Spiritual formation plays a critical role in the lives of individuals, as it influences the way they perceive the world and react to it. The practices that are included in this process are ‘means of grace’ that allow people to develop their spirituality (worship, prayer, meditation, simplicity, service, fasting, confession, solitude, etc.). Spiritual formation starts with the birth of a child. It can be influenced by various factors, including physical, cultural, geographic and social ones.
What are specific practices of Christian spiritual formation?
Spiritual formation plays a critical role in the lives of individuals, as it influences the way they perceive the world and react to it. Christian spiritual formation describes the process of “being restored into the image of God through Jesus Christ in its multidimensionality by the work of Holy Spirit” (Chandler, 2014, p. 17). The practices that are included in this process are ‘means of grace’ that allow people to develop their spirituality. There is a wide range of them but among the most common ones are worship, prayer, meditation, simplicity, service, fasting, confession, solitude, etc. Different scientists group them into spiritual disciplines, such as “inward, outward and corporate” (Chandler, 2014, p. 17).
Does developmental theory speak to the development of faith/belief?
Developmental theory considers the way individuals change when they get older. It investigates how one’s views and behavior alter with the course of time under the influence of various factors. In this way, faith development is also considered as it is an important element of people’s growth. It is claimed to have an influence on individuals and to be influenced by other aspects of life. Spirituality is often discussed in relation to cognitive and moral development.
How do the theories of Erickson, Piaget, Kohlberg and Fowler speak to spiritual development?
In his work, Erickson considers spirituality as a part of moral-ethics while Piaget’s view was based on cognitive development, as she emphasized intelligence in the child’s development. Kohlberg used ideas presented by Piaget and started to discuss moral development, which turns out to be connected with beliefs of a person. Still, the most evident discussion of spiritual development is presented by Fowler, who gathered the ideas of his colleagues and investigated faith development in particular. He points out six stages, in which faith develops and connects them to the age of the individual, underlying that the process of spiritual development is maintained through the lifespan and cannot be considered only within a particular period of time.
At what developmental stage does spiritual formation begin?
According to the stages that Fowler identifies, spiritual formation starts with the birth of a child and is not a process that is triggered by some event or by education. In this way, it can be observed on the pre-stage already that starts with the first moments of life and lasts for two years.
What influences impact spiritual formation throughout the lifespan?
Spiritual formation impacts the way people perceive both some situations and individuals and how they relate to them. This process can be influenced by various factors, including physical (age, disabilities), cultural (common beliefs), geographic (location) and social (community) ones.
References
Antonucci, T., Wong, K., & Trinh, S. (2012). The role of the family across the lifespan. In P. Noller & G. Karantzas (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Couples and Family Relationships (pp. 51-65). West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Burke, M., Chauvin, J., & Miranti, J. (2005) Religious and spiritual issues in counseling: applications across diverse populations. New York, NY: Routledge.
Chandler, D. (2014). Christian spiritual formation: an integrated approach for personal and relational wholeness. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Dacey, J., & Travers, J. (2002). Human development across the lifespan. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Molcar, C. (2006) The relationship of place attachment to spiritual well-being across the lifespan. Dept. of Graduate Psychology, Seattle Pacific University. Seattle, WA.
Scott, D. (2003). Spirituality in child and youth care: Considering spiritual development and “relational consciousness”. Child & Youth Care Forum, 32(2), 117-131.
Talley, R., & Montgomery, R. (2012). Caregiving across the lifespan: Research, practice, policy. New York, NY: Springer.
Concerning the Main Question: Main Point and Hypotheses
Because of the patients’ demand to discuss religious issues and the results of the above-mentioned discussions, the reasonability of the theory that involves the issues touching upon on religion and spirituality has been questioned, as Knox et al. (2005) explain. The main argument that the authors convey concerns the necessity to follow the demands of the patients concerning the religion-related conversations and the impact that the aforementioned topics have on the patients. According to what the authors of the research suppose, the balance between openness to any of the topics possible and the development of controversial religious issues has to be achieved (Knox et al. 2005).
