THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN

EMBODIED SPIRIT
by T. Janice Conag-Giner
Objectives
• To recognize own limitations or possibilities for one’s
transcendence;
• To recognize how the human body imposes limits and
possibilities for transcendence;
• To distinguish the limitations and possibilities for
transcendence.
• To evaluate own limitation and the possibilities for
one’s transcendence; and
• To appreciate life by creating art that reflects one’s
experiences.
Sensitivity check
Discuss your views about this excerpt:
AKO AY AKO
….. Kaya kong itapon o wasakin ang hindi akma
at panatilihin ang mga naakma
at lumikha o kumatha ng mga bago, kapalit ng mga
itinapon o winasak.
Ako ay nakakakita, nakaririnig, nakadarama, nakaiisip,
nakapagsasalita at nakakagawa.
 Ako ay may kakayahahan upang mabuhay at maging malapit
sa kapwa.
Maging kapaki- pakinabang at makaimpluwensiya sa mga
tao at mga bagay.
Ako ay nagmamay- ari sa akin, samakatuwid kaya kong
pamahalaan ang aking sarili.
AKO AY AKO, AT AKO AY OKAY.
Introduction

In philosophy, the adjective transcendental

and the noun transcendence convey the basic
ground concept from the world’s literal meaning
(from Latin), of climbing or going beyond, with
varying connotation in its different historical and
cultural stages. Appreciating art has
transcendent existence. Knowledge and law will
also require transcendence.
The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit

In this section, the learner is expected to

understand the human person as an embodied
spirit as well as distinguish his/her own
limitations and the possibilities of his/her
transcendence.
Hinduism

Brahman Is Self-Hood

According to Hinduism, human beings have a

dual nature: one is the spiritual and immortal
essence (soul); the other is empirical life and
character. Between the two natures, however, it
is maintained that it is the soul that is ultimately
real.
Buddhism: From Tears to Enlightenment

Introduction to Buddhism

The Buddhist practice the four states of

sublime condition: love, sorrow of others, joy in
the joy of others and equanimity as regards
one’s own joy and sorrows. Buddhism, similar to
Hinduism and other religions, is a matter of
practice.
Buddhism: From Tears to Enlightenment

The Biblical God and Humanity

In the 5th century, Augustine’s writing is

considered to be the most influential in the early
medieval period. This section looks at the
reasonableness of belief in God’s existence. In
doing so, we shall treat the statement “God exists”
as a hypothesis, which we call the theistic
hypothesis.
As a French poetry laments:
J’ai tout lu. I have everything
J’ai tout vu. I have seen all.
J’ai tou connu I knew all.
J’ai tout entendu. I have heard all.
J’ai tout eu. I had it all
Et je suis… un peu perdu I had lost.. I am a bit
lost
Buddhism: From Tears to Enlightenment

St. Augustine – there is one thing we cannot

doubt, and that is the fact that we doubt. Now, if
we doubt, we are and as doubting we must be
living and rational beings. We have then
established with certainty three grades or level of
existence: mere being, living being, and rational
being.
Buddhism: From Tears to Enlightenment

St. Thomas Aquinas – human beings as moral

agents. We are both spiritual and body
elements; the spiritual and material. . . Our
spirituality separates us from animals; it
differentiates moral dimension of our fulfillment
in action.
Evaluate Own Limitations and the
Possibilities for their Transcendence
Based on the preceding section, let us evaluate our
human limitations and how we can also transcend them.
A. Forgiveness
B. The Beauty of Nature
C. Vulnerability
D. Failure
E. Loneliness
F. Love
Recognize the Human Body Imposes Limits
and Possibilities for Transcendence

A. Hinduism: Reincarnation and Karma

B. B. Buddhism: Nirvana

C. C. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas: Will

and Love
Distinguish the Limitations and Possibilities
for Transcendence
After understanding the precepts of Hinduism and
Buddhism, let us distinguish the limits and possibilities
of human beings common to all Indian thought:

• It is the spiritual that endures and is

ultimately real. In Hinduism, the human
aspiration is to move to the divine. What we
believe is how we live; if our beliefs are in error,
then our lives will be unhappy.
Distinguish the Limitations and Possibilities
for Transcendence
• There is the preoccupation with the inner life - the
road to enlightenment that stretches not outward but
inward. To understand nature and the universe, we
must turn within.

• There is an emphasis on the nonmaterial oneness of

creation. This means that there are no polarities; a
single spirit provides cosmic harmony.
Distinguish the Limitations and Possibilities
for Transcendence

• There is the acceptance of direct awareness as the

only way to understand what is real.

• There is a healthy respect for tradition, but never a

slavish commitment to it. The past can teach but never
rule.
Evil and Suffering

Suffering is close to the heart of biblical faith.

In comparison with the Buddha, who saw life in
suffering and tried to control it instead of cursing
it, Job, of the Old Testament, did not just
complain. He cursed the day he was born! In
phenomenological perspective, all of u will
continue to assert our will against others, adding
to the overall suffering of human experience.
Reflection

Human being, has a supernatural,

transcendental destiny. This means that he/she
can rise above one’s ordinary being or self to a
highest being or self.
The End