Module 8: Unpacking the Self

The Spiritual Self

Introduction

The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of the
self. In William James book, The Principles of Psychology Spiritual self is
one of the four constituents of the “self”. In his famous Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus said: “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need.”
You probably agree with that statement. People everywhere recognize
the need for spirituality in their life and assume that once found, it will
bring them happiness. It is the most intimate version of the self because
of the satisfaction experienced when thinking of one’s ability to argue
and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility and conscience, and of our
unconquerable will (James 1890) is purer than all other sentiments of
satisfaction. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the
spiritual self is on.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson students should be able to:

1. discuss Spirituality and its importance;
2. understand the self in relation with religious beliefs; and
3. explain ways of finding the meaning of life.

Learning Content

In Search of Spirituality

One dictionary defines spirituality as “sensitivity or attachment to

religious values” and “the quality or state of being spiritual.” Thus, such
terms as “spirituality,” “being spiritual,” or “being spiritually-minded”
are viewed as synonymous. To clarify the term further, think of this
comparison: An individual who is skillful in commercial affairs is said to
be business-minded. Similarly, someone who keenly values spiritual or
religious interests is called spiritually-minded.

How, then, is true spirituality achieved? Though just about every religion
claims to know the path to spirituality, the directions given are about as
numerous as the religions themselves. A Protestant claims to be saved at
a revival meeting. A Catholic seeks communion with God at Mass. A
Buddhist pursues enlightenment through meditation. A Hindu strives for
release from the cycle of rebirths through self-denial. Are all of these on
the path to true spirituality? Are any?

For many, the answer to those questions is no. They hold that spirituality
means to “believe without belonging,” that is, to believe in a god or a
deity without belonging to a church. Others feel that spirituality refers,
not to a religious experience, but to a desire for inner peace and for
meaning in life. They assert that those seeking spirituality need not look
to religion at all. Rather, they need only to look inwardly, to their
innermost feelings. One writer says: “True spirituality is something that
is found deep within oneself. It is your way of loving, accepting and
relating to the world and people around you. It cannot be found in a
church or by believing in a certain way.”

Clearly, people differ greatly in their ideas about spirituality. Thousands

of books claim to show the way to a spiritual life, yet all too often readers
are left feeling unfulfilled and confused.

Religion—How Did It Begin?

The history of religion is as old as the history of man himself. That is

what archaeologists and anthropologists tell us. Even among the most
“primitive,” that is to say, undeveloped, civilizations, there is found
evidence of worship of some form. In fact The New Encyclopædia
Britannica says that “as far as scholars have discovered, there has never
existed any people, anywhere, at any time, who were not in some sense
religious.

Besides its antiquity, religion also exists in great variety. The

headhunters in the jungles of Borneo, the Eskimos in the frozen Arctic,
the nomads in the Sahara Desert, the urban dwellers in the great
metropolises of the world—every people and every nation on earth has its
god or gods and its way of worship. The diversity in religion is truly
staggering.

Logically, questions come to mind. From where did all these religions
come? Since there are marked differences as well as similarities among
them, did they start independently, or could they have developed from
one source? In fact we might ask: Why did religion begin at all? And
how? The answers to these questions are of vital importance to all who
are interested in finding the truth about religion and religious beliefs.

Question of Origin

When it comes to the question of origin, people of different religions think of names such as Muammad, the

Even though these individuals are considered founders of the major

religions that we are familiar with, it must be noted that they did not
actually originate religion. In most cases, their teachings grew out of
existing religious ideas, even though most of these founders claimed
divine inspiration as their source. Or they changed and modified existing
religious systems that had become unsatisfactory in one way or another.

For example, as accurately as history can tell us, the Buddha had been a
prince who was appalled by the suffering and deplorable conditions he
found surrounding him in a society dominated by Hinduism. Buddhism
was the result of his search for a solution to life’s agonizing problems.
Similarly, Muḥammad was highly disturbed by the idolatry and
immorality he saw in the religious practices around him. He later claimed
to have received special revelations from God, which formed the Qurʼān
and became the basis of a new religious movement, Islām. Protestantism
grew out of Catholicism as a result of the Reformation that began in the
early 16th century, when Martin Luther protested the sale of indulgences
by the Catholic church at that time.

Thus, as far as the religions now in existence are concerned, there is no

lack of information regarding their origin and development, their
founders, their sacred writings, and so on. But what about the religions
that existed before them? And the ones even before those? If we go back
far enough in history, we will sooner or later be confronted with the
question: How did religion begin? Clearly, to find the answer to that
question, we must look beyond the confines of the individual religions.

