SPIRITUAL SELF

• The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is an important time when families gather for the Sabbath meal.
• Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the “self” according to William James in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1980.
• Spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of the self.
• Spirituality is the elevation of the mind from a slave to an empowered state.
• Religious refers to belonging to an established religious order.
• Rebecca Stein defines religion as a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually includes some or all of the basic characteristics: belief in an anthropomorphic supernatural being, focus on the sacred, presence of supernatural power or energy, performance of ritual activities, articulation of worldview and moral codes, creation and maintenance of social bonds, and explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals.
• The three fundamental characteristics of rituals are: a feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred, dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth, and symbolic relation to its reference.
• Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism are some major world religions.
• Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses, instead there are suffering, pain and frustrations.
• The reactive cycle of wanting and hating, like and dislike, and craving and aversion can be broken through the practice of meditation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper understanding, and acceptance of things as they are.
• Buddhism has two types of meditation practices: Samatha, which is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving-kindness, and Vipassana, which practices aim at developing insight into reality.
• Dharma is Buddha’s teaching in Buddhism.
• Some of the major Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February, Buddha Day (Wesak) in May, Dharma Day in July, and Padmasambhava Day in October.
• Christians believe in a Trinitarian God, one God in three persons: God the Father (Creator), God the Son (Savior), and God the Holy Spirit (Sustainer).
• Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the past life was spent.
• Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God”, and in the unity and universality of God.
• Islam has two major festivals: Eidul-Fitr, which celebrates at the end of Ramadan, and Eidul-Adha, which is celebrated within the completion of the Pilgrimage, Hajj.
• Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years.
• Christianity has 7 Holy Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance/Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
• The Holy Book of Islam is the Quran, which was taught to be recited in Arabic because any translation is seen as inadequate.
• Vedas are the sacred scriptures of Hindus.
• The Jews believe in the Torah, The Law or the sacred scripture.
• Christianity has two major celebrations: Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, and Resurrection Sunday, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.
• Hinduism celebrates Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and Navrati, the Festival of Nine Nights, which celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
• Hinduism has three major Gods and their wives: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, with their respective roles and wives: Brahma as the Creator, Saraswati as his wife; Vishnu as the Protector, Lakshmi as his wife; Shiva as the Destroyer, Parvathi as his wife.
• Islam has 5 Pillars: Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Hajj, and Sawm.
• Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, governed by Karma.
• 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 reference of faith for Christians is the Holy Bible, which is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament.
• Islam means “willing submission to God”.
• The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah, the Savior.
• Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God.
• Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other important texts of the Hindus.
• Hajj is the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who are fit and can afford to go to Mecca must make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime
• Christians believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross as an offering for sins committed by humans.
• Jewish holidays include Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Passover (celebration of freedom from slavery), Hanukkah (festival of lights), Purim (remembrance of deliverance from persecution) and Shavuot (harvest festival).
• The Bible is divided into two parts - Old Testament (Jewish Scripture) and New Testament (Gospel)
• Buddhists believe that suffering exists because people cling onto things they cannot control or change
• Salat is the prayer that is practiced 5 times a day in the mosque
• Zakat is the giving away of wealth to those less fortunate than oneself, it is one of the five pillars of Islam