The Human

Person as a
Embodied
Spirit
Transcendence
in Global Age
Thomas Merton (1948)
- Trappist monk who stated that there is
no other way for us to find who we are
than by finding in ourselves the divine
image.
- Talks about a continual movement
away from inner and outer idols and
The Human Person as an
Embodied Spirit
01
02
Hinduism
Buddhism
03
Christianity
01
HINDUISM
 Brahman is Selfhood
It all started with Brahman or Atman (absolute soul)
– the Indians’ God
who created all reality and souls. For Indians, the sound
is the basis of
reality and existence, for they believed God created it
first and brought
forth the universe. The Aum (Om) is the most sacred
sound – the root of
the universe and every existence, and the one that bonds
According to Hinduism, human beings have a dual nature: the
spiritual and immortal essence (soul) and the empirical life and
its traits. Wherein, the soul is the ultimately real, conversely, the
body is nothing but an illusion and an obstruction to an
individual’s realization of one’s real self and should be
abandoned by one in order to attain freedom and oneness with
the Atman.
For Hindus, the law of karma locks an individual into a series of
births for its soul is eternal and constrained by it, having
spiritual progress as the only escape route. God grants rewards
and punishment according to one’s karma (Puligandla, 2007).
A concept common to all expressions of Hinduism is the oneness
of reality; this is found in Bhagavad Gita. This means all
physical realities we see and the souls we feel in our hearts are
all connected and ultimately will return to one place or reality.
The concept of atman or no-self is a correlative belief. This
means that the "I" or the self is an illusion, for each true self is
one with Brahman. By realizing the unity with the absolute, we
realize our true destiny. Thus, in Hinduism, the person’s
uniqueness and individuality have no value and are deemed
only as an illusion. The point of Hinduism is to help an
individual give up his individuality and embrace the all-
encompassing reality of the One.
 Hindu 4 Primary Values
• Enlightenment - refers to one illuminated and liberated who finds
release from the wheel of existence.
• Duty - refers to patience, sincerity, fairness, love, honesty, and
similar virtues
• Pleasure and Wealth - worldly values that are perceived as good
and desirable
Repeated existence is the destiny of those who do not achieve
enlightenment.

For an utmost understanding of Enlightenment, one must

understand:
• The law of karma
• The law of sowing and reaping
02
BUDDHISM
Buddhism is another major Eastern tradition. It is contained
in the teachings of its founder, a highborn prince of the
Sakya Clan in the kingdom of Magadha,
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA, or BUDDHA. Out of the
life experience and teachings of Gautama sprang the
religious philosophy, Buddhism. Turning away from
Hindu polytheism and palace pleasures, Gautama began
searching for answers to the riddle of life’s suffering,
disease, old age, and death. He explores Brahminic
philosophies and tried the rigors of asceticism but all to
no avail. Finally, while resting and meditating he came to
a clear realization that the solution lay in his own mind.
 From here on, Gautama’s life was devoted to sharing
DHARMA or way to salvation--a simple way of
presentation of the inner cultivation of right spiritual
attitudes. Coupled with a self-imposed discipline
whereby bodily desires would be channeled in the right
directions. The transcendence of Buddha omitted any
appeal to the gods as currently conceived. Convinced that
the way of escape from pain and misery lay in the
transformation of one’s mind and that liberation could
come only with sloughing off of all vain clinging to
things of this life. Buddha set about sharing his discovery
with anyone who would listen to him.
Reduced to its simplest form, 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” Gautama taught:
1. Life is full of suffering
2. Suffering is caused by passionate desires, lusts,
and cravings caused by the bodies and emotions
of people
3. Only as these emotions, desires, and wants are
obliterated will suffering cease
4. Such eradication of desire may be accomplished
only by following the Eightfold Path of earnest
endeavor.
 These eight steps are:
A. Right belief in and acceptance of the fourfold Truth
B. Right aspiration for one’s self and for others
C. Right speech that harms no one
D. Right conduct, motivated by goodwill toward all human
beings
E. Right means of livelihood or earning one’s living by
honorable means
F. Right endeavor or effort to direct one’s energies toward wise
ends
G. Right mindfulness in choosing topics for thought
H. Right meditation or concentration to the point of complete
absorption in mystic ecstasy
Buddhist practice the four states of sublime
condition: love, sorrow to others, joy in the
joy of others, and equanimity as regards one’s
own joy or sorrow. Buddhism, similar to
Hinduism and other religions, is a matter of
repeated practice over a long period.
03
CHRISTIANIT
Y
 Augustine of Hippo
"Faith is to believe what you do
not see; the reward of this faith is
to see what you believe.”

