Human as Embodied Spirit -- Transcendence

• Human Person

  • Has a unique combination of physical, mental, and emotional aspects
  • Has a tangible body and has 3 components - Soul, Mind, and Spirit
  • Entitled and granted rights and privileges by the state to which he or she legally belongs
• Two kinds to distinguish a Human Person

  • Cognitive Self - deals with WHAT OF THE PERSON, includes beliefs, desires, dreams, and intentions
  • Physical Self - deals with the essential features of the human way of life or the "WHO OF A PERSON", includes body type, strength, and appearance
• Embodied Spirit

  • Refers to the inseparable union of the body and the soul, the animating core living within each of us, the driving force behind what we think, do, and say, the reflection of our total being by which our sensations lead to our human feelings, emotions, and decisions
  • "Embodied" - materialize and become flesh
  • "Embodied Spirit" - Spirit becoming flesh
  • Christian Philosophy - the embodiment of the spirit means an inseparable union of the human body and soul, inseparable means the body and soul work together at all times
• What is Human Person as Embodied Spirit?

  • Self-awareness - a person having a clear perception of oneself, their thoughts, emotions, identity, and actions
  • Externality - capability of a person to reach out and interact with others and the world, establish meaningful relationships
  • Self-determination - the capability of a person to make choices and decisions based on their preferences, monitor and regulate their actions, be goal-oriented and self-directed
  • Dignity - innate right to be valued and respected, each person is worth the same as another person, every person is priceless, unique, unrepeatable, and irreplaceable
• Plato's Three Functions of the Soul

  • Rational Function (Head) - enables one to think, analyze, comprehend, and make decisions, guides passion and appetitive functions
  • Passion Function (Chest) - performs actions dictated by reason, responsible for feelings such as hatred or anger
  • Appetitive Function (Abdomen) - enables a person to experience cravings or anything that deals with man's physical wants
• Aristotle's Three Types of Souls

  • Vegetative Soul - plants can grow, reproduce, and feed themselves, but cannot feel and think
  • Sensitive Soul - shares with the vegetative soul, capable of sensing or feeling, possesses an appetite where desire, anger, and pain are experienced
  • Rational Soul - shares with the lower souls, has the capacity for scientific thought, can distinguish things, analyze and understand the relationship of things, deliberates and discovers the truth of the nature of things and the guidelines of human behavior
• Human Person Has Limits

  • Limited life span
  • Cannot choose biological family
  • Cannot teleport to another location
  • Words limit communication
  • Cannot be at two places at the same time
  • Cannot change past decisions
  • Face certain death in the future
  • Bound by space and time
  • Cannot choose race, age, and birthdate
  • Naturally deficient beings, no natural ability to fly or breathe underwater without aid
• Transcendence


  The ability to surpass your limits, step beyond the usual boundaries of everyday life, experience something so beautiful that it feels like it's taking you to another place altogether
• St. Thomas Aquinas said that "of all creatures, human beings have the unique power to change themselves and things for the better"
• Examples of Transcendence


  • During meditation, David achieved a state of deep concentration and inner peace, feeling profoundly connected to the universe
  • Through acts of forgiveness and compassion, Alex overcame feelings of anger and resentment, finding inner peace and healing instead
• History of Buddhism

  • Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was a prince who observed the struggles of the common folk and wanted to find answers
  • He left the palace and went into the wilderness for 6 years, and when he sat under the Tree of Enlightenment (Bodhi Tree) for 40 days, he had his answers - the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path
• Four Noble Truths

  • Dukkha (The truth of Suffering) - acknowledges the existence of suffering in life
  • Samudaya (The Origin or Cause of Suffering) - identifies the cause of suffering, often attributed to craving and attachment
  • Nirodha (Cessation of Suffering) - teaches that it is possible to end suffering through cessation of craving or attachment
  • Magga (Path to the Cessation of Suffering) - outlines the Noble Eightfold Path, which serves as a guide to achieve the cessation of suffering
• Nirvana


  The state of profound peace, liberation, and enlightenment, characterized by the absence of craving, attachment and the cycle of birth and death, where one is free from the cycle of suffering and experiences an unconditioned state of being beyond the limitations of ordinary existence
• Eightfold Path of Buddhism

