LESSON 3:

The Spiritual Self

William James:
- spiritual self as man’s inner or subjective being,
his psychic faculties or dispositions. These
psychic dispositions are the most enduring and
intimate part of the self, that which we most verily
seem to be.
 What is Religion?

It is defined by
Durkheim as a unified
system of beliefs and
practices relative to
sacred things which
unite into one single
moral community called
a church, and all those
who adhere to them.
 Rituals

• It is a ceremony or action performed in a

customary way.
• Have been considered a glue that holds together
religious communities for a longer period of time.
 Christianity
Christian beliefs center on the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the
Messiah promised in the Old Testament; the Son of God (a
teacher and healer) who was sent to earth by the Father to
save humanity from the consequences of  sins.
Customs and Practices:

Prayer Baptism Holy Communion

Customs and Practices:

Worship Services Bible Study

Ordination

Evangelism
Customs and Practices:

Marriage

Divine Healing
Important Holidays Christians celebrate Christ's
resurrection from the dead.
Easter is preceded by Holy
Week, which includes Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, and
Easter Black Saturday.

Christmas

The season when

Christians commemorate
the birth of Jesus.
 Buddhism
Teachings focus on personal spiritual development and the
attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life.
The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and
development of morality, meditation, and wisdom.
Four Noble Truths Holidays
1. Life is suffering. 1. Buddha Day
2. All suffering is caused by
(Vesak)
craving and aversion.
3. Suffering can be ended by 2. Sangha Day
overcoming ignorance and 3. Dharma Day
attachment. 4. Parinirvana Day
4. The Noble Eightfold Path.
This consists of the Right
(Samma):
understanding (ditthi)
thought (sankappa)
speech (vaca) 
action (kammanta)
livelihood (ajiva) 
effort (vayama)
mindfulness (sati)
concentration (samadhi)
Buddha Day (Vesak)

• Celebrated on the first full moon of May

• This marks the birth, enlightenment, and death of the
historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.
• Devotees typically assemble in their local temples for a
ceremonial hoisting of the Buddhist flag and singing of
hymns praising the three jewels.
Sangha Day

• A celebration in honor of the Sangha, or the Buddhist

community.
• Commemorates the spontaneous gathering of 1,250
enlightened monks (arahants) to hear Buddha preach at
Veluvana Monastery in the city of Rajagah.
Sangha Day

• Is celebrated in Theravada countries on the full moon day

of July.
• It marks the beginning of the Buddha’s teaching.
Parinirvana Day

• Commemorates the death of Buddha and is celebrated in

February.
• Also known as Nirvana Day because it is believed that
Buddha’s death should be celebrated because at his death
he had reached Enlightenment, the stage of Nirvana.
 Hinduism
• It is a way of life that leads to a higher level of consciousness.
• The religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal.
• It has no single founder, scripture, commonly agreed set of
teachings, and religious authority.

Holidays:
• Diwali 
• Navaratri
• Makar Sankranti
• Holi
• Ram Navami 
• Raksha Bandhan
Diwali

• The Festival of Lights

• It extends over five days and is marked by sweets,
fireworks and lights.
• It celebrates the victory of good over evil.
Navaratri

• Is a nine-day celebration honoring the three goddesses of

the religion: Durga, the goddess of valor;
Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; and Saraswati, the
goddess of knowledge.
• Hindus dedicate three days of celebration to each of the
three goddesses.
Makar Sankranti

• Is celebrated in January.
• It is observed in different ways in various regions of India
and occurs when the sun goes into the zodiac sign of
Makar, which makes the days longer. 
Holi

• The Hindu festival of colors

• It marks the beginning of spring and all that spring
symbolizes. It is not a religious holiday, but has a religious
history.
• During this time, Hindus build bonfires to help get the evil
spirits out of the air and celebrate with gifts of food.
Ram Navami

• It falls in April to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama.