Developing the Issue: The Legitimacy of the Argumentation
Speaking of the way the researchers structured their argument and the analysis that has been conducted, one can claim with certainty that the research has been conducted in the most reasonable manner. Speaking of the methods practiced in the research, one has to admit that the qualitative methodology used by the authors is fully justified by the aim and the field of the research. Since the chosen method “allowed us to explore our participants’ experiences without restricting their responses,” (286) as Knox et al. (2005) explained, it can be considered that the research has been conducted in the most exhaustive manner and can be considered as coercive and thorough.
Observing the Major Finds: The Basic Conclusions
It is essential to emphasize that the conclusions following the analysis of the existing evidence confirms the hypothesis that was stated by the authors of the article in the introductory part. Making it obvious that various aspects of religion are not the subjects to be voided in the course of the therapy, yet it is important to keep the conversation within the frames of neutral topics.
In addition, it can be problematic for the therapist to discuss the offered topic. As Knox et al. (2005) marked, “If therapists are struggling with their own spirituality, for example, their ability to help clients with such struggles may be impaired” (300). However, it still seems that the results of the research can be considered as questionable. Since the key limitation of the research concerned that it was impossible to consider each and every case of religious issues in therapy process, the individual reactions of the people involved have not been observed in their full range.
The Importance of the Results: On the Consistency
Speaking of the contingency of the results obtained in the course of the research, one must mark that the key findings are completely justified and can be considered as consistent. However, it is still essential to notice that the results of the research conducted by Know et al. (2005) bois down to the summary of the emerging situations, which offers rather superficial overview of the problem. It seems that the recorded evidence would have been a better material to operate with.
Obviously, the researchers also need to know more about the motivation of the patients who are willing to meditate on religious and spiritual issues (Kahle & Robbins, 2004). Hence, the investigation of the roots of the patients’ need to touch upon the given issues has to be carried out. Speaking of the application of the obtained information in the practical counseling, one should emphasize that the given research offers sufficient help in developing the tactics of discussing the religious and spiritual issues with the patients when the latter insist on it.
Reference List
Kahle, P. A., & Robbins, J. M. (2004). The power of spirituality in therapy: Integrating religious and spiritual beliefs in mental health practice. New York, NY: Routledge.
Knox, S., Catlin, L., Casper, M., & Schlosser, L. Z. (2005). Addressing religion and spirituality in psychotherapy: Clients‘ perspectives. Psychotherapy Research, 15(3), 278-303.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBTs) represents a convergence of cognitive processes and behavioral strategies that aims at achieving cognitive and behavioral change. At the core of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are three propositions; first, cognitive activity may be monitored and altered; second, cognitive activity affects behavior; third, desired behavior change may be affected through cognitive change (Johnson, 2010). Cognitive behavior therapy focuses their treatment on cognition with the belief that behavior change will follow cognition. To be able to carry out CBT on a client or on a group, one need to understand the various treatment approaches that exist within the scope of CBT (Boyle et al., 2009). The approaches under CBT share the theoretical viewpoint that makes the assumption that cognitive activities mediate behavior change. Consequently, CBT theorist overtly argue that cognition alter behavior.
Moreover, it is important to note that the outcomes of CBT vary hugely from one individual to the other. In the case of the client in question, the CBT is ideal since it aims at curing overt behavior such as anger and transforms it into a positive cognition. In carrying out CBT on this client, I will put into practice the therapeutic procedures that organized CBT into cognitive restructuring, coping skills therapies, and problem solving therapies. Series of past research indicate that CBT has been successful in curbing anger problems. For instance, Flanagan, Allen, and Henry (2010) established that rational emotive behavior, as a therapy, is successful in anger management. On the other hand, Morland et al. (2011) established that manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy is very success in anger management among veterans since it outlines all problems that an individual faces at an interpersonal level as ultimately affecting others.
Identification
The client is a 35 years old African American male, high school dropout, in a relationship, and currently a sailor in the US Military. He has been in the army for close to a decade as a sailor. The client’s commanding officer referred him for treatment, because of excessive violent temper that is interfering with his performance and relationship with other sailors. The commanding officer insisted that the client must be subjected to psychiatric treatment since the violent condition was recurrent. However, there is no record of the client having been treated for temper related condition in the past.