Thomas Aquinas
"Love follows knowledge."
Biblical God and Humanity
● This section discusses a new body of philosophical writings that sets
forth new problems. In the fifth century, Augustine's writing was
considered to be the most influential in the early medieval period.
This section looks at the rationality of belief in God's existence. In
doing so, we shall treat the statement "God exists" as a hypothesis,
which we call the theistic hypothesis.
● Religious people definitely do not treat God's existence as a
hypothesis because for them, God is a constant presence, rather than
a being whose existence is accepted as the best explanation of
available evidence. For the biblical writers, proving God's existence
Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 CE)
• Philosophy is amor sapiential, the love of wisdom; its aim is to produce
happiness. However, for Augustine, wisdom is not only an abstract
construction but is also substantially existent as the divine Logos or the very
knowledge of god manifested on earth among human beings. Hence,
philosophy is the love of God: it is then, religious.
• It should be taken as a humble acceptance of the fact that human beings
alone, without God, are bound to fail. This means that people, despite their
best efforts to be smart, rich, wise, and healthy, ultimately will make
mistakes, lie, hurt others, and eventually die and lose all their achievements.
• Only the pure in heart shall see God; the progress in knowledge and wisdom
is not only speculative, it is more fundamentally practical and moral.
Thomas Aquinas
• Another medieval philosopher, of all creatures, human
beings have the unique power to change themselves and
things for the better. His philosophy is best grasped in his
treatises Summa Contra Gentiles and Summa Theologica.
• We are both spiritual and body elements; the spiritual and
material. The unity between both elements indeed helps
us understand our complexity as human beings. Our
spirituality separates us from animals; it differentiates the
moral dimension of our fulfilment in action. Through our
Evaluating One’s
Own Limitation
and the Possible
for their
Transcendence
 Based on the preceding section, how we
are able to transcend our limitations can be
based on my experiences that emerge from
deep within and from a sense of being in
tune with the mystery of our own being
and with the mystery of life that
transcends us. Consider these example
(Edwards, 1983).
A. Forgiveness
● When we forgive, we are freed from our
anger and bitterness because of the action
and/or words of another.
● For Sebatu (2009), negative minds,
feelings, and attitudes are signs of
masochism. They are our own enemies.
Hatred is a form of anger that is directed
inward. It is a suicidal act. It goes against
our physical, psychological, and spiritual
Sebatu (2009) recommended different
methods of forgiveness and healing:

Counseling Talking to God

Requires active Reliving the event
listening. or situation that
caused hurt or
regression takes
place
Emmaus Method Forgiveness Method
The road of Emmaus is Emptying the mind by
about establishing self- starting to look back at
identity what one has done and
what us happening at
present is realized
B. Beauty of the Nature
There is perfection in every single flower;
this is what the philosophies of Aquinas,
Anselm, and Taoists believed. For a hug, for
every sunrise and sunset, to eat together as a
family our miracles. These kinds of
experiences can truly be a moment of grace.
For Aquinas, the existence of God or the
Unmoved Mover originates change, and the
fact that there are degrees of excellence to
C. Vulnerability
● To be invulnerable is somehow inhuman. To be
vulnerable is to be human. Of all of God's
creatures, human beings have the unique power
to change themselves and the things around them
for the better. Aquinas considered the human
D. Failure
being as a moral agent.
• Our failures force us to confront our weaknesses
and limitations. Such acceptance of our failures
makes us hope and trust that all can be brought
into good. Even if we have sinned, as Augustine
had, there is hope and forgiveness.
E. Loneliness
● Our loneliness can be rooted from our sense of vulnerability
and fear of death. This experience is so common. However,
it is our choice to live in an impossible world where we can
always be "happy" or we can accept a life where solitude
and companionship have a part.
F. Love
• To love is to experience richness, positivity, and
transcendence. Whether in times of ecstatic
moments or struggles, the love for a friend, between
family members, or a significant person can open in
us strength and courage. In a Buddhist view, the
more we love, the more risks and fears there are in
In the point of view of Christianity, the soul is
like a lover who longs to return to God. In the
case of Augustine's conversion, love is the
union with God.
In Hinduism, the union between the self and
Brahman is finding the real self which is pure.
The self overcomes worldly attachments until
the self is one with Brahman.
 Recognizing the
Human Body
Imposes Limit and
Possibilities for
Transcendence
 A. Hinduism: Reincarnation and
Karma
● An interesting Hindu belief is the
transmigration of the soul, reincarnation,
or "metempsychosis." Essential Hinduism
is based on the belief in karma and has its
first literary expression in
Upanishads. Everything in this life,
 B. Buddhism : Nirvana
● Nirvana means the state in which one is absolutely free
from all forms of bondage and attachment. It means to
overcome and remove the cause of suffering. It is also the
state of perfect insight into nature or existence.
● The Buddhists see one who has attained nirvana as
unencumbered from all the fetters that bind a human
being to existence (wealth). He has perfect knowledge,
perfect peace, and perfect wisdom (Aguilar, 2010).
C. Augustine of Hippo and Aquinas : Will
and Love
● For Augustine, physically we are free, yet morally bound to obey the
law. The eternal law is God Himself. According to this law, humanity
must do well and avoid evil, hence, the existence of moral obligation
in every human being. In other words, Augustine believed that
humanity follows the laws of morality in the same way all objects on
earth obey the law of gravity.
● The human soul naturally wishes to be moral. However, since
humans are also beings with will, this natural moral law can
sometimes be violated and such humanity must do its best to rectify
this inner flow and maintain obedience to the moral law which is
Distinguishing the
Limitations and
Possibilities of
Transcendence
• It is the spiritual that endures and is
ultimately real. In Hinduism, the • There is an emphasis on the
human aspiration is to move to the nonmaterial oneness of
divine. creation.

• There is the preoccupation with the

inner life—the road to enlightenment
that stretches not outward but
inward.
 • The past can teach but never
rules.

• There is the acceptance of direct

awareness as the only way to
• There is a healthy respect for
understand what is real.
tradition, but never a slavish
commitment to it.
 Distinguishing the Limitations and
Possibilities for Transcendence
● On the other hand, the great thinkers of medieval
philosophy emphatically affirmed the principle of the
conjunction of faith and reason, and embodied it in their
writings.
● Augustine of Hippo believed that tsunamis, for instance,
and other calamities are part of natural evil. As opposed
to moral evil, which arises with virtual inevitability from
the inherent imperfections of the universe as a created
 Evil and Suffering
● Suffering is close to the heart of biblical faith. In
comparison with the Buddha, who saw life in
suffering and tried to control it instead of cursing
it, Job of the Old Testament did not just
complain. He cursed the day he was born. In a
phenomenological perspective, all of us will
continue to assert our will against others, adding