Spiritual Self

Spiritual Self

An intimate version of the self

comprised of one’s moral
sensibility, conscience and
beliefs.

Spiritual self can be expressed

through one’s religion.

Practices, rituals and ceremonies

are manifestations of what
people believe in.
 Religion
The belief in and worship of a
superhuman controlling power,
especially a personal God or gods.

An individual lives in a society

where there are many practices of
religion. The choice of a religious
belief lies within the spiritual self.
Although, the choice maybe
influenced by the society and its
culture.
 Ritual

The performance of ceremonial

acts prescribed by a tradition or
sacred law.

Ritual is a specific and

observable mode of behavior
exhibited by all known
societies.
 Characteristics of Ritual:

1. A feeling of respect or dread

in relation to the sacred;

2. Dependence upon a belief

system;

3. Symbol to its reference.

 Major Religions of the World

1. Buddhism
2. Christianity
3. Hinduism
4. Islam
5. Judaism
 Buddhism
 Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on
personal spiritual development. Fourth largest
religion in the world.

 Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the

true nature of life and do not worship gods or
deities.
 Buddhism originated in
ancient
Northeast India.

 Buddhists seek to reach a state of nirvana,

following the path of the Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama, who went on a quest for
Enlightenment.

 Sacred text: Tripitaka

 Dharmachakra wheel symbolises the cycle of
life, death and rebirth. The eight spokes remind
people that the Buddha taught about eight ways of
life.
 Buddhism Practices
 Samatha meditation – mindfulness of breathing
and development of loving kindness.

 Vipassana meditation – aims at developing insights

into reality of life.

 Parinirvana Day an Buddhist festival that

remembers
- the death annual
the ofBuddha when he reached
Nirvana at the age of 80.

 Wesak day - celebrating the life and death of

Gautama Buddha.
 Christianity
 Christianity is the world's biggest
religion.

 Any group whose beliefs are based on

the teaching of Jesus.
 Christianity began as an offshoot of
the Jewish faith in Nazareth, Israel.

 Believes in God, Holy Spirit, as the

creator.
 Sacred text: The Bible (Old and New
testaments)

 The cross is the main symbol. It

reminds Christians that Jesus died on the
cross to save them.
 Christianity Practices
 Sacrament of Baptism – symbolizes the birth in
Christian world.

 Sacrament of Communion – an act of remembrance of Jesus

Christ sacrificial love.

 Christmas – usually December 25, commemorates the birth of

Jesus Christ.

 Easter – celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.

 Hinduism
 Hinduism is the world's third largest
religion.

 Hinduism is the oldest living world

religion. It is also the most difficult to
understand as Hindus may be atheists,
monotheists or polytheists

 Originated in Northern India about 4000

years ago.

 Sacred text: Vedas and Upanishads

 Aum is the main symbol of Hinduism. It

is the sound heard in deepest meditation
and is said to be the name most suited for
God.
 Hinduism Practices

 Diwali – the festival of lights. Divali symbolizes the spiritual

"victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over
ignorance.

 Navratri - is a nine nights Hindu festival. It is observed for triumph

of good over evil.
 Islam
 Islam is an Abrahamic, monotheistic
religion teaching that there is only one
God- Allah, and that Muhammad is the
messenger of God.

 The Arabic 'Islam'

means
word submissionand obedience,
derives from a wordand
meaning 'peace'.

 It is the world's second-largest religion,

with its members most commonly known
as Muslims.

 Originated in Saudi Arabia.

 Sacred text: The Qur’an

 Islam Practices

 Salat – the prayer that is practiced five times a day.

 Haji – the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca.

 Sawm – the fasting from food, drinks, and sexual acts during the
Ramadan. The fasting is from dawn to sunset.

 Eidul-Fitr – the celebration at the end of Ramadan.

 Judaism
 Judaism is the oldest of the world's four biggest
monotheistic religions. It's also the smallest
among the 5 major religions of the world.

 Believes that there is a single God who not only

created the universe, but with whom every Jew
can have an individual and personal relationship.

 Originated in Israel.

 Sacred text: Torah

 The symbol or emblem of the Jewish people is

the Magen David (Shield of David), also known
as the Star of David.

 Menorah - it symbolizes the burning bush as

seen by Moses on Mount Sinai.
 Judaism Practices
 Rosh Hashanah – the new year, held in the first day of september.

 Yom Kippur – the day of Atonement, 25-hour period of fasting and

intensive prayer.
 Pesach – passover festival, celebrates the Exodus myth from
the
Book of Exodus.

 Shavuot – pentecost. celebrates the revelation of the Five Books of the

Torah by God to Moses and to the Israelites at biblical Mount Sinai.
 Sukkot – tabernacle, commemorates the sheltering of the Israelites in the
wilderness.
 Summary
 Religious beliefs, rituals, and practices are all part of the
expression of spiritual self.

 What to believe, and how to manifest the belief is entirely

dependent of the individual.

 A person might believe that there is a higher being, usually termed

as God, but not necessarily wants to be affiliated with a certain
religious group.

 Others may have religious practices which are perceived to be

contrary to the practices of other groups.
 Spiritual Self

Thank you for paying

attention.
SOURCE:

Pistan, O. (2023). Understanding the self. slideshare