Reason for Social Work Involvement
The crisis of potential dismissal, demotion, fine, and restriction from duties forced the client to seek for treatment. Specifically, the commanding officer made it clear that the client would face severe consequences should he fail to seek for psychiatric treatment.
Family Background and Situation
The client has had a long history of violent temper, which could be attributed to his upbringing environment. From a tender age, the client has not known the love of family and was abandoned by his teenage mother, who was then serving time in jail. The client had to be taken to an orphanage but was not claimed by the mother upon finishing her time in jail. At the age of two years, the client was transferred to a foster home by his adoptive parents called the Tates. The new home was equally unfriendly to the young boy who had to endure physical and mental abuse from the Tates until the age of 14 years. After running away from hid foster parents, the client lived in the streets from several years until an opportunity to join the US Navy changed his life. As a result of the rough life while growing up, the client has had a very bad case of recurrent violent temper and he is always solving conflicts with fellow sailors through fights. The client is currently dating a female lady of middle age and has successfully traced the whereabouts of his biological parents.
Physical Functioning and Health
The client exhibits excessive violent temper and very confrontational in the work place environment. The client seems to have deep anger that is threatening to consume him. From appearance, the client seems okay but has a sad face and is always folding his arms across like a tensed person. There is no medication that the client is currently using apart from a confession of sometimes attending anger management classes. However, the client is not consistent and has unpredictable behavior.
Intellectual Functioning (mental status)
The client seems okay in mental status and can be engaged in an intellectual discourse. The client has can reason out and seems very articulate in expressing himself. Therefore, from the assessment, the client has an upright mental capacity of a normal person.
Emotional Functioning
The client seems depressed and very sad. From physical assessment, the client has a very sad face and shaky voice. The client is very defensive and is struggling to keep up with any conversation. Lastly, the client is just putting a brave face to appear composed.
Interpersonal and Social Relationships
The client has poor interpersonal relationship with his co-sailors and other people he is related to. A part from his current girlfriend, the client is lonely and has not established any strong relationship with any other person. The client has poor social skills as evident in his confrontational and defensive nature when handling conflicts with co-sailors. Besides, the client is more than willing to face his problems through physical confrontation instead of dialogue.
Educational/Vocational/Financial
The client is a high school dropout who has managed to reverse his misfortunes by joining the US Navy as a sailor. There is no any other evidence of further schooling or training by the client.
Legal Involvement
The client is an adult of legal age to make personal decisions and take consequences for them. The client does not have any history of criminal offenses or past records of serving jail time.
Substance Abuse/History
There is no history of substance abuse in the life of the client, despite having spent several years in the streets after running away from the foster care.
Religion and Spirituality
The client was raised in a Christian family environment. However, there is no evidence of him subscribing to these religious beliefs. The client has free spirituality with no specific inclination to either of the religious doctrines.
Treatment History
The client is currently undergoing anger management treatment by Dr. Jerome Davenport, a psychiatrist. There is no any other history of treatment for the violent behavior exhibited by the client.
Strengths and Problem-Solving Capacity
The client’s primary strengths are admitting that he has anger management problem, the will to overcome challenges, and the spirit to learn. Despite being discrete at the beginning of the therapy, the client opened up and poured out his heart to the doctor. Besides, the client was able to locate his parents despite several setbacks in the process. This is an indication of a strong will and determination to accomplish a task at hand.
Use of Community Resources
The client has not used any available community resources such as physical exercise center, counseling units, and religious institutions to facilitate management of his condition.
Impressions and Assessment
The first impression of the client is a person who needs to be motivated to overcome high physical violent nature. By coming for the therapy, the client has acknowledged that he has a problem and has the will to pass through the treatment. Since the client has a steady relationship with a girlfriend, the treatment process would be successful because of her support and presence. The client urgently needs a comprehensive Cognitive Behavior Therapy to overcome the anger management problem.
Goals for work with client
Cognitive restructuring: Focus on the thoughts of the client to identify and erase emotional distress.
