Lesson 3: Supernaturals: Believe It or Not!

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. identify various religious practices and beliefs;

2.

understand the self in relation with religious beliefs; and

3. explain ways of finding the meaning of life.

INTRODUCTION

Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the "self" according to William James in his book, The
Principles of Psychology in 1890. The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self. 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. (Green 1997)

The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expressions of religion, its
beliefs and practices. In the same manner, cultural rituals and ceremonies are some manifestations what
people believe in. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the spiritual self is on.

ACTIVITY

Art Recall

Recall:

When was the first time you realized that there is a higher being than yourself? How old were you then?
What made you believe that there is a higher being?

Draw:

Make a poster about the instance or situation that made you believe in the existence of higher being.

Show:

Have a classroom Gallery Walk showcasing the posters you and your classmates have made. Observe
similarities and differences in each other's experiences, expressed in the artworks. Initiate discussions
about beliefs on higher being based on the showcased posters.

ANALYSIS

Buzz Group Sharing

In groups of three or five, answer the following questions:

1. From the posters you see, what commonalities and differences did you observe?

2. How these experiences affect your belief on higher being?

Big Group Sharing

1.

Share the summary of your discussion from the buzz group. 2. Discuss the following questions:

a.

How is the belief on higher being related to your self?

b.

Do you consider having a spiritual self? Why or Why not?

ABSTRACTION

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 and gods

2.

A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and awe3. 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.

An individual lives in a society where there are many practices of religion. The choice of religious belief
lies within the spiritual self. Although the choice maybe influenced by the society and its culture.

Ritual
Ritual is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law (Britannica 2017).
Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to
view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.

There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Britannica 2017). Ritual has
the characteristics of:

1. a feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred

2. dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth

3. is symbolic in relation to its reference

The self can be described as a ritual being who exhibits a striking parallel between their ritual and verbal
behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be
viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is
expressions of religious beliefs.

Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices

There are different religions with different beliefs and practices. Some of the major world religions are
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Excerpt of some religious beliefs and practices are
found in the University of London's Religion and Belief Guide 2017.

Buddhism

Buddhist Monks

Beliefs

Image of Buddah

Buddhist Temple

Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are suffering. pain, and 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 Dharma, Buddhists can achieve a deeper understanding of life. Buddhists
believe in non-violence principle.
Samatha Meditation

Right minfulness (control your thoughts)

Right concentration

(practice meditation)

Right View (know the truth)

Right intentions

(free your mind of evil)

Right speech (say nothing that hurts other)

Right action

Right effort

(resist avil)

(work for the

Right livelihood (respect life)

good of others)

Dharma Wheel

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.

Parinirvana Day

Wesak Day