UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the module, the students are expected to

a. discuss the various Eastern philosophical concepts on self

b. compare and contrast the Western and Eastern concepts on self

 ACTIVITY: Song Analysis
Magkaugnay (lahat ng bagay) by Joey Ayala

Lupa, laot, langit ay magkaugnay

Hayop, halaman, tao ay magkaugnay

CHORUS
Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay
Magkaugnay ang lahat

Tayo ay nakasakay sa mundong

naglalakbay
Sa gitna ng kalawakan
Umiikot sa bituin na nagbibigay-buhay
Sa halaman, sa hayop at sa atin

CHORUS
Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay
Magkaugnay ang lahat
 ACTIVITY: Song Analysis

iisang pinagmulan
iisang hantungan ng ating lahi
Kamag-anak at katribo ang lahat ng narito
Sa lupa, sa laot at sa langit

CHORUS
Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay
Magkaugnay ang lahat

Lupa, laot, langit ay magkaugnay

Hayop, halaman, tao ay magkaugnay

CHORUS
Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay
Magkaugnay ang lahat
Eastern Philosophy on Self
In sociology, the East–West dichotomy is the
perceived difference between the Eastern and
Western worlds.
Historically, Asia (excluding Siberia) was regarded
as the East, and Europe was regarded as the West.
Today, the "West" usually refers to Australasia,
Europe, and the Americas.

Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some

neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Siberia makes up all of the northern part of the continent of Asia.

The important characteristic of the EASTERN
world view is the awareness of the unity and
mutual interrelation of all things and events,
the experience of all phenomena in the world
as manifestations of a basic oneness
All things are seen as interdependent and inseparable
parts of this cosmic whole.

The fundamental element of the cosmos is SPACE.

Nothing can exist without SPACE.

Cosmos is the universe (creation/all existence) that is seen as a well-ordered

Universe is all of space and time and their contents including planets, stars,
galaxies and all other forms of matter and energy.
According to Ancient Indian tradition… the Universe
reveals itself in two fundamental properties:

MOTION that takes place in SPACE.

SPACE is called AKASA .. derived from the root

kas which means to radiate or to shine and is
therefore conceived as the medium of
movement.

The principle of movement is PRANA, meaning

the breath of life, the all-powerful, all-pervading
rhythm of the universe.
CONFUCIANISM
 CONFUCIANISM

is an ethical and philosophical system based on the

teachings of Chinese sage, CONFUCIUS

a famous thinker and social philosopher of China

seen by Chinese people as the Greatest Master

 CONFUCIANISM

traveled around China to promote his ideas

among rulers but eventually became involved in
teaching the disciples.
 CONFUCIANISM

is a code of ethical conduct (how one should properly act

according to their relationship with others).

emphasized personal and governmental morality,

correctness of social relationships, and justice and sincerity.
 CONFUCIANISM

It is focused on having a harmonious social life

It means that the identity and self-concept of an

individual are intertwined with the identity and status
of his/her community or culture, sharing its pride as
well as its failures , (Ho, 1995)
 CONFUCIANISM

As stated in the different studies, "the

characteristics of a chun-tzu, a man
of virtue or noble character is still embedded in his
social relationships." Man’s "cultivated self” or what
scholars call a “subdued self”, repressed (subdued)
their personal needs for the good of many. (Ho,
1995 in Aleta et al, 2018)
 CONFUCIANISM

The Analects is a short collection of Confucius’

discussions with disciples that contain the overview
of his teachings
The following quotes from The Analects demonstrate the simplicity
and wisdom of Confucianism

“ Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”

“ Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.”

“ Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.”

“ Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far
apart.”
The following quotes from The Analects demonstrate the
simplicity and wisdom of Confucianism

“ Respect yourself and others will respect you.”

“ Study the past if you would define the future.”

The following quotes from The Analects demonstrate the
simplicity and wisdom of Confucianism

“ When anger rises, think of the consequences.”

“ When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn

inwards and examine ourselves.”

“ Where so ever you go, go with all your heart.”

Buddhism
Buddhism is a moral philosophy / religion based upon the
teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (566 - 486 B.C.)

Siddhartha Gautama known as the Buddha (from the

ancient Indian languages of Pali and Sanskrit) means
"one who has awakened".

'Buddha‘ from the verbal root "budh“ meaning “to

awaken” or "to be enlightened", and "to comprehend".
At the age of 35 while meditating under a
Bodhi tree, Siddhartha reached Enlightenment,
awakening to the true nature of reality, which is
Nirvana (Absolute Truth);

In Buddhism, nirvana is the highest state that

someone can attain, a state of
enlightenment, meaning a person's individual
desires and suffering go away.
The Middle Way is an important idea in Buddhist
thought and practice.

