The human person as an

embodied spirit
-TRANSCENDENCE IS THE EXISTENCE THAT IS PRESENT BEYOND NORMAL OR PHYSICAL LEVEL . IT IS AN
INGREDIENT OF ANYTHING , BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM REQUIRES TRANSCENDENCE.

-IN PHILOSOPHY, THE ADJECTIVE TRANSCENDENTAL & THE NOUN TRANSCENDENCE CONVEY THE
BASIC GROUND CONCEPT FROM THE WORD’S LITERAL MEANING (FROM LATIN) ,OF CLIMBING OR
GOING BEYOND , WITH VARYING CONNOTATIONS IN ITS DIFFERENT HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL
STAGES.

THOUGH THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS OF TRANSCENDENCE ,THIS LESSON WILL COVER 3 (THREE) MAIN
SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHIES NAMELY : HINDUISM , BUDDHISM , AND CHISTIANITY
3.1 THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT
A. Hinduism
The oldest religion in the world, 1500 A.D., is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of
life, widely practiced in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Some
practioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, “THE ENTERNAL TRADITION”, or
the “ENTERNAL WAY”, beyond human history.
Brahman is Self-Hood
At the heart of Hinduism lies the idea of human beings’ quest for absolute truth, so that
one’s soul and the Brahman or Atman (Absolute Soul) might become one. For the
Indians, God first created sound and the Universe arose from it. As the most sacred
sound, which is the Aum (Om) is the root of the universe and everything that exists and it
continues to hold everything together.
-According to Hinduism , human beings have a dual nature: one is the spiritual &
immortal essence (soul) ; the other is empirical life & character. Hindus generally
believe that the soul is eternal but is bound by the law of karma (action) to the
word of matter , which can escape only after spiritual progress through an endless
series of births . For this reason , humanity’s basic goal in life is the liberation
(moksha) of spirit (Jiva) .
MOKSHA JIVA

-Transmigration or metempsychosis is a doctrine that adheres to the belief that a

person’s soul passes into some other creature , human, or animal. In sum ,Hinduism is
one of the oldest Eastern traditions ;practiced by hundred’s of millions of people for
about 5,000 years
(Velasquez 1999).
HINDUISM three main Gods:
*Brahma the creator
*Vishnu the preserver
*Shiva the destroyer

BRAHMA VISHNU SHIVA

Doctrines were written on VEDAS ( Vaidiko Dharma Religion of the Vedas)
Two types of scripture in Hindu:
*Shruti –”What is heard”
*Smriti/Smriti-”that which is remembered”
Atman
-means eternal self
-refers to the real self beyond ego or false self
-often referred to as “spirit” or “soul” indicates our true self or essence which underlies our existence.
KARMA
-”ACTION” OR “IDEAS” EVERY ACTION PRODUCES A JUSTIFIED EFFECT BASED ON ITS MORAL WORTHINESS.
SAMSARA
-THE WHEEL OR REBIRTH WHICH MEANS THE SOUL IS REBORN FROM ONE LIFE FIRM TO ANOTHER DEPENDING
IN THEIR KARMA FROM THEIR PRESENT LIFE.

THE WHEEL OF LIFE

SAMARA
MOKSHA
-ONE ATTAINS THIS WHEN ONE HAS “OVERCOME IGNORANCE “, AND NO LONGER DESERVES ANYTHING
AT ALL. THE WAY TO GET TI MOKSHA IS TO NOT CRATE ANY KARMA.
DAILY MEDITATION PICTURE
The Biblical God & Humanity
In this section, new body of philosophical writings that sets forth new problems is
discussed. In the 5th century, Augustine’s writing is considered to be the most
influential in the early medieval period. Religious people definitely do not treat
God’s existence as a hypothesis, far God is a constant presence, rather than a
being whose existence is accepted as the best explanation of available evidence.
For the biblical writer, proving God’s existence would be as pointless as trying to
prove the existence of the air we breathe. For Augustine (354-430 CE), philosophy is
amor sopiential, the love of wisdom; its aim is to produce happiness. However, for
Augustine, wisdom is not just an abstract logical construction but it is aubstantially
existent as the Divine Logos.
As a French poetry laments:

Philosophie
J’ai tout lu I have everything
J’ai tout vu I have seen all
J’ai tout connu I knew all
J’ai tout entendu I have heard all
J’ai tout eu I had it all

Et je suis… un peu I had lost… I am a bit lost.

