, reading the scripture (e.g. the
Bible or the Quran), attending sacraments (e.g.
mass), and doing sacrifices (e.g. fasting).
SPIRITUAL SELF
The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective
part of self. This is the only part of our self that is
able and can experience how to argue and discriminate,
have moral sensibility and conscience, and the
unconquerable will. The spiritual aspect of the self is the
inner essence, the part of the self that connects the person
to the sacred, the supernatural, and the universe. The
nurturing of the spiritual self also gives a deeper purpose
or meaning of one’s life. People develop spirituality
through interaction, observation, and imitation. Thus,
making the family, school, and church play a very
important role in the spiritual development.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION
Religion is a set of cultural beliefs and practices.
Religion is an organized system of ideas about the spiritual
sphere or supernatural, and to know God is its central
function; thus, making it connected with spirituality.
Basic Characteristics of Religion
• Belief in the anthropomorphic supernatural being
• Focus the sacred supernatural
• Presence of supernatural power or energy is found on
• Supernatural beings as well as physical beings or
objects
• Performance of ritual activities
• Articulation of worldview and moral codes
• Provide the creation and maintenance of social
bonds and mechanism of social control
There are five major religions:
Buddhism
• Life is unsatisfactory
• Two types of meditation practices
• When people suffer, they want to experience good
and pleasant experience and avoid disappointments.
• The reactive cycle of craving and aversion can be
broken by practicing ethics and meditation, and
cultivating wisdom.
• Samatha - calm, concentration, and positive
emotion practiced through mindfulness of breathing
and development of loving kindness.
• Vipassana – developing insight into reality;
Christianity
• God became fully present in the person of Jesus Christ.
• Sacrament of Baptism - sharing in the death and
resurrection of Jesus
• Believes God as a trinity: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
• Eternal life after death can be achieved through faith in
Jesus Christ.
• Believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross to
reconcile all humanity with God.
• Holy Communion – taking bread (body of Christ) and
wine (blood of Christ) Christians pray, worship, and read
and study the Bible together.
Hinduism
• Cover wide range of ancient creeds, textual
traditions, and religious groups
• No single founder; believes that one supreme
being incarnated in many forms
• Best understood as a complete way of life.
They believe that existence is a cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth (Karma).
• Vedas is their sacred scripture
• Follow the lunar calendar to celebrate and
honor particular manifestations of God.
Islam
• It means willing submission to God
• Believes in Allah as the One God, and
Mohammed as the final prophet.
• Muslims believe in the unity of mankind under
Adam.
• Sacred Scripture is the Quran
• Shahada - ”There is no God but one true God
and Mohammed is his messenger.”
• Salat – pray fiver times
• Zakat – two and a half percent of assets given to
benefit the poor
• Hajj – annual pilgrimage to Mecca
Judaism
• The Jewish people believe to be descendants of the
Semitic tribe from Canaan.
• Early history was about the promise of God to
Abraham.
• Jewish Sabbath – begins on Friday evening at sunset
• The New Year (Rosh Hashanah) – this festival falls on
autumn
• The day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) – most
• The Torah, or Law, is their sacred Scripture.
• The integral part of Jewish life is the study and
interpretation of the Torah. solemn day; celebrated ten days
after The New year
• Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), Tabernacles
LOGOTHERAPY AND SEARCH FOR MEANING
OF LIFE
Another extensive study of self, which is Logotherapy,
can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor Frankl.
Get to know Viktor Frankl:
• Born in Vienna, Austria on March 26, 1905
• Died in his hometown on 1997 due to heart failure
• Involved in Socialist youth organizations
• Due to his interest in psychiatry, he began writing
to Sigmund Freud at the age of 16.
• Earned his medical degree from the University of Vienna
in 1930
• Nazis made him the head of the Rothschild Hospital
Viktor Frankl’s personal experiences in the Nazi
concentration camps during World War II led him to
develop the principle of logotherapy.
Logotherapy – the pursuit of human existence as
well as on man’s search for such meaning. Logos is a
Greek word that translates as “Logotherapy focuses
on the future.”
In Logotherapy, man can discover meaning in three
ways:
• Doing a deed – this is by finding meaning in life through work,
achievements, and accomplishments. This way differs from man to
man, and from moment to moment.
• Experiencing a value – it is by experiencing something, or
someone, such as loving a person. During Frankl’s time in the
concentration camp, he observed that the transcendental power of
love helped the prisoners stay alive. He also defines love as
“Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the
innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully
aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves
him.”
• Suffering – Frankl once said “to live is to suffer, to survive is to
find the meaning in the suffering.” There is a purpose and meaning
for each suffering. It is when the person can use the unconquerable
Important aspect of this therapy is
known as the “Tragic Triad” which
are:
• Pain – turning a suffering into an achievement
• Guilt – drive to use it as an opportunity to
change oneself for the better
• Death – reminder that life is impermanent, so
make and take responsible actions
According to Frankl, each person has his or her own
vocation and mission, and he or she can be the only one to
find the meaning in life. Spirituality is also associated with
animism. Animism is the belief that creatures, objects,
and places possess spirits. It still exists in the
modern days’ despite of all the scientific progress
and technological advancements. Animism is practiced
in the Philippines by some indigenous people. Some
believe that the spirit of the sun, sky, and moon are
their gods. Others also believe that animals, trees,
rocks, mountains, and bodies of water are inhabited by
spirits. Thus, respect must be given through acts of
worship.
GROUP 8
BARRATO, Felisa Mae
VILLAR, Hailie Jade
ANDARZA, Lowela Joy
SALCEDO, Marlyn Rose
( BEED 1-A )
