October 17-21, 2022 Handout

THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN Lesson Objectives:

EMBODIED SPIRIT 1. Identify the components of the human person according to the different philosophers.
Module 3 (Lesson 1): 2. Describe the Human Person as an embodied spirit according to Hinduism, Buddhism and
Understanding Truth and Opinion Christianity.
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The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit

According to ST. THOMAS of AQUINAS in his Summa Theologia, “The body is not of the essence of the soul; but the soul by the
nature of its essence can be united to the body, so that, properly speaking, not the soul alone, but the “composite” is the species.
The Union of Body and Soul
ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE
 The philosopher Aristotle in his book De Anima II, stated the union of body and soul, “The soul is the source of these phenomena
and is characterized by them, viz.b by the power of self-nutrtion, sensation, thinking and movement; further, since it is te
soul by which primarily we live, perceive and think-it follows that the soul must be an account and essence, not matter or
subject… it is the soul which is the quality of a certain kind of body.”
 In De Anima II, Aristotle explains that the primary principle of what animates man- from nourishment to understanding- is the soul,
which is united with the body as its form.
 The soul is said to be essentially the form of the body bu for Aristotle, it is not because the soul is merged with the body.
 The soul has the power of communicating bits existence to the body not just through movement (locomotion) but also through
understanding or thinking (knowledge).
 The existence of man is viewed as a whole body and soul are distinct from each other.
ACCORDING ST. THOMAS OF AQUINAS
 He addressed the mind-body problem by characterizing human nature as body and soul: “Man is composed of spiritual and
corporeal substance.”
 In Summa Theologica, he also addressed the following concerns about the nature of the soul as a body:
1. It is the body’s moving principle
2. Knowledge of corporeal things is caused by likeness; hence to know of the body is to be like it in nature
3. 3. The soul moves the body and movement happens through contact; hence the soul must be a body because contact happens
between bodies.
ACCORDING TO THOMAS MERTON (1948)
 There is no other way for us to find who we are than by finding in ourselves the divine image. We must struggle to regain
spontaneous and vital awareness of our own spirituality.
 Merton talks about a continual movement away from inner and outer isold and toward union with the desert God of his Christian
faith.
Human Nature as Freedom
ACCORDING SARTRE
 “I am condemned to be free.” As stated, freedom is not about wanting to do things but the being-for-itself acting upon
autonomous choices.
 You make your choice, and you take responsibility for your choice.
 Blaming others is not a possibility for a human whose actions were guided by his or her freedom.
 To be totally free opens you to a multitude of possibilities, yet it may you because the future project is not yet your being.
Hinduism
Brahman Is Self-Hood
 The heart of Hinduism lies the idea of human beings’ quest for absolute truth, so that one’s soul and the Brahman or
Atman (Absolute Soul) might become one.
 Hindus believe that the soul is eternal but is bound by the law of Karma (action) to the world of matter, which it can
escape only after spiritual progress through an endless series of births.
 Hinduism holds that humanity’s life is a continuous cycle (samsara). While it is the spirit is neither born nor does it die,
the body, on the other hand, goes through a transmigratory series of birth and death.
 Transmigration or metempsychosis is a doctrine that adheres to the belief that a person’s soul passes into some other
creature, human or animal. If the person has led a good life, the soul goes upward the scale. The soul of an evil person,
on the other hand, may pass into the body of an animal.
Buddhism :From Tears to Enlightenment
 Gautama’s life was devoted to sharing hs “Dharma” or Law of Ssalvation – a simple presentation of the gospel of inner cultivation
of right spiritual attitudes, coupled with self-imposed discipline whereby bodily desires would be channeled in the right directions.
 The teaching of Buddha has been set forth traditionally in the “Four Noble Truths” leading to the “Eightfold Path” to perfect
character or archatship, which in turn gave assurance of entrance into Nirvana at death.
Four Noble Truth – Gautama’s Teaching:
1. Life is full of Suffering
2. Suffering is caused by passionate desire, lusts, cravings
3. Onlyas these are obliterated, will suffering cease.
4. Such eradication of desire may be accomplished only by following the Eightfold Path of earnest endeavor.

“Your body is the sacred vessel you’ve been given to experience life, so Honour it, Cherish it, Nourish it.” – Brandon Bays
October 17-21, 2022 Handout
Eightfold Path (These are the steps)
1. Right belief in acceptance of the “Fourfold Truth”.
2. Right aspiration for oneself and for others.
3. Right speech that harms no one.
4. Right conduct, motivated by goodwill toward all human beings.
5. Right means of livelihood or earning one’s living by honorable means.
6. Right endeavor, or effort to direct one’s nergies toward wise ends.
7. Right mindfulness in choosing topics for thought; and
8. Right meditation or concentration to the point of complete absorption in mystic ecstacy.
ACCORDING TO VELASQUEZ (1999)
“Items 1 and 2 enjoin us to develop wisdom, items 3-5 urge us to practice virtue and avoid vice, and items 6-8 tell us to practice
meditation. We do this essentially by following three short exioms: cease to do devil, learn to do good, and purify your own mind.”

“Your body is the sacred vessel you’ve been given to experience life, so Honour it, Cherish it, Nourish it.” – Brandon Bays