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Midterms Day 2
Midterms Day 2
Midterms Day 2
➢ Buddhism does not have a concept of a ➢ The three Mahayana tradition like Zen
god. Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism and Pure
Land Buddhism are teaching different
➢ It is more important to follow the Buddhist methods on how to attain such
path than to worship gods. enlightenment.
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4: 6-7
Don’t stress. Do your best. Forget the rest
➢ Mahayana is more religious than ➢ All knowledge originates in sensation, but
Theravada. sense data can be made intelligible only by
the action of the intellect.
➢ Mahayana includes veneration of celestial
beings like Buddhas and boddhisatvas. ➢ To reach understanding of the highest
truths, those with which religion is
➢ They also perform religious rituals and
concerned, the aid of revelation is needed.
magical rites.
This is Aquinas’ moderate realism
➢ They also use icons, images and other
➢ Besides, the divine reality is far above the
sacred objects in religious ceremonies.
capability of human understanding.
➢ Buddhism does not totally reject other
➢ It is a natural function of the human mind to
religious beliefs. Some followers can have
link effects which it encounters in nature to
other religious practices.
their causes.
➢ Majority of the Buddhists have a well-
➢ It is natural for man to search for his origin
developed tradition on meditation.
and link himself with a Creator; hence, the
➢ Theravada Buddhism practice Samadhi Quinque Viae or the Five Ways (S.T. I, 3).
meditation, which is dealing with some
➢ Moderate Realism places universals firmly
exercises so as to correct certain vices and
in the mind in opposition to extreme realism,
vipassana or an insight meditation which
which posited these universals as
aims at a complete awareness of the independent of human thought.
environment.
➢ It was necessary for the salvation of man
➢ Followers of Zen Buddhism practice zazen that certain truths which exceed human
or sit meditation and kinhin or walk reason should be made known to him by
meditation. Through zazen, they will be Divine Revelation.
able to experience satori.
➢ Man is capable of knowing the nature of
THE BUDDHISTS’ CELEBRATION OF God in this life because our knowledge is
FESTIVALS
limited by its origin in sense-experience.
➢ The Buddhists celebrate New Year, which
➢ The divine reality is far above the capability
occurs on the new moon of February. This
of human understanding.
celebration symbolizes new life.
THE FIVE WAYS
➢ The Vaishakha festival, which is celebrated
on the 8th day of the second lunar month, is ➢ The First Way begins with the sense
the time to remember the birth of Buddha, experience of motion or change in the
his enlightenment, and his passing into universe. It upholds the principle: omne
nirvana at his death. autem quod movetur, ab alio movetur.
➢ The second way is from the nature of the
➢ Hana Matsuri feast is being celebrated on Efficient Cause.
April 8. This is the Japanese celebration of
➢ The fifth way is taken from the governance
Buddha’s birth.
of the world.
St. Thomas (1225-1274 CE) ➢ The fourth way is taken from the gradation
of perfection to be found in things.
➢ Aquinas made it a point that philosophy and ➢ The third way is taken from possibility and
theology played complementary roles in the necessity.
human person’s quest for truth.
➢ Aquinas held that all knowledge originates GOD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN
in sensation, but sense data can be made
➢ The given proof of God’s existence does not
intelligible only by the action of the intellect.
exactly tell us positively what God is.
➢ To reach understanding of the highest
➢ The imperfect goodness and wisdom of
truths, those with which religion is man may be taken to represent or mirror the
concerned, the aid of revelation is needed. perfection of these qualities in God.
This is Aquinas’ moderate realism, which ➢ God’s purpose in creation is to
placed the universals firmly in the mind in
communicate His perfection, which is His
opposition to extreme realism, which
goodness, to the world.
posited them as independent of human
➢ Goodness and wisdom may be found in
thought.
man but it will be found in a perfect manner
➢ Philosophy and theology played in God.
complementary roles in the human person’s ➢ Good and wise in God and man are not
quest for truth. equivocal nor univocal terms. They are
analogous terms.
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4: 6-7
Don’t stress. Do your best. Forget the rest
➢ The universe contains both the corruptible 1. self-preservation;
and the incorruptible entities.
2. Just dealings with others;
➢ Both happiness and pain, life and death
would exist simultaneously with one 3. Propagation of species.
another.
➢ Evil exist because of the privations inherent THE THREE DETERMINANTS OF MORAL ACT
and unavoidable in creatures of different ➢ Man’s ultimate happiness consists in
grades of goodness. contemplating God and not in goodness of
➢ Suffering and death occur not because God the body.
wills these evils as such. ➢ Man should always be aware of the morality
➢ Why did God not create a better world of his action.
instead? ➢ Man’s ultimate happiness consists only in
➢ God’s work of creation is not something that wisdom and not in any other sciences.
He would want us to know. ➢ 3 Factors that can help determine whether
➢ What we can only know is that God created our action is moral or not:
the universe because of his goodness.
➢ God does not have a relation with His 1. Finis operas (end of an action)—that
creatures. to which the act tends before all else.
➢ Should God have created another universe
2. Circumstantiae– the condition which
instead of this one, that universe would still
will certainly affect its morality.
be created out of the goodness of God.
➢ How is God related with His own creatures? 3. Finis operantis—the intention of the
➢ God’s existence does not have any agent.
reference whatsoever to the existence of
His creatures simply because God is a ➢ A good act with a bad motive makes the
Necessary Being. His essence is His own moral action bad.
existence. ➢ A person may not employ an evil means in
➢ The moral end of a person is not simply a order to attain a good end.
natural end towards which he, by nature, ➢ Human acts are good if they promote the
tends. purpose of God and His honor.
➢ The creatures would have a real relation to ➢ An act is considered evil if it deviates from
God because were it not for God, the the reason and the divine moral law.
creatures would not exist. THE MORAL PRINCIPLES AS BASIS OF HUMAN
➢ Man is created endowed with goodness. ACTION
He yearns for goodness because of his
synderesis (innate principle to do good ➢ St. Thomas follows the principle: agere
and avoid evil) and conscience. sequitur esse.
➢ Synderesis is the intellectual habit or ➢ The rationality of man makes him
disposition by which man, in given responsible for the effects of his action.
situations, is in possession of the ➢ Principle of Double Effect: a good effect
fundamental principles of morality. and an evil effect will result from a good
➢ The fundamental principles of morality: DO cause
GOOD AND AVOID EVIL. ➢ 4 principles of Double Effect:
➢ Doing evil is not in accordance with the real
1. The action directly intended must be
nature of man.
good or at least morally indifferent;
➢ Moral law is the dictate of the voice of
reason. 2. The good effect must follow from the
➢ The dictate of reason is expressed in the action at least as immediately as the evil
moral principle: “the good must be done and effect;
evil must be avoided.”
➢ If man goes against his nature of goodness, 3. The foreseen evil effect may not be
then he is going against the moral law. intended but merely permitted to occur;
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4: 6-7