Cognitive coping therapy: Reviews the potential skills that can be modeled to facilitate coping with difficult situations.
Problem-solving therapy: Harnessing the overt behaviors through therapeutic procedures such as problem solving and coping skills.
Cognitive Restructuring
In my practice of the cognitive restructuring therapy, I will focus on the client’s thoughts since according to this perspective; emotional distress is assumed to result from maladaptive thoughts. CBT stipulates that different emotions are often associated with different thoughts (Flanagan, Allen, & Henry, 2010). For example, depression is associated with thoughts such as ‘I am worthless’, ‘the future is bleak’, or ‘nothing will change’, while anxiety is associated with thoughts such as ‘I am in danger’ or ‘something terrible is going to happen’.
Likewise, anger is associated with thoughts such as ‘I have been disrespected’ or ‘it is unfair’ amongst others. Therefore, in my therapy on the client, I will have to establish the sources of such thoughts and help the client understand how to tackle them through a guided self-help approach. The aim here will be to replace the client’s presumed distorted thoughts of life events with more adaptive and realistic appraisals (Johnson, 2010). This self-guided approach is based on proactive approach towards creating strategic experiences that can be modeled to suit automatic thoughts that the client might have. Through this, the clients will be able to identify and manage positive relationships to with realistic cognition.
Cognitive Coping Therapy
Applying the cognitive coping skills therapy on the client will require an in-depth analysis of the triggers of maladaptive thoughts and offers the alternative responses to such thoughts. It focuses on the development of a range of skills that is designed to help the client cope with a variety of life situations (Boyle et al., 2009). In this scenario, therapist find that repetition is indispensable to the learning process of the client in order to develop expertise and to make certain that newly acquired behaviors are available when needed. Therefore, I will emphasize behavioral rehearsal by use of wide-ranging, practical case examples to improve generalization to real life settings. In therapy, especially during the rehearsal periods, I will ask the client to identify signs that might indicate high-risk situations, and the ask him to employ his newly learned coping skills to address the situation at hand.
Problem-Solving Therapy
Furthermore, I will employ the problem-solving therapies in my practice on the client appropriately. The approach is necessary in situations where the client has been unable to cope with the problematic situations facing him. Considering the social and personal consequences associated with the inability to cope with the problems, it is necessary to carry out a therapy that can offer the most effective response if not a permanent solution (Morland et al., 2011). This approach may be described as a combination of both coping skills training procedures and cognitive restructuring techniques.
References
Boyle, S. W., Hull, G. H., Smith, L. L., & Farley, O. W. (2009). Direct practice in social work practice. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Flanagan, R., Allen, K., & Henry, D. J. (2010). The impact of anger management treatment and rational emotive behavior therapy in a public school setting on social skills, anger management, and depression. Journal of Rational-Emotional Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 12(4), 87–99.
Johnson, S. L. (2010). Therapist’s guide to clinical intervention: The 1-2-3’s of treatment planning. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Academic Press.
Morland, L. A., Greene, C. J., Grubbs, K., Kloezeman, K., Mackintosh, M. A., Rosen, C., & Frueh, B. C. (2011). Therapist adherence to manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy for anger management delivered to veterans with PTSD via video-conferencing. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 4(6), 629-638.
Biopsychosocial spiritual approach in social work is used to study the effects of biological, psychological, social and physical factors on the human behaviour (Green, 2002). These dimensions play a critical role in the determination of the behaviour of an individual. The life of an individual is surrounded by many dimensions, each of which has an effect to his/her overall behaviour.
These dimensions can be broadly divided into personal, environmental and time dimensions. The personality of an individual, his ego, emotion and cognition are crucial factors of an individual while using this approach (Green, 2002). In the biopsychosocial approach, the behaviour that is exhibited by humans is believed to be depending on their biological, psychological and social aspects.
The biology and psychology of an individual are inseparable. This is because the psychology (cognition and emotions) affect the overall health and well being of an individual. In further research, scientists have discovered that the psychology and social aspects of humans are also interrelated. That is why they refer to the brain as the social mind.