Different yet Similar

We can get the answer in the same way that linguistic experts got their
answers about the origin of language. By placing the languages side by
side and noting their similarities, an etymologist can trace the various
languages back to their source. Similarly, by placing the religions side by
side, we can examine their doctrines, legends, rituals, ceremonies,
institutions, and so on, and see if there is any underlying thread of
common identity and, if so, to what that thread leads us.

On the surface, the many religions in existence today seem quite

different from one another. However, if we strip them of the things that
are mere embellishments and later additions, or if we remove those
distinctions that are the result of climate, language, peculiar conditions
of their native land, and other factors, it is amazing how similar most of
them turn out to be.

For example, most people would think that there could hardly be any two
religions more different from each other than the Roman Catholic Church
of the West and Buddhism of the East. However, what do we see when
we put aside the differences that could be attributed to language and
culture? If we are objective about it, we have to admit that there is a
great deal that the two have in common. Both Catholicism and Buddhism
are steeped in rituals and ceremonies. These include the use of candles,
incense, holy water, the rosary, images of saints, chants and prayer
books, even the sign of the cross. Both religions maintain institutions of
monks and nuns and are noted for celibacy of priests, special garb, holy
days, special foods. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it serves to
illustrate the point. The question is, Why do two religions that appear to
be so different have so many things in common?

As enlightening as the comparison of these two religions turns out to be,

the same can be done with other religions. When we do so, we find that
certain teachings and beliefs are almost universal among them. Most of
us are familiar with such doctrines as the immortality of the human soul,
heavenly reward for all good people, eternal torment for the wicked in an
underworld, purgatory, a triune god or a godhead of many gods, and a
mother-of-god or queen-of-heaven goddess. Beyond these, however, there
are many legends and myths that are equally commonplace. For example,
there are legends about man’s fall from divine grace owing to his illicit
attempt to achieve immortality, the need to offer sacrifices to atone for
sin, the search for a tree of life or fountain of youth, gods and demigods
who lived among humans and produced superhuman offspring, and a
catastrophic flood that devastated nearly all of humanity.

What can we conclude from all of this? We note that those who believed
in these myths and legends lived far from one another geographically.
Their culture and traditions were different and distinct. Their social
customs bore no relationship to one another. And yet, when it comes to
their religions, they believed in such similar ideas. Although not every
one of these peoples believed in all the things mentioned, all of them
believed in some of them. The obvious question is, Why? It was as if there
was a common pool from which each religion drew its basic beliefs, some
more, some less. With the passage of time, these basic ideas were
embellished and modified, and other teachings developed from them. But
the basic outline is unmistakable.

Logically, the similarity in the basic concepts of the many religions of the
world is strong evidence that they did not begin each in its own separate
and independent way. Rather, going back far enough, their ideas must
have come from a common origin. What was that origin?

RELIGION

Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion “as a

set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually includes some or all of
basic characteristics. These characteristics are:

1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit &

gods
2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a
feeling of reverence and awe
 3. the presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on
supernatural beings as well as physical beings and objects
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation
of sacred object to communicate to supernatural beings and/or to
influence or control events
5. the articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives
and other means
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and
mechanism of social control within a community; provide
explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals

RITUAL

Ritual is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a

tradition or sacred law (Britanica 2017). It is a specific, observable mode
of behavior exhibited by all known societies. it is thus possible to view
ritual as a way or describing humans

Religious rites include prayers involving praise (worship or

adoration), petition and confession, vows, commissions such as
ordination, rites of passage such as baptism, confirmation, marriage
ceremonies, funeral rites and burials, communion or the Eucharist
(also called mass, the Lord's supper), feasts, fasts, alms ...

Some World Religious Beliefs & Practices

There are different religions with different beliefs & practices.
Some of the major world religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam and Judaism.
BUDDHISM

Image o f Buddha By: Jesus -

Zambrano (https://creativecommonsorg/licenses/by sa-4.0) via wikimedia
CommonsI
 Buddhist Monks (Image via wikimedia commons)

Beliefs
Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are
suffering, pain, frustrations. When people suffer, they want to experience
the goodness of life and avoid disappointments. It becomes a habit known
as the reactive cycle of wanting and hating, like and dislike, and craving
and aversion. This reactive cycle can be broken through the practice of
mediation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper understanding, and
acceptance of things as they are.
Customs and Practices
There are two types of meditation practices: samatha and
vipassana. Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and
development of loving- kindness (Metta Bhavana). Vipassana practices
aim at developing insight into reality. Acquiring wisdom is by studying
Buddha’s teaching. The Dharma. Through the reflection of the Dharma.
Buddhists can achieve a deeper understanding of life. Buddhists believe
in non-violence principle.
Some of the major Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in
February; Buddha Day (Wesak) in May; Dharma Day in July;
Padmasambhava Day in October; and Sangha Day in November.

