The document discusses several key concepts in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity regarding the human person: - Hinduism believes the human soul is eternal but bound by karma, and humanity's goal is to achieve liberation from the cycle of rebirth. True knowledge is understanding the self. - Buddhism's Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths teach that following right spiritual attitudes and self-discipline can eliminate suffering by eradicating desires. - Christianity sees humanity as having both a spiritual essence and an empirical life, with the goal of moving closer to the divine. Philosophers like Augustine and Aquinas discussed human spirituality, free will, and moral agency.

2. According to
Thomas Merton, A
Trappist monk,
there is no other
way for us to find
who we are than by
finding in ourselves
the divine image.
We have to struggle
to regain
spontaneous and
vital awareness of
our own spirituality.
Transcendence
convey the basic
ground concept
from the word’s
literal meaning,
of climbing or
going beyond.

3. HINDUISM
At the heart of Hinduism lies the idea of human
being’s quest for absolute truth, so that one’s soul and the
Brahman or Atman (absolute soul) might become one.
Human beings have a dual nature: one is the
spiritual and immortal essence (soul); the other is the
empirical life and character.
Hindus generally believe that the soul is eternal
but is bound by the law of Karma (action) and is
temporarily encased in a body.
Humanity’s goal in life is the liberation (moksha)
of spirit (jiva) from the continuous cycle of life and death
(samsara).
True knowledge (vidya) consists an understanding
and realization of the individual’s real self (atman).

4. BUDDHISM
Dharma (Law of Salvation) – a simple presentation
of the gospel of inner cultivation of right spiritual
attitudes, coupled with a self-imposed discipline
whereby bodily desires would be channeled in the
right directions.
Eight-Fold Path
1. Right belief in and acceptance
of the fourfold truth.
2. Right aspiration for one’s self
and for others.
3. Right speech that harms no
one.
4. Right conduct, motivated by
goodwill toward all human
beings.
5. Right means of livelihood, or
earning one’s living by
honorable means.
6. Right endeavor, or effort to
direct one’s energy toward wise
ends.
7. Right mindfulness in using
topics for thought.
8. Right meditation, or
concentration to the point of
complete absorption in mystic
ecstasy.
The Four Noble Truths:
1. Life is full of suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by
passionate desires, lusts,
cravings.
3. Only these are obliterated,
will suffering cease.
4. Such eradication of desire
may be accomplished only by
following the eight-fold path.

5. The Biblical God and Humanity
St. Augustine - philosophy is amor
sapiential, the love of wisdom.
Wisdom is not just an abstract
logical construction; but it is
substantially existent as the Divine
Logos. “Man is a rational substance
constituted of soul and body”.
It should be taken as a humble
acceptance of the fact that human
beings alone, without God, are
bound to fail.
Will – directs the mind’s eye to
truth, first invading to the
mind itself, then upward to
the eternal Truth.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you
are the branches. If you
remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit;
apart from me, you can do
nothing.
Psalms 4 The thoughts are
deep! The dull man cannot
know. The stupid cannot
understand this.
Only the pure in heart shall
see God.
Theistic Hypothesis –
considers the statement,
“God exists”, as a
hypothesis. This means we
shall ask whether or not the
existence of God provides
the best explanation of the
existence of the world as we
know it.

6. The Biblical God and Humanity
Our spirituality separates
us from animals; it
differentiates moral
dimension of our
fulfillment in action.
Through our spirituality,
we have conscience. Thus,
whether we choose to be
“good or evil” becomes our
responsibility.
St. Thomas Aquinas “Of all creatures, human beings
have the unique power to change themselves and
things for the better.”
He considers the human being as moral agent.

7. The following
are experiences
of
transcendence:

8. When we forgive, we
are freed from our
anger and bitterness
because of the actions
and/or words of
another. On the other
hand, the hardness of
our heart is reinforced
by while series of
rational arguments.

9. There is perfection in
every flower; this is
what the three
philosophies believed.
For a hug, for every
sunrise and sunset, to
eat together as one
family, are our
miracles. These kinds
of experiences can be
truly moments of
grace. They touch us
deeply and the human
heart is spontaneously
lifted. During this
experience, we need to
offer praise.

10. To be invulnerable is somehow inhuman. To be
vulnerable is to be human. Supermen and
superheroes are hiding from their true
humanity. The experience that we are
contingent, that we are dependent for our
existence on another is frightening. To work in
the office or study in school, without
acknowledging the help of others, is to live
without meaning and direction. We need to
acknowledge the help of other people in our
lives. Such moments of poverty and dependence
on others are not sign of weakness but being
true to ourselves.

11. Our failures force us to confront our
weaknesses and limitations. When a
relationship fails, when a student fails a
subject, when our immediate desires are not
met, we are confronted with responsibility of
our plans, and yet, we are forced to
surrender mystery or look upon a bigger
world. Such acceptance of our failures makes
us hope and trust that all can be brought
into good. Even if we have sinned, as
Augustine had, there is hope and
forgiveness.

12. Our loneliness can be rooted from our sense of
vulnerability and fear of death. The
experience is common. 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
our loneliness, we can realize that our
dependence on other people or gadgets is a
passiveness that we can be free from.

13. To love is to experience richness, positivity,
and transcendence. Whether in times of
ecstatic moments or struggles, the love for a
friend, between family members or a
significant person, can open in us something
in the other which takes us beyond ourselves.
Life is full of risks, fears and commitment,
pain and sacrificing and giving up things we
want for the sake of one we love. In Buddhist
view, the more we love, the more risks and
fears there are in life.

15. Metempsychosis – transmigration of souls
(reincarnation).
Karma – everything in this life is a consequence
of actions performed in previous existence. Only
by building up a fine record, can final salvation
be achieved.
"Everything we
do is infused with
the energy with
which we do it. If
we're frantic, life
will be frantic. If
we're peaceful,
life will be
peaceful."
Marianne
Williamson

16. Nirvana means the state in which one is
absolutely free from all forms of bondage and
attachment. It means to overcome and
remove the cause of suffering.
The Middle Way is a wisdom of avoiding the
extreme
There is nothing
mightier in the world
than karma; karma
tramples down all
powers, as an elephant
to clump of roses.

17. The Eternal Law is God Himself
- humanity must do well and avoid evil,
hence, the existence of moral obligation in
every human being. We are responsible to
our neighbors as we are to our own actions.
- though we are physically free, one
does not have a right to do anything if it is
not morally right or one will hurt another.

19. 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.
“Si enim comprehendis, non est Deus”. If you
can comprehend it, it isn’t God.
Summa Theologica – “God is honored by silence – not
because we cannot say or understand anything about Him,
because we know that we are incapable of comprehending
Him.”
In the essence of Christianity, a person is God and
God is in the person. There is no distinction
between God and human beings.
Ludwig Feuerbach

20. Loob for Filipinos deepens and broadens the
meaning of God in the lives of the people.
It is a Christian perspective that is both
individual and societal. Filipinos normally
encounter God during conflicts and sufferings.
The transpersonal worldview of the Filipinos
underlies the belief that the individual can go
beyond human limitations such as geography,
space, and time. It encompasses the world as
run by “spirit” or “spirits” such as God, mind,
providence, and others.

21. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human
Person First Edition, Christine Carmenla R.
Ramos, PhD, Rex Book Store, pp. 47-65
Prepared by:
REYNALD GODFREY P. GREGORIO, TII
Antipas National High School