Module 9

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.

 Spirituality is seen as the contemporary counterpart of religion. It sees faith to

a higher being not confined in the sacred places and group rituals, but rather
experienced at a more personal and private level.
 Being religious is acknowledging the power of a higher being through rituals
and other religious practices. People form communities with members
having the same beliefs and practices towards recognizing a higher being

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.”

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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 Muḥammad, the Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus. In almost every religion,
we can find a central figure to whom credit is given for establishing the ‘true
faith.’ Some of these were iconoclastic reformers. Others were moralistic philosophers.
Still others were selfless folk heroes. Many of them have left behind writings or sayings
that formed the basis of a new religion. In time what they said and did was elaborated,
embellished, and given a mystic aura. Some of these leaders were even deified.

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.

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  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

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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

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.

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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.

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 (photo via: wikimedia commons)
Parinirvana Day

(https:// flickr.com/photos/udeyismall/4642613)
Wesak Day

CHRISTIANITY (Roman Catholicism)

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.

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

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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 Muhammad 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.

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 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 Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. Eid-ul –
Fitr is the celebration at the end of Ramadan, while Eid-ul-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.

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 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

“The meaning of life is to give life meaning” – Viktor Frankl

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.”

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

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 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
Logotheraphy is a psychotherapy introduced by Dr. Viktor 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

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oneself for the better; and deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take
responsible action.
Logotherapy consists of six basic assumptions that overlap with the fundamental
constructs and ways of seeking meaning
1. Body, Mind, and Spirit
The human being is an entity that consists of a body (soma), mind (psyche), and
spirit (noos). Frankl argued that we have a body and mind, but the spirit is what we
are, or our essence. Note that Frankl's theory was not based on religion or theology,
but often had parallels to these.
2. Life Has Meaning in All Circumstances
Frankl believed that life has meaning in all circumstances, even the most
miserable ones. This means that even when situations seem objectively terrible,
there is a higher level of order that involves meaning.
3. Humans Have a Will to Meaning
Logotherapy proposes that humans have a will to meaning, which means that
meaning is our primary motivation for living and acting and allows us to
endure pain and suffering. This is viewed as differing from the will to achieve
power and pleasure.
4. Freedom to Find Meaning
Frankl argues that in all circumstances, individuals have the freedom to access
that will to find meaning. This is based on his experiences of pain and suffering and
choosing his attitude in a situation that he could not change.
5. Meaning of the Moment
The fifth assumption argues that for decisions to be meaningful,
individuals must respond to the demands of daily life in ways that match the values
of society or their own conscience.
6. Individuals Are Unique
Frankl believed that every individual is unique and irreplaceable.

How might you apply the principles of logotherapy to improve your everyday life?
 Create something. Just as Frankl suggested, creating something (e.g.,
art) gives you a sense of purpose, which can add meaning to your life.
 Develop relationships. The supportive nature of spending time with others
will help you to develop more of a sense of meaning in your life.
 Find purpose in pain. If you are going through something bad, try to find
purpose in it. Even if this is a bit of mental trickery, it will help to see you
through. For example, if a family member is going through medical treatments
for disease, view your purpose as being there to support that person.
 Understand that life is not fair. There is nobody keeping score, and you will
not necessarily be dealt a fair deck. However, life can always have meaning, even
in the worst of situations.

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  Freedom to find meaning. Remember that you are always free to
make meaning out of your life situation. Nobody can take that away from you.
 Focus on others. Try to focus outside of yourself to get through feeling stuck
about a situation.
 Accept the worst. When you go out seeking the worse, it reduces the power
that it has over you.

Supplemental Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKDWoy8ISnE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xum35-XplNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX-8-IYhQKk

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