(photo via: wikimedia commons)

 Parinirvana Day

(https:// flickr.com/photos/udeyismall/4642613)
Wesak Day
CHRISTIANITY
Beliefs
Christians believe in Trinitarian God. One God in three personas:
God the Father (Creator), God the Son (Savior), and God the Holy Spirit
(Sustainer). Eternal life after death will be achieved through faith in
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is, God the Son, who came into flesh, to spread
the Good News of Salvation. He died on the Cross for the sin of the
humanity but resurrected from the death, so that anyone who believes in
Him will be saved and have eternal life. The Holy Bible is a selection of
books, which is divided into two, the Old Testament and New Testament.
Holy baptism

Customs and Practices

Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion are practiced
by Christian churches. The sacrament of Baptism symbolizes the birth in
Christian world, while the sacrament of communion is an act of
remembrance of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love. Jesus Christ teaching in
unconditional love that is expressed in loving the poor, oppressed, and
outcast of the society.
Christmas and Resurrection (Easter) are the two major
celebrations in Christianity. Christmas, usually on December 25,
commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ while Resurrection Sunday
(depends on the lunar calendar, sometime in March or April) celebrates
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.

HINDUISM
Beliefs
Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious
groups; thus there is no single founder or leader. Hindus believe that
existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth , governed by Karma.
Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the
past life was spent. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of
successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the
previous life was lived. Vedas are sacred scriptures of Hindus.
Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other important texts of the Hindus.

Customs and Practices

Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated festivals of the Hindus.
Diwali is the Festival of Lights while Navrati is the festival of nine nights,
which celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Hindus have set dates to
honor particular manifestations of Gods

(By: wikimedia Commons)

Diwali Celebration

ISLAM
Beliefs
Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God.” They believe in
the unity and universality of God. Muslims also have a strong sense
community or “ummah” and an awareness of their solidarity with all
Muslims worldwide. Islam means “willing submission to God.”
Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent
by God. Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received
revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23
years. The Holy Book of Islam is called the Quran, which was taught to
be recited in Arabic because any translation is seen as inadequate.
Mosque
Customs and Practices
Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of
Muslims life:
1. Shahadah- statement of faith: “There is no God but the one true
God and Mohammed is his messenger.”
2. Salat- the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
 3. Zakat- the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It
compromises the 2.5% of a Muslim’s assets.
4. Hajj- the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are
asked to do the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
5. Sawm- the fasting. Muslims do fasting, from food, drink and sexual
act, during the celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth
month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fast is from dawn to
sunset.

Two of the major festivals in Islam are Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha.

Eidul – Fitr is the celebration at the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-
Adha is celebrated within the completion of the Pilgrimage, the
Hajj.

(https://pixabay.com/en/mecca-saudi-arabia-kaaba-holy-656774)
Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Mecca

JUDDAISM
Beliefs
The Jews believe in the God of Abraham, the same God that liberated the
Hebrew slaves from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land through the
leadership of Moses and later, Joshua.
The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah the Savior. The sacred
scripture of the Jews is called the Torah of the Law. The Torah is the
guide of the Jewish living. The study and interpretation of Torah is part of
the Jewish culture.
Customs and Practices
There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah- the New Year
 2. Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach- Passover
4. Shavuot- Pentecost
5. Sukkot- Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening
at sunset and is an important time when families gather to the
Shabbat meal.

https//www.flicker.com/folderphotos1858436

Shabbat meal Rosh Hashanah

Pesach

Religious beliefs, rituals, practices, and customs are all part

of the expression of the spiritual self. What to believe and how to
manifest the belief is entirely dependent on the individual, to the
self. A person might believe that there is a higher being, a
supernatural being, usually termed as God, but not necessarily
wants to be affiliated or identified with a certain religious group.
Others may have religious beliefs and practices which are
perceived to be contrary to the practices of other groups. Religious
beliefs and practices, therefore, are formed relative to its context
and culture.

