Patricia Kyla Capunpon

HUMAN 100: Spiritual Self

2 Things Should be Considered, the 2-Fold Characterization of One’s faith:

1. Belief (Paniniwala) – is what sets of the foundation for one’s action.

2. Practice (Paggawa) – is the action which manifests the belief of that person.

[connected si practice kay belief; gagawin mo yung action kasi yun yung paniniwala mo.]

The spiritual self will be cohesive in its belief and practices that one’s belief is echoed by one’s act.

 Religion
- “as a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually includes some or all basic characeristics.” (Stein, 2011)

1. A belief in anthromorphic supernatural being.

2. A focus on sacred supernatural.
3. Presence of supernatural power or energy.
4. Performance of ritual activities.
5. Articulation of worldview and moral codes.
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a community.

Which came fist, God or the Idea of God?

- If it was the former, then we could also believe in the Creation, but if it is the latter – then it’s telling us that the
idea if God is a creation of man born out of fear of the unknown and unintelligible.

 One’s identity of spiritual self is deeply tired to the center of their religion and worship.
 For the Christians, the belief is that a man was created in the image of God.
 For Buddhism and Hinduism, man’s goal is to reach Nirvana, --- that is the removal of desires and sufferings.
 For Muslims, the name Muslim itself means one who surrenders and submits to Allah and his laws.
 Christian would be the most common belief in the Philippines. For Christians, everything else is immaterial for as
long as we follow God. He is the all-knowing, all-good, Alpha and Omega. He is also God the Father, God the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 For Islam, the second largest religion in the Philippines, God is Allah. Jesus os not considered as the Messiah, but
as one of the Prophets who was shown one of the gospels.
 Protestantism was introduced to us by the Americans. Salvation through Christ Jesus was deeply emphasized and
one must be born again and accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior.
 Buddhism – it might have been brought by Chinese traders. There’s no personal God but one should follow the
path of Buddha – the enlightened one.
 Indigenous beliefs are often characterized as animism (anito). This was the form of worship before the Spaniards
came here although they may continue to be practiced today. Inanimate objects may be worshipped, like trees,
plants, sun, sea, etc.

Rites – celebration

Rituals – day-to-day activities (prayers, sign of the cross, visit other churches)

3 Fundamental Characteristics of Rituals

 A feeling of emotion and respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred.
 Dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth.
  Is symbolic in relation to its reference.

The Practice of Religion

 It may include worship, rites, ritauls, sacrifices, fiestas, trances, etc.

 These acts become religious practices when they are considered sacred by the practitioners depending on their
belief. (Wine for Catholic, incense sticks)

A. Buddhism

- Believes that life is not a bed of roses, there are sufferings, pain and frustrations. When people suffer, they
want to experience goodness of life and avoid disappointments. It becomes a habit called REACTIVE
CYLCLE of wanting and hating, like and dislike, and craving and aversions.
- This reactive cycle can be broken through the practice of mediation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper
understanding, and acceptance of things as they are.

The Practice of Religion (Buddhism)

- Teaches that life is unsatisfactory.

- Life can be experienced as painful and frustrating, impermanent and fleeting, or insubstantial.

Customs and Practices

 Mediation practices can be divided into samatha & vipassana practices.

 Samatha – develop calm, concentration and positive emotion and practiced as mindfulness of breathing and
development of loving kindness. (Metta Bhavana)
 Vipassana – aim at developing insight into reality. Developing and cultivating wisdom happens through studying
and reflecting the DHARMA -- the Buddha's 's teaching.

- Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha's teaching the Dharma. Through the reflection of Dharma, Buddhists can
achieve a deeper of life Buddhists believe in non-violence principle.

Some of the major Buddhists celeb rations are like:

 Parinirvana Day in February

 Buddha Day (Wesak) in May
 Dharma Day in July
 Phadmasambhava Day in October
 Sangha Day in November

B. Christians

 Christians believe in Trinitarian God.

 One God in 3 personas: God the Father (Creator), God the Son (Savior), God the Holy Spirit (Sustainer)
 Believes in eternal life after through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Practice of Religion (Christianity)

 Christians believe that God become fully present in the world in the presence of Jesus Christ.

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.
 Holy Communion

Festivals  Sacrament of Baptism

 Sacrament of Communion
 Christmas  Sacrament of Christmas
 Easter  Ressurection

C. Hinduism

 Oldest living religion on Earth

 Originated from Indian Subcontinent
 Covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious groups
 Existence of cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma
 Karma – concept where reincarnated life will depend on how the past life was spent
 Vedas – scared scriptures of Hindus
 Trium Virate – consists of 3 Gods: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
 Mahabharata & Ramayana (2 sanskrit epic of the Hindus)

The Practice of Religion (Hinduism)

 Believe in one supreme god who is incarnated in many forms.

  Best understood as a complete way of life, a path of sanctification, and discipline that leads to a higher level of
consciousness.

 DHARMA – the ancient law.

 VEDA – sacred scriptures

 Mahabharata (Bhagavad Gita) and Ramayana- great epics. Cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma.

Customs and Practices

 Diwali
- Festival of Lights
- celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of Exile and his victory over the Demon Ravana.

 Navratri
- Festival of Nine Nights
- celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Takes place twice a year.

D. Islam

 An Arabic word which means "surrender, submission, commitment, and peace." Thus, Islam can be defined as a
path to attain complete peace through voluntary submission to the divine will.

Allah

 "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God. He is the same universal God worshipped by people of all faiths. The
word "Allah" is sometimes preferred over God because it is neither masculine nor feminine. Also, there is no plural
for "Allah"

Basic Islamic Belief

 One God
 All of the true prophets of God
 The original scriptures revealed to Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad.
 The angels
 The day of judgment and the hereafter.
  Destiny

The Practice of Religion

 Islam is an Arabic word which means willing submission to God.

 Allah means One God. Muslims believe that God has sent a succession of prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham,
Moses, Jacob, Jesus, and Mohammed as the last and final prophet.
 Quran – regarded as the literal word of God

Customs and Practices

 Islam has 5 pillars that represent the foundation of Islamic worship and practice

1. Shahada (declaration of faith) – "There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is his messenger"
2. Salat (ritual prayer) – Prayer 5 times a day at given times
3. Zakat (alms tax) – 21/2 percent of Muslim's assets over a given specified amount is given in welfare tax to benefit
the poor.
4. Hajj (pilgrimage) – an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which is a requirement at least once in a lifetime for those
who can afford it.
5. Sawm (fasting) – during the month of Ramadan, Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink, and sexual acts
from dawn until sunset.

Festivals

 Eid ul-Fitr – end of Ramadan, when Muslims visit the Mosque, give charity, exchange presents and cards, and
celebrate with family and friends.
 Eid ul-Adha – coincides with the completion of Hajj and unites the whole Islamic community.