The Person as

Embodied Spirit
 Lesson Objectives

Recognize own limitations or possibilitie

s for ones transcendence
Evaluate own limitations and the possibil
ities for ones transcendence
 Key Questions

What spiritual philosophies deal with the

topic of transcendence?

How can human beings attain

transcendence?
 Transcendence
According to Thomas Merton (1948), there is no
other way to find who we are than by finding in
ourselves the divine image.
We have to struggle to regain spontaneous and vital
awareness of our own spirituality.
Transcendental and transcendence convey the basic
ground concept from the words literal meaning
(from Latin), of climbing or going beyond, with
varying connotations in its different historical and
cultural stages.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Hinduism Transcendence
At the heart of Hinduism lies the idea of human
beings quest for absolute truth, so that ones soul
and the Brahman or Atman (Absolute Soul) might
become one.
Human beings have dual nature: the spiritual and
immortal essence (soul) which is considered real; and
the empirical life and character.
Hindus generally 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.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on

Transcendence
Humanitys basic goal in life is the liberation (moksha)
of spirit (jiva).
Hinduism holds that humanitys life is a continuous
cycle (samsara) where the body goes through a
transmigratory series of birth and death, even
though the spirit is neither born nor dies.
Unless the individual exerts real efforts to break
away or liberate ones spirit from the monotonous
cycle, there will be no end to the cycle.
Ultimate liberation, that is, freedom from rebirth, is
achieved the moment the individual attains the stage
of life emancipation.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
Hindus view of reality places a lot of emphasis on
the attainment of self-knowledge.
The goal of human life as conceived by the different
Upanishads is to overcome congenital ignorance.
True knowledge (vidya) consists an understanding
and realization of the individuals real self (atman) as
opposed to lower knowledge that is limited to an
interpretation of reality based solely on the data
offered by sense experience.
One concept common to all expressions of Hinduism
is the oneness of reality.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
When we realize this unity with the absolute, we
realize our true destiny.
Also common to all Hindu thought are the four
primary values: wealth, pleasure, duty, and
enlightenment.
To understand enlightenment, one must
understand the law of karma, the law of sowing
and reaping.
The wheel of existence turns until we achieve
enlightenment.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
Buddhism
Another major Eastern tradition which sprang from
the life experience and teaching of Siddhartha
Gautama or the Buddha, the highborn Prince of the
Sakya clan in the kingdom of Magadha, who lived
from 560 to 477 B.C.
Gautamas life was devoted to sharing his Dharma
or Law of Salvation a simple presentation of the
gospel of inner cultivation of right spiritual attitudes,
coupled with a self-imposed discipline whereby bodily
desires would be channelled in the right directions.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
The teaching of Buddha has been set forth
traditionally in the Four Noble Truths leading to the
Eightfold Path to perfect character or arhatship,
which in turn gave assurance of entrance into Nirvana
at death.
Four Noble Truths
Life is full of suffering.
Suffering is caused by passionate desires, lusts,
cravings.
Only when the causes of suffering are obliterated
will suffering cease.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on

