UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Miss KZ Ulboc
Reference: Cierva, MC.

Chapter 2: Lesson 3
SPIRITUAL SELF: BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Spiritual self is one of the four (4) constituents of the “self” according to William
James in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890. The spiritual self is the most
intimate, inner subjective part of self – the most intimate version of the self because
of the satisfaction experienced when thinking of one’s ability to argue and discriminate,
of one’s moral sensibility and conscience, and our unconquerable will is purer than all
other sentiments of satisfaction.

RELIGION
Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion "as a set of 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 on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and awe;
3) The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as physical beings
and objects;
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;
6) Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a community;
provide 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 (Britannica 2017). Ritual
is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a
way of defining or describing humans.
There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Britannica 2017). Ritual has
the characteristics of:
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
3) Is symbolic in relation to its reference

The self can be described as a ritual being who exhibits a striking parallel between their ritual and verbal
behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be viewed as a
system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is expressions of religious
beliefs.

SOME WORLD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

There are different religious with different beliefs and practices. Some of the major world religions are Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.
RELIGION CORE BELIEFS CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
B Buddhism believes that life is not There are two types of meditation
U a bed of roses. Instead, there are practices: samatha and vipassana.
suffering, pain, and frustrations. The Samatha is practiced as
D
When people suffer, they want to mindfulness of breathing and
D experience the goodness of life development of loving kindness
H and avoid disappointments. It (Metta Bhavana). Vipassana
I becomes a habit known as the practices aim developing insight
S reactive cycle of wanting and into reality. Acquiring
M hating, like and dislike, band
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Miss KZ Ulboc
Reference: Cierva, MC.

B craving and aversion. This reactive wisdom is by studying Buddha's

cycle can be broken through the teaching, the Dharma. Through the
U practice of mediation, acquiring reflection of Dharma, Buddhist
D more wisdom and deeper can achieve a deeper
D understanding, and acceptance of understanding of life. Buddhists
things as they are. believe in nonviolence principle.
H Some of the major Buddhist
I celebrations are Parinirvana Day
S in February; Buddha Day (Wesak)
in May; Dharma Day in July;
M Padmasambhava Day in October;
and Sangha Day in November.
C Christians believe in Trinitarian God. Sacrament of Baptism and
One God in three personas: God the Sacrament of Communion are
H Father (Creator), God the Son( practiced by Christian
R Savior),and God the Holy Spirit churches.
I Sustainer). Eternal after death will be
S achieved through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is, God the Son, who
The sacrament of Baptism
T came into flesh, to spread the good symbolizes the birth in Christian
I news of salvation. He died on the world, while the sacrament of
A communion is an act of
cross for the sins of the humanity but
resurrected from the death, so that remembrance of Jesus Christ 's
N
anyone who believes in him will be sacrificial love. Jesus Christ
I saved in have eternal life. The holy teaching in unconditional love is
T bible is a selection of books, which expressed in loving the poor,
Y is divided in to two, the Old oppressed, and outcast of the
Testament and New Testament. society.