  • Right View - correct understanding of things, specifically the four noble truths
  • Right Intention/Thought - think about separation from desire without anger and harm elimination through attachment, detestation, and harmful intent
  • Right Speech - abstaining from verbal offenses such as lying, divisive speech, unforgiving speech, and irrational speech
  • Right Action - acting in the right way, refraining from the evils of the body that hinders the right actions
  • Right Livelihood - living and maintaining in a way that does not harm or cause suffering to others
  • Right Effort - the effort to do the right thing, to eliminate bad deeds and produce goodness
  • Right Mindfulness - knowing clearly what is happening in us at the present moment, distinguishing whether it is good or evil
  • Right Concentration - referred to as meditation, training the mind to focus deeply and steadily, developing mental clarity and tranquility, leading to profound insight and liberation from suffering
• Bodily Limitations

  • Mental and Emotional disorders (anxiety, intellectual disability, amputated leg or arm, deafness)
  • Disease and Illnesses (Hypertension)
  • Failures and experiences (Failing a subject, broke by someone)
  • Socioeconomic Status
  • Location of neighborhood (armed, disorganized, violent neighborhood)
  • Abusive relationships (emotional abuse, negative influences, e.g. drug use)
• Man


  commonly defined as the entire human race
• HUMAN


  various classifications and species. Humans are under the classification of Mammalia.
• HUMAN BEING


  Separate man from other human classifications such as animals
• PERSON


  An individual who possesses common traits like self-awareness, self-determination, rational mind, and the capacity to interact with others and themselves
• PERSONHOOD

  The individual has qualities that make them deserving of rights and moral considerations — more than just a human entity — has thoughts, feelings, and responsibilities
• HUMAN NATURE


  The deepest natural behavior that distinguishes humans from animals. Collective traits formed and considered the very essence of humanity. — Nobody can be considered a man without human nature.
• COGNITIVE SELF (something within and cannot be physically seen)


  Deals with WHAT OF THE PERSON which includes human persons’ beliefs, desires dreams, and intentions.
• PHYSICAL SELF (something can be seen in the physical appearance)


  Deals with the essential features of the human way of life or the “WHO OF A PERSON”, which includes body type, strength, and appearance.
• “Embodied” mean?

  materialize and become flesh
• "Embodied Spirit” mean?

  Spirit becoming flesh
• SELF-AWARENESS

  a person having a clear perception of oneself, their thoughts, emotions, identity, and actions. One’s consciousness can look inward discovering the presence of a self.
• EXTERNALITY

  Capability of a person to reach out and interact with others and the world. Reach out and establish meaningful relationships with others.
• SELF-DETERMINATION

  • the capability of a person to make choices and decisions based on their preferences, monitor and regulate their actions, and be goal-oriented and self-directed. We act and we are aware of our actions.
• DIGNITY

  Innate right to be valued and respected. Each person is worth the same as another person — every person is priceless, unique, unrepeatable, and irreplaceable
• THE RATIONAL FUNCTION (HEAD)


  enables one to think, analyze, comprehend, and make decisions. Guides passion and appetitive functions of the soul
• PASSION FUNCTION (CHEST)


  Performs actions dictated by reason and responsible for feelings such as hatred or anger.
• APPETITIVE FUNCTION (ABDOMEN)


  Enables a person to experience cravings or anything that deals with man’s physical wants.
• The word “Soul” is an English translation of the Greek word “Psyche”
• VEGETATIVE SOUL

  • Plants can grow, reproduce, and feed themselves. But it does not share the other types of soul. It cannot feel and think
• SENSITIVE SOUL


  it is capable of growing, feeding, and reproducing. It is different because it is capable of sensing or feeling.
• RATIONAL SOUL


  Shares with the lower souls. It has the capacity for scientific thought, it can distinguish things, and it can analyze and understand the relationship of things.
• SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA


  He was a prince but he left his royal life in the palace and spent his life for 6 years in the wilderness to find answers for his questions. Write his original name. 
• Aristotle’s type of soul which has the capacity for scientific thoughts, for it can distinguish various things.

  RATIONAL SOUL
• HUMAN NATURE


  It is a general term which refers to the deepest and natural behavior of a person that distinguish human from animals. It consists of collective traitsthat formed and considered the very essence of humanity
• MAN


  It is the term commonly used to represent the entire human race.