perdu.
For St. 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
Theological.
3.2 Evaluate Dwn Limitation and the Possibilities for their Transcendence
A. Forgiveness – when we forgive, we are freed from our anger and bitterness
because of the action &/or words of another. On the other hand, the hardness of
our hearts is reinforced by whole series of national arguments.
B. The beauty of Nature – there is perfection in every single flower; this is what the
three philosophies believed. For a hug, for every sunrise 7 sunset, to eat together as
a family, are our miracles. During this experience, we need to offer praise.
C. Vulnerability – To be invulnerable is somehow inhuman. To be vulnerable is to be
human. We need to acknowledge the help of other people in our lives. Such
moments of poverty & dependence on others are not a sign of weakness but being
true w/ ourselves.
D. Failure – our failure force us to confront our weakness and limitations. Such
acceptance of our failures make us hope & 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. However, 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.
With an loneliness, we can realize that our dependence on other people or
gadgets is a possessiveness that we can be free from.
F. Love – To love is to experience richness, positivity & transcendence.In a Buddhist
view, the more we love, the more risks and fears there are in life (Anguilar 2010).
Limitations & Transcendence
A quote from the Gospel of Matthew says it best, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. This
line shares the Platonic sentiment of the tension between the body and the soul. Having a
body is transmount to having a lot of limitations when it comes to the human body.
Facticity
An embodied subject, whose being is to be in the world, will have its first limitation the
moment it is born.
According to the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre calls facticity. Facticity refers to the
things in our lives that are already given. A person who has born without legs, or deaf, or blind,
will have more limitations than most of us. Facticity is not limited to the givens that we have
acquired in our birth. It also refers to all the details that surround us in the present as being-in-
the-world in the here and now; and this include our environment, our language, our past
decisions, our past and present relationships, and even our future death. All the facts that we
currently have are all part of our limitations.
 Spatial-Temporal Being
The fact that we are born and that we exist in a particular place and time already sets our
limitations on us that may be considered on different levels. On the level of temporality, the most
obvious limitation is our finitude. We recognize our morality and accept that we will not live
forever. We have limited period of stay in this world. We will die someday. And that is a fact.
Moreover, as temporal beings, we deal with the past, the present, and the future.
On the level of our being spatial individuals, we are limited by our bodies to be present in two or
more places at a time.

-On the level of understanding, we consider our spatial-temporal situation as imposing a limit on
us as it sets out to be our preconditions of our understanding .In other words, our being situated in
a particular time and place shall prescribe the way we look at and understand things. Think of our
age , culture,and past experiences as optics that we wear every time we look at the world.
The Body as Intermediary
The body as intermediary ,allow us to experience the word in
limited manner, and we can only say that our world will always
be a word according to my body.
Transcending Limitations
The presence of several limitations imposed by being an
embodie subjects may influence us to think that our life is very
restricting. Life becomes difficult because of these limitations
such as:
A. Facility
B. Spatial-Temporal
C. Body as Intermediary
3.3 Recognize the Human Body Imposes Limits and
Possibilities for Transcendence
A. Hinduism: Reincarnation & Karma
Hindu belief is the transmigration of the souls,
reincarnation or belief in karma & has its first literary
expression in Upanishads. Everything in the life, say the
Hindus, is a consequence of actions performed in
previous existence. Only by building up a fine record,
or “karma”, can final salvation be achieved.
B. Buddhism: Nirvana
Nirvana means that state in which one is absolutely free
from all forms of bondage attachment.
B. Buddhism: Nirvana
Buddhist see one who has attained nirvana as one who is
unencumbered from all the fetters that bind a human being to
existence (i.e, wealth). He has perfect knowledge, perfect
peace, & perfect wisdom (Aguilar 2010).
When the Buddha was asked whether one who attains
nirvana exist or creases to exist after death, he simply refused
to answer the question & instead maintained complete
silence. The Buddha did not want his disciples to concern
themselves with purely speculative problems. Further, the
Budddha’s silence is due to his awareness that nirvana is a
state that transcends every mundane experience and hence
cannot be talked about; for all talk is possible only within the
perceptual-conceptual realm. Nirvana is beyond the sense,
language, and thought (Puligandla 2007).
C. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas: Will and
Love
For St. 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.
The truth of St. Augustine’s message still rings to this day.
Innocence of heart and purity can only be gained by God’s
grace. God alone can give that gift to some instantly or to
others at the end of an entire life’s struggle.
For St. Augustine thought we are physically free, one does
not have a right to do anything of it is not morally right or if
one will hurt another. Rightness means pleasing God. God has
given us a choice to concern between right and wrong
though we are often ignorant in this manner unless we are
whole sincere, honest, & pure (Johnston 2006)
3.4 Distinguish the limitations and Possibilities for
Transcendence
Let us distinguish the limit and possibilities of human beings common to all Indian thought:
It is the spiritual that endures & is ultimately real. In Hinduism, the human aspiration is to move to
the divine. What we believe is how we live; if our beliefs are in error, then our lives will be
unhappy.
There is the preoccupation with the inner life. The road to enlightenment that stretches not
outward but inward. To understand nature and the universe, we must turn within.
There’s and emphasis on the non-material where as of creation. This means that there are no
palanties; a single spirit provides cosmic harmony.
There is the acceptance at direct awareness as the only way to understand what is real. The
Indians find this direct perception through spiritual exercises, perhaps through the practice of
yoga. Reason is of some use but in the final analyses, it is only through inner experience of
awareness with all of creation.
There is a healthy respect for tradition, but never a slavish commitment to it. The past can teach
but never rule.
Evil and Suffering
Suffering is close to the heart of biblical faith. In the
comparison with the Buddha, who can saw life in
suffering and tried to control it instead of cursing it.
Job, of the Old Testament, did not just complain.
In Christianity, suffering leads to the Cross, the symbol
of reality of God’s saving love for the human being.
Suffering, in Buddhism, gives rise to compassion for
suffering humanity. Jesus condemned religion without
compassion and constructed, thus, the parable of the
Good Samaritan.
 COMMON MISTAKES IN MORAL REASONING
Victor Grassian pointed out that there are some common pitfalls or mistakes that we are prone to
commit or we may fail to recognize when faced with moral arguments.
Let us examine some of these pitfalls from Grassian’s list:
1. The failure to recognize the vagueness of moral concepts
Grassian used as an example the moral principle that it is wrong to lie. If you consider “lying as
false statement made with an intent to deceive”, is this definition clear and exact?
2. The failure to recognize the value-laden nature of many concepts which appear value-
free
In his example, Grassian used the concept of pornography and the definition given by a leading
feminist. Helen Longino to illustrate his point. When you label, for example, a material as
pornographic; pornography as defined by Logino as a verbal or pictorial responsibilities.
3 The uncritical use of emotive terms
Emotive language is intended to cause an effect on the audience. When used effectively, emotive language can
cause an audience to react in a particular way. This audience manipulation is a type of rhetoric.
Consequently, emotive language can cause an audience to take action or to argue with the speaker.
4. Hasty Generalization
A hasty generalization is a fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or
unbiased evidence. It's also called an insufficient sample, a converse accident, a
faulty generalization, a biased generalization, jumping to a conclusion, secundum quid, and a
neglect of qualifications.
5. Faulty causal reasoning
In an accepted statement of a causal connection between A and B, you are making an
inference that A is the cause for the occurrence of B. You would claim, for example, if there is
smoke then there is fire. But if the statement is based on faulty causal reasoning, the occurrence
of A will not guarantee the occurrence of B.
6. Rationalization
Rationalization is a defense mechanism recognized by psychologist. This is the process of offering
justifications or reasons to cover-up or clothe an already arrived at decision meant to hide one’s
true negative or destructive motive, to become an acceptable course of action.