• In this holiday, Hindus clean and decorate their houses with
fruits and flowers.
• The youngest girl in the house leads the prayers (called
puja) by putting a red mark (called a tilak) on her family.
Raksha Bandan

• Celebrates love for comrades and brothers.

• It is celebrated when there is a full moon.
• Usually takes place in August. Raksha means
"protection" and Bandhan means "to tie“.
 Islam
• Means 'submission to the will of God'.
• It has been considered the second largest religion
in the world.
• It is a religion that preaches the Oneness of God,
the Oneness of Mankind, and the Oneness of the
Message.

Preaches:
1. Oneness of God
The five basic Pillars of Islam: 2. Oneness of Mankind
1. Shahada is the testimony of faith 3. Oneness of the Message
2. Salat (Prayer)
Feasts:
3. Zakat (charity)
1. Eid al-Adha
4. Sawm (fasting).
2. Eid ul-Fitr
5. Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca.
3. Ramadan
The Five Basic Pillars

1. Shahada - is the testimony of faith

2. Salat (Prayer) - This is a direct link between the worshipper
and God. Ritual prayers are performed five times each day:
at dawn, noon, mi-afternoon, sunset, and night.
3. Zakat - means giving alms (or charity) to benefit the poor
and the needy.
4. Sawm (fasting) - This is done during the month of
Ramadan. This is a special time of purification and religious
devotion for the Muslims where stronger ties are made with
family and community. Elderly and children are exempt from
fasting.
5. Hajj - is a pilgrimage to Mecca, a journey to a sacred place.
This is required of every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, if
financially and physically able.
Feasts
• Ramadan is the ninth month
and one of the most
important months of the
Islamic calendar. It is during
this month when Muslims
throughout the world fast
between sunrise and sunset.
• The month of Ramadan ends
with the festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
• Eid-ul Adha (festival of sacrifice)
marks the end of Hajj. It is in
this celebration where the
Islamic community unites.
 Jews
• They believe that there is only one God with whom they
can have personal relationship.
• They keep a holy day each week called the Sabbath.
It starts on
• Friday evening at sunset and lasts until nightfall on
Saturday.

Other Festivals:
1. Rosh Hashanah 
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals: 2. Yom Kippur
1. Pesach (Passover)
2. Shavuot
3. Sukkot
Pesach (Passover)

• Is the commemoration of the release of the Jewish from

the bondage in the land of Egypt.
• In the recent time, Passover is celebrated with a traditional
meal called a Seder. During this festival Jews abstain from
products with leavening.
Shavuot

• Seven weeks after Passover, is the celebration of Shavuot.

• Core of the celebration is the ceremony of bringing the
“first fruits”, or Bikkurim, of the harvest to the Temple as an
offering of thanks.
Sukkot

• Means "booths" or "tabernacles"; it refers to the temporary

dwellings they used at the time.
• The celebration of Israelites’ reliance to God for food and
protection when they wander in the desert for 40 years.
• Is a joyful festival because it allows Jews to live close to
nature and know that God is taking care of them.
Rosh Hashanah

• The Jewish New Year

• In this celebration, the synagogue services emphasize God’s
kingship that include the lowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn
trumpet.
Yom Kippur

• The Day of Atonement

• In this occasion, Jews have extensive prayer schedule of
the Hebrew calendar.
• Is the day of fasting; worship is done which includes
confession of sins and asking for forgiveness.
 Frankl’s Logotherapy

Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

Logotherapy, which means “therapy through meaning”, is founded
on the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a
life purpose. Frankl's theories were greatly influenced by his
personal experiences of suffering and loss in Nazi concentration
camps.
Central themes that run through Frankl’s
works:
• Life has meaning, under all circumstances;
• The will to meaning is the central motivation for living;
• All have the freedom to find meaning in all that one thinks; and
• All must integrate the body, mind, and spirit to be fully alive.
 According to Frankl, life’s meaning can be discovered by:

• Creating a work or accomplishing some task;

• Experiencing something or encountering someone; and
• Adopting toward unavoidable suffering.
Thank You!