The Need for Meaning

Who needs it? Not the earthworm or the eagle, the chipmunk or the
whale. It is man alone of all earth’s creatures that raises the question,
Does life have any meaning? Every generation has pondered it. If the
need for meaning were not inherent in man, the question would not have
haunted him through the centuries.
If life is so fleeting and followed by a future of oblivion, how could it have
meaning? But the need for meaning and permanence is so great that
doctrines of immortal souls and reincarnations are seized upon. Many
feel the need to make this present life memorable by leaving something
of themselves behind—a book, a painting, a musical composition, an
endowment, a foundation, anything to give some kind of tangible
evidence of their having been here. It seems to help them to feel that
there was some meaning to their existence. Even those who made a name
for themselves fade from memory as they are eclipsed by prominent ones
now living.
In spite of man’s tininess in universal space, however, and his fleeting
appearance in the stream of time, he still needs to feel his life is
meaningful. This springs from the way he was created. It is an inborn
need. Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist who originated the psychiatric
school of logotherapy, which he defines as meaning-therapy, says: “The
striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in
man.”
How can the need for meaning in our life be met?
Making Lives Meaningful

BY SETTING GOALS
“Hitch your wagon to a star,” advises the old saying. Goals of high
purpose give meaningful direction to our life, keep us from drifting,
floundering or stagnating. Human creatures are goal-oriented. Setting
goals aids progress and strengthens purpose. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl,
in “Man’s Search for Meaning,” writes of the importance of goals even in
Nazi concentration camps: “Any attempt to restore a man’s inner
strength in the camp had first to succeed in showing him some future
goal.”
He tells of two men in camp who had decided to commit suicide—what
did they have to live for? But when one realized his adored child was
waiting for him, and the other had a series of scientific books to finish,
both chose to live. “There is nothing in the world, I venture to say,”
Frankl wrote, “that would so effectively help one to survive even the
worst conditions, as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life.”
If this is true in “the worst conditions,” how much more so would setting
goals and striving to reach them help people in their day-to-day living!
BY DOING WORK
Goals in themselves, however, mean little. Only when they are
accompanied by deeds do they have real meaning. A farmer may have as
a goal the harvesting of a certain crop, but to attain that goal he must
sow seed and do all the additional work needed to produce and bring in
the crop.
Even children benefit from work. Professor Alice Rossi, a sociologist at
the University of Massachusetts, urged parents to give children work in
the home: “To feel needed and useful is as important as to feel loved. Yet
our child-rearing ideas have stressed only love and the child’s need to
play, neglecting the work children can do.”
BY MINDING SPIRITUAL THINGS
Purpose and meaning are based in the things of the spirit, not the flesh.
Frankl wrote of the ability to resist the tortures of the concentration
camps because of spiritual strength: “The consciousness of one’s inner
value is anchored in higher, more spiritual things, and cannot be shaken
by camp life.” Why do successful executives, materially well off, change
careers in mid-life? Psychologist Levinson said that they begin to ask: “Is
this all there is? Was it worth all I had to give up along the way? Do I
want to go on like this for the rest of my life?”
It is the awareness of a person’s spiritual need and the fulfilling of that
that brings happiness and meaning to his life.
BY A RIGHT ATTITUDE
Do you work toward a goal with confidence and vigor, not doubting or
drifting willy-nilly? Think negative and get negative results; think positive
to get positive results. Doubts are traitors that make us lose what we
might win if we didn’t fear to try. Think on that which is good.
BY SERVING OTHERS
We feel useful when we help others. It shows we have something to offer.
Useful lives become meaningful lives, viewed so by others as well as by
ourselves. Serving mankind can in itself become a goal and impart
meaning to a person’s life.
Serving God does much more toward enabling us to view our life as
meaningful, even though we are small in a vast universe and exist only in
a tiny fraction of the stream of time.

BY SUFFERING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE

“Suffering ceases to be suffering in some way at the moment it finds a
meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice,” writes Frankl. “Man is even
ready to suffer, on the condition, to be sure, that his suffering has a
meaning.” What greater meaning could it have than being for
righteousness’ sake?
LOGOTHERAPY ASSUMPTIONS
Logotheraphy is a psychotherapy introduced by Dr. Vitor Frankl, who is
considered the Father of Logotherapy. The main belief of logotheraphy is
that “man’s primary motivational force is search for meaning, it uses the
philosophy of optimism in the face of tragedy, where people are capable
of “turning suffering into human achievement and accomplishment;
deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; and
deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.
● The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit.
● Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable
● People have a will to meaning
● People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to
find meaning
● Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if
decisions are to be meaningful
● The individual is unique