knesses and limitations.

When a relationship fails,

when a student fails in his subject, when our immediate desires are not met, we are
confronted with
the possibility of our plans, and yet, we are force to surrender to a mystery or look
upon a bigger world.
Such acceptance of our failures makes us hope and trust that all can be brought into
good. Even
if we have sinned, as Augustine had, there is hope and forgiveness.
e. Loneliness
Our loneliness can be rooted from our sense of vulnerability and fear of death. This
experience
is so common. However, it is our choice to live in an impossible world where we are
always “happy”
or to accept a life where solitude and companionship have a part. With our loneliness,
we can realize
that our dependence on other people or gadgets is a possessiveness that can be free
from.
f. Love
To love is to experience richness, positivity, and transcendence. Whether in times of
ecstatic
moments or struggles, the love for a friend, between family members or a significant
person, can open
in us something in the other which takes us beyond ourselves. Life is full of risks,
fears and
commitment, pain and sacrificing and giving up things we want for the sake of the
one we love. In a
Buddhist view, the more we love, the more risks and fears there are in life.
Exercise 1
Have you experienced failures in life? Share what is all about this failure through
these guide
questions.
a. How do you view suffering (as a blessing or as a curse?)
b. How do you acknowledge the help of others?
c. How can forgiveness free us from anger?
Recognize the Human Body Imposes Limits and Possibilities for Transcendence
A. Hinduism: Reincarnation and Karma
An interesting Hindu belief is the transmigration of souls, reincarnation or
“metempsychosis.”
Essential Hinduism is based on the belief in karma and has its first literary expression
in Upanishads.
Everything in this life, say the Hindus, is a consequence of actions performed in
previous existence.
Only by building up a fine record, or “karma”, can final salvation be achieved. This
doctrine is a very
old one. For the Jains, there is nothing mightier in the world than karma; karma
tramples down all
powers, as an elephant to a clump of lotuses. The Buddhist took it over in large part
when they broke
away from Brahmanism.
B. Buddhism: Nirvana
Nirvana means the state in which one is absolutely free from all forms of bondage and
attachment. It means to overcome and remove the cause of suffering. It is also the
state of perfect
insight into the nature of existence. The Buddhists see one who has attained nirvana
as one who is
unencumbered from all the letters that bind a human being to existence. He has
perfect knowledge,
perfect peace, and perfect wisdom.
Further, the Buddha’s silence is due to his awareness that nirvana is a state that
transcends
every mundane experience and hence cannot be talked about; for all talk is possible
only within the
perceptual-conceptual realm, Nirvana is beyond the sense, language, and thought.
The nirvanic man, according to Puligandla (2007), is the true follower of the Buddha,
in that,
he neither always sits absorbed in meditation nor is always involved in activity. He is
the living
testimony that the middle way is indeed the way to enlightenment.
C. St, Augustine and St, Thomas Aquinas: Will and Love
For St. Augustine, physically we are free, yet morally bound to obey the law. The
Eternal law
is God Himself. According to this law, humanity must do well and avoid evil, hence,
the existence of
moral obligation in every human being. Christian life is not easy. However, no human
being should
become an end to himself. We are responsible to our neighbours as we are to our own
actions.
The truth of St. Augustine’s message still rings true to this day. Innocence of heart
and purity can only
be gained by God’s grace. God alone can give that gift to some instantly or to others
at the end of an
entire life’s struggle.
Definitely, to live a chaste life is difficult. All are called to be chaste married or single.
For to
be pure is also to be holy. Though all are called to different lifestyles, all are called to
be holy, pure,
and chaste within that lifestyle. Any lifestyle that does not include these virtues, even
with consenting
individuals, is not pleasing to God; for it does not lead to holiness, selflessness, and
full honesty. For39
St. Augustine, though we are physically free, one does not have the right to do
anything if it is
not morally right or if one will hurt another. Rightness means pleasing God. God has
given us a choice
to discern between right and wrong though we are often ignorant in this manner
unless we are wholly
sincere, honest, and pure.
LIMITATIONS CAN LEAD TO POSSIBILITIES
Spatial-temporal being. As temporal beings, our most obvious limitation is our
finitude - our finite quality
or state. For example, Walang forever, pero meron talaga. As spatial beings, we are
limited by our bodies to
be present in two or more places at the same time. We are limited by space (spatial)
and the time (temporal).
Our spatial-temporal situation sets our preconditions of understanding.
The Body as Intermediary
Intermediary means acting as a mediator (Merriam-Webster). Having a body may
prevent us from
revealing what we really want to express.
How do we communicate with each other? WORDS
But can words really capture the things we want to express? But this limitation can
also be an
advantage...
In most cases, words are not enough. EXAMPLE: Magbabago Na Ako Promise!!!
Exercise 2: Reflective thinking: Answer the following questions.
1. What are your limitations as a person? What are the things that you consider as
difficult or hard for
you to accomplish or believe in?
2. What are your strengths? What are the possible things or status that you can reach
or achieve in the
future?
3. What are the factors affecting your limitations? How about possibilities?
4. Do you see yourself improving in 5 – 10 years’ time? How can you say that you are
improving?
5. How can you go beyond your current limitations?