To seek moderation and avoid the extremes

of self-indulgence and self-mortification.
The Buddha taught that the nature of reality
was temporary and interconnected.

We suffer in life because of our desire to

transient things.

Liberation from suffering may come by training

the mind and acting according to the laws of
karma (cause and effect) i.e. with right action,
good things will come to you.
 Four Noble Truths

Dukkha: Suffering is everywhere.

Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment

or misplaced desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance.
Nirodha: There is an end to suffering, which is
Nirvana (the possibility of liberation exists for
everyone).

Maggo: There is a path that leads out of suffering,

known as the Noble Eightfold Path (right view, right
thought, right speech, right conduct, right
vocation, right effort, right attention and right
concentration).
Noble Eightfold Path
The SELF is seen as an illusion, born out of
ignorance, of trying to hold and control things or
human-centered needs; thus, the self is also the
source of all these sufferings (Ho, 1995).
Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world; it
is appeased by love. This is an eternal Law.

'All conditioned things are impermanent’, when

one sees this in wisdom, then one becomes
composed towards the painful. This is the Path to
Purity.
TAOISM
 Lau Tzu

The goal of Taoism is to bring human beings

into union with the Tao (The Way) by imitating
certain qualities in nature such as harmony
and fluidity.
“The Way”, Taoism prizes the values of
individual life reflected in the two core
topics of longevity and immortality
“It insists that human life is of the highest
value, a worthy goal for people to pursue
forever.

Taoism believes that human beings can

control their lives through self-exercise and
moral behavior
Human fulfillment lies in
harmonizing with the Tao, which is
generally conceived as patterns in
nature (relationship between
human beings and nature).

Tao is the unique source of the

universe and determines all things
that everything in the world is
composed of positive and
negative parts.
To embrace the “Way of
Nature” and the “Way of
Life”.

Three Significant Processes

Wu Wei or non-action
adopt simplicity of lifestyle
Longevity and Chi

“to live the longest

possible natural life by
living in harmony with
one’s social and natural
environment
To embrace the “Way of Nature” and the “Way of
Life”.

Yin-Yang

are complementary

the Yang moves upward, represents the heavens, and

therefore “pure and light”, while the Yin flows downward,
forms the earth, and so “turbid and heavy” Taoist principle
of the unity of opposites represents an authentic
perspective for creating peace in human relationships and
to the environment as well.
To embrace the “Way of Nature” and the
“Way of Life”.

Taoist principle of the unity of opposites (Yin-

Yang) represents an authentic perspective
for creating peace in human relationships
and to the environment as well.
HINDUISM
All living beings have an “inner-most self” called ATMAN

ATMAN is connected to the Brahman which is the one Divine

Principle that brings unity to the universe.

Because of this connection to Brahman, this “innermost self”

becomes the “absolute self” or the Brahman-Atman

Atman is linked to Hinduism’s view of God

Goals in Hinduism:

1) bring the individual person to the realization

that he is not a separate being, but rather a
partaker of the great SELF (Brahman-Atman)
Goals in Hinduism:

2) attain detachment from self-desires and

wants, and to become one with the Great Self
(universal self). Hence, Brahman-Atman is
attained.
Rituals of Purification to attain BRAHMAN-ATMAN

Karma

Closely involved with the Hindu doctrine of reincarnation

which means that when a person dies, a person is reborn
as another being in the future.

Reincarnation happens when the Atman (Soul) leaves its

material receptacle (body) and finds another material
receptacle to reside on in another life cycle.
The process is called transmigration of the soul.
Rituals of Purification to attain BRAHMAN-ATMAN

Samsara (Cycle or wheel of birth-death-rebirth)

An Atman that has not achieved the sufficient level

of enlightenment and detachment from material
goods and pleasures will be reborn again and
again in different material receptacles. The goal of
spiritual practice is to end this cycle and stop the
wheel of Samsara.
Rituals of Purification to attain BRAHMAN-ATMAN

Moksha

is the experience of momentous release or liberation (salvation) from the

seemingly never-ending cycle of birth-death-rebirth.

This is the aim of serious spiritual practitioners: to achieve moksha within their
lifetime.

If Moksha is achieved, the Atman does not look for a material receptacle to
reside on and unites with the Brahman-atman, the principle of all life in the
universe.
THANK YOU