7. The dismissal of a moral position on the basis of their origin

This is also known as the genetic fallacy. This usually happens when one is trying to dismiss the
view of another based solely on the basis of its origin. Racial biases would be evident in the
commission of this fallacy. These are forms of argumentum and hominem when one is attacking
not the belief itself but the source or its causal origin, that is the person himself and his origins.
TWO FACULTIES OF THE HUMAN MIND
• PURE REASON
(a priori) structure of the mind provides form and order through the 12 categories of understanding
• PURE INTUITION OF SPACE & TIME
(a posteriori) provides the materials or content from sense perception or experiences

PRACTICAL REASON
• Phenomena-world (Limits of Human Knowledge)
• Goodwill
• Duty
• Practical Law (Objective Principle)
• Categorical Imperative (Law of Morality)
• Maxim (Subjective Principle)
The Categorical Imperative (law of morality) on the guiding principle in its simplest formulation
could be stated as the universalizability principle. “Act only on that maxim, through which you
can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.” “By applying this
universalizability principle of (i.e., by asking the question: “Can everyone do the same thing?”, or
“Can this decision be applied to every human being?”) We could now recognize that there are
things that we have to do, for example, even if we do not want to do them.
‘From Duty’ and ‘According to duty’ from duty, we could now trace the subjective principle of
your willingness to do it, or the maxim of your action. According to duty, and it has no moral
worth.
Teleological Ethics Teleology came from the root word telos, meaning end, goal or purpose of
an action must be based on its consequences.
An English philosopher and a child genius named John Stuart Mill made a very profound
contribution to the development of teleological ethics through his major article entitled
Utilitarianism (1861). The original version of utilitarianism before Mill came into the picture was from
Jeremy Bentham’s assumption that pleasure is quantifiable.
CONCEPT MAP: Utilitarianism

QUALITY OF PLEASURE
-Intellectual Pleasure
HAPPINESSS PLEASURE -Mental Pleasures
-Physiological Pleasure
-Bodily Pleasures

GENERAL HAPPINESS PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY

The greatest happiness for the
greatest number or General
Happiness Principle
Freedom and Choices: Duty and the Consequence of our Choices (Application of Moral
Reasoning in moral situations) Given your analytical and critical skill in moral reasoning and your
ability as a human being for empathy and understanding, you will be able to examine the given
moral situations and judge the rightness or wrongness of certain actions.
1. The Maguindanao Massacre
Perhaps, you are aware of the massacre of 58 individuals in Maguindanao, in November, 2009.
According to the deotological point of view, it is your duty to save him, no matter what your
inclination may be.
2. The Two Husbands
Let us consider this case as another example: Husband #1, who is so in love with his wife, he only
wants to make her happy. For Kant, husband #2 is morally, worthy for doing what he is doing
precisely because he is doing it without the inclinations and emotions attached for doing it.
3. To Kill and donate or to let die
From a deontological point of view, the act of killing a patient is wrong in itself. Perhaps if Kant
would be asked for a solution, he would rather wait until the donor patient dies and hope that the
two other patients live long enough to wait until the organs are available without having to
commit the act of killing.