Christmas and Resurrection

(Easter) are the two major
celebrations in Christianity.
Christmas, usually on December
25, commemorates the birth of
Jesus Christ while Resurrection
Sunday (depends on the lunar
calendar, sometime in March
or April) celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from
death.
H Hinduism covers a wide range of Diwali and Navrati are the most
traditional beliefs and religious celebrated festivals of the Hindus.
I groups; thus, there is no single Diwali is the festival of lights
N founder or leader. Hindus believe that while Navrati is the festival of
existence is a cycle of birth,
D nine nights, which celebrate the
death and rebirth, governed by
triumph of good over evil. Hindus
U Karma. Karma is a concept where the
have set dates to honor particular
reincarnated life will depend on how
I the past life was spent. Hindus believe manifestations of God.
S that the soul passes through a cycle of
successive lives and it's next in
M carnation is always dependent on how
the previous life was lived. Vedas are
sacred Scriptures of Hindus.
Mahabharata and Ramayana are two
other important texts of the Hindus.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Miss KZ Ulboc
Reference: Cierva, MC.
Muslims believe in Allah, who is their
"One God" They believe in the unity
and universality of God. Muslims also
I have a strong sense of community or
"ummah" and an awareness of their
S 1. Shahadah - statement of
solidarity with all Muslims
L worldwide. Islam means "willing
submission to God ". Muslims believe
A that Mohammed is the last and final
M prophet sent by God. Mohammed was
born in Mecca in 570 CE and
received revelations from God
through the Angel Gabriel over a
period of 23 years. The Holy Bible of
Islam is called the Quran, which was
taught to be recited in Arabic because
any translation is seen as inadequate.
J The Jews believe in the God of
Abraham ,the same God that liberated
U the Hebrew slaves from Egypt to
D Canaan, the promised land through
the leadership of Moses and later,
A 2. Yom Kippur - the Day of
Joshua. The Jews believe in the
I coming of Messiah, the Savior. The
sacred scripture of the Jews is called
S the Torah or the Law. The Torah is
M the guide of the Jewish living. The
study and interpretation of Torah is
part of the Jewish culture.
Muslims believe in the five pillars
of Islam, which are the foundation
of Muslim
life:
faith: "There is no God but
the one true God and
Mohammed is his
messenger".
2. Salat - the prayer that is
practiced five times a day.
3. Zakat - the monetary
offering for the benefit of
the poor. It comprises the
2.5% of a Muslim's assets.
4. Haji – the yearly
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Muslims who can afford
are asked to do the
pilgrimage at last once in
their lifetime.
5. Sawm – the fasting.
Muslims do fasting from
food, drink, and sexual act
during the celebration of
Ramadan s the ninth month
of the Islamic lunar
calendar. The fast is from
dawn to sunset.
Two of the major festivals in Islam
are Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha.
The first one refers to the
celebration at the end of Ramadan,
while Eidul-Adha is the
celebration within the completion
of the Pilgrimage, the Haji.
There are five major festivals
observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah - the New
Year
Atonement
3. Pesach – Passover
4. Shavuot – Pentecost
5. Sukkot - Tabernacles. The
Jewish Sabbath begins on
Friday evening at sunset
and is an important time
when families gather for
the Shabbat meal.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Miss KZ Ulboc
Reference: Cierva, MC.

FINDING AND CREATING MEANING OF LIFE

Another extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. He was born on
March 26, 1905 in Vienna, Austria, where famous psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler lived. He
graduated with medical degree from the University of Vienna in 1930. He was assigned in Vienna Hospital
suicide ward and headed thee Rothschild Hospital. A survivor of the holocaust, he published a book about
logotherapy. In 1959, the book was translated to English and was revised in 1963 as The doctor and the Soul:
An Introduction to Logotherapy. His book, Man’s search for meaning has been used as a textbook in high
school and college courses. He died in 1997.

LOGOTHERAPY
It is a psychotherapy introduced by V. Frankl, who is considered the father of logotherapy. The main
belief of logotherapy is that “man’s primary motivational force is search for meaning.” Logotherapy aids
individuals to find personal meaning of life, whatever life situation they may be. In logotherapy, meaning can
be discovered by creating a work or doing deed, experiencing something or encountering someone and the
attitude toward unavoidable suffering. According to V. Frankl institute of logotherapy, it uses the philosophy of
optimism in the face of tragedy, where people are capable of turning suffering into human achievement and
accomplishment deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; and deriving from life’s
transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.

Basic concept of Franklian Psychology

There are three basic concepts using Franklian Psychology:

1) Life has meaning under all circumstances.
2) Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
3) Freedom to find meaning.
Furthermore, his psychology aims to: 1] become aware of spiritual resources; 2] make conscious spiritual resources; and
3] use defiant power of the human spirit and stand up against adversity.

Frankl’s Sources of Meaning

There are three possible sources of meaning of life: 1] purposeful work – meaning of life is unique to
every individual; 2] courage in the face of difficulty – a meaningful life is a life with suffering. Suffering is part
of life; and 3] love – is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. The
ultimate factor to find meaning of life is love. Costello captured V. Frankl‟s message: “The ultimate secret on
the spiritual foundation of life is that love is salvation and joy eternity.” The ultimate factor to find
meaning of life is love.

CHAPTER 2:LESSON 2
SPIRITUAL SELF: BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Activity
REFLECTING ON YOUR SPIRITUAL BELIEF (IF YOU HAVE ONE) AND ON VIKTOR FRANKL’S MEANING OF LIFE. .

WHAT IS YOUR REFLECTION ON THE MEANING OF YOUR LIFE?

ANSWER THE ABOVE ESSAY FOR 20 POINTS.