Transcendence
Eradication of desire may be accomplished only
by following the Eightfold Path of earnest
endeavor.
right belief in and acceptance of the
Fourfold Truth;
right aspiration for ones self and for others;
right speech that harms no one;
right conduct, motivated by goodwill toward
all human beings;
right means of livelihood, or earning ones
living by honorable means;
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
right endeavor, or effort to direct ones
energies toward wise ends;
right mindfulness in choosing topics for
thought; and
right meditation, or concentration to the
point of complete absorption in mystic
ecstasy
The eightfold path enjoins us to develop wisdom,
urges us to practice virtue and avoid vice, and tells
us to practice meditation.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
The wayTranscendence
to salvation lies through self-abnegation,
rigid discipline of mind and body, a consuming love
for all living creatures, and the final achievement of
that state of consciousness which marks an
individuals full preparation for entering the Nirvana
(enlightened wisdom) of complete selflessness.
First steps that one can take after reading, hearing,
and pondering Buddhist teaching and establishing
some confidence in it:
Refrain from destroying life;
Refrain from taking what is not given;
Refrain from a misuse of the senses;
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
Refrain from wrong speech (do not lie or
deceive); and
Refrain from taking drugs or drinks that tend to
cloud the mind
Buddhist practice the four states of sublime
condition: love, sorrow of others, joy in the joy of
others and equanimity as regards ones own joy and
sorrows.
After Buddhas death, a need was felt for putting
the sayings of Buddha into writing, or at least for
getting them fixed in the oral tradition.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
First Council at Rajagaha (ca. 477 B.C.) about
500 disciples gathered and together recited and
chanted the precepts now found in the Tripitaka.
Second Council at Vesali (ca. 383 or 377 B.C.) it
was found desirable to make changes to ease the
burden of Buddhist discipline.
Third Council (245 B.C.) serious effort was
made to reform and reorganize the Order and
embarked upon a program of expansion.
Buddha insisted on freedom of thought and
intellectual independence in following his teaching.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
Christianity
In the beginning, Christians do not see the need to
prove Gods existence.
Looks at the reasonableness of belief in Gods
existence.
Asks whether or not the existence of God provides
the best explanation of the existence of the world,
as we know it.
Later, Christian missionaries felt the need to argue
philosophically for the existence of God when they
were confronted by various naturalistic philosophy.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on
Transcendence
For Augustine (354430 CE), philosophy is amor
sapiential (the love of wisdom) whose aim is to
produce happiness.
Wisdom is substantially existent as the Divine Logos,
hence, philosophy is the love of God.
For Augustine, Christianity, as presenting the full
revelation of the true God, is the only full and true
philosophy.
Knowledge of God begins with faith and is made
perfect by understanding.
Faith supplements and enlightens reason that it may
proceed to ever richer and fuller understanding.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on

Transcendence
There are three levels of existence which has been
established, not by turning outward through
sensation to the external world, but by turning
inward to the soul itself:
mere being;
living being; and
rational being.
The lowest form of knowledge is that of sensation yet
as we ascend higher to knowledge of rational
principles, it is the will which directs the minds eye
to truth, first invading to the mind itself, then upward
to the eternal Truth.
 Three Main Spiritual
Philosophies on

Transcendence
For Augustine, man is a rational substance
constituted of soul and body.
The progress in knowledge and wisdom is not only
speculative, it is more fundamentally practical and
moral.
For St. Thomas Aquinas, human beings have the
unique power to change themselves and things for
the better.
Aquinas considers the human being as moral agent
who is both spiritual and body elements.
The unity between both elements indeed helps man
to understand his complexity as human beings.
Limitations and Possibilities
for Transcendence
Forgiveness
It frees us from our anger and bitterness caused by
the actions and/or words of another.
On the other hand, the hardness of our heart is
reinforced by whole series of rational arguments.
Beauty and Nature
There is perfection in every single flower.
A hug, sunrise and sunset, eating together as a family
are experiences of miracles which can be truly
moments of grace that touch us deeply and
spontaneously lift our hearts.
Limitations and Possibilities
for Transcendence
Vulnerability
To be vulnerable is to be human.
We need to acknowledge the help of other people in
our lives if we want to be true with ourselves and live
with meaning and direction.
Failure
Failures force us to confront our weaknesses and
limitations and to surrender to a mystery or look
upon a bigger world.
Acceptance of our failures makes us hope and trust
that all can be brought into good.
Limitations and Possibilities
for Transcendence
Loneliness
It is our choice to live in an impossible world where
we are always happy or to accept a life where
solitude and companionship have a part.
Our experience of loneliness can help us realize that
our dependence on other people or gadgets is a
possessiveness that we can be free from.
Love
To love is to experience richness, positivity, and
transcendence.
Love can open in us something which takes us
beyond ourselves.
 Activities
1. Compare the Hindus concept of Karma to the
Filipinos concept of Karma.
2. Based on the eightfold path, which is the most
important for you to cultivate in your life at present?
3. Relate to the class an experience that you were able
to go beyond your limitation.
4. Share with your classmate a moment in your life
that you faced failures.
Guide Questions:
a. How do you view suffering (as a blessing or a
curse)?
b. How do you acknowledge the help of others?
c. How can forgiveness free us from anger?