This therefore suggests that the brain is not only wired for social life but it also recognises they physical environment which an individual. These three factors therefore work hand in hand to determine the behaviour of an individual. The personal dimension of human beings is composed of the psychological, biological and spiritual aspects of an individual.
The biological aspect of an individual comprises of the body cell, organs and physiological systems. These aspects determine the physical appearance, anatomy, physiology and the health of an individual. The effectiveness and stability of these aspects play a critical role in the determination of the behaviour of an individual. The psychological system of humans comprises of the mind and mental processes.
This enables an individual to capture process and interpret information within him and his surroundings. It determines the ability of an individual to view life from a critical aspect that is different from everybody else, making him/her to be unique. All these depend on the cognition and emotion of an individual. These factors affect the conscious thinking process, feeling and emotions of human beings.
The spiritual system is the part of a human being that searches for the meaning and purpose of life (Ambrose, 2006). This is the part in an individual that poses questions about life, building up a lot of curiosity. It drives the morality of an individual. It determines the ethics, justice, creativity, religion, sociality, contemplation, relationships and the freedom of choice.
This system has a lot of influence in the behaviour of an individual, especially his/her social aspect of life. This is what determines the kind of person an individual is, how he views things and how he relates to other people in the society. The environmental dimension of a human being is composed of a number of factors. These are the factors which surround a person affecting his/her day to day activities.
Some of these factors include: the physical environment, social institutions, culture, families, dyads, small groups, communities and formal organisations. The physical environment is composed of natural and anthropogenic structures that surround human beings. They include: houses, mountains, the sun, rivers, lakes, vegetation and so on.
This form part of the environment where an individual lives and operates in. It varies from place to place and time to time. Culture is a formal behaviour that common within a given group of people. It affects the behaviour and material artefacts of an individual. It comprises of customs, beliefs traditions and values (Cournoyer, 2008).
A Dyad is the relationship that exists between two individuals. This is can be between a parent and child, husband and wife, teacher and student and so on. Family on the other hand is the relationship that exists between three or more individuals. This can either be nuclear family composed of father mother and child/children or extended families that include more family members who are related to each other with blood or marriage.
Small groups on the other hand are associations that are created by individuals to achieve common goals and objectives. Welfare clubs, youth groups, neighbourhood watch and sports club are just examples of these groups. The last dimension of a human being is time. It comprises of trends, cycles, shifts and linear time. Trends can be defined as definite patterns of change that occur through the life of an individual.
These patterns can be predicted with a certain degree of accuracy based on a number of known factors. Examples of trends that are being experienced in the world currently include the development of the United States into a multicultural state, the incorporation of information technology in the operations of various sectors of the economy and the climatic changes that are being experienced due to global warming. Trends affect the short term and long term life of a human being.
Cycles on the other hand are patterns of change that repeat themselves after a definite period of time. Examples of cycles include the different seasons of weather, the rise and fall of the economy, days of the week and months of the year and so on. Cycles give the human mind an aspect of planning his life by setting and can also be used to measure the success of an individual with time (Edward, 2010).
Shifts are sudden changes in the life of an individual. This may be a change in living standards and the changes in the environment due to disasters and natural calamities. Liner time is viewing life on a straight line. This is where time is viewed as either past, present or future.
To assess the biopsychosocial spiritual aspect of a human being, one needs to understand all of these concepts and apply various methods and tools to come up with the final result. By doing so, one would have understood all the aspects of an individual that may have led to the development of his/her behaviour. It therefore takes a keen study and research to come up with such diagnosis.
Biopsychosocial Spiritual Assessment Example: Maria
Maria was a 17 year old Columbian girl struggling to make it in life. The poor working condition coupled with the hard life that she was experiencing back at home; Maria decided to come to the United States in search of a better life. However, she had to smuggle drugs to earn her ticket into the country.
Things did not turn up to her expectations and in the process one of her companions died. Finally she had a chance to go back home but she decided to stay in the states. I had the chance to perform a biopsychosocial assessment on her. I was determined to gather as much information as during the sessions that we had together.
To achieve this, I ensured the she was comfortable and had trust in me. I gave her a chance to give her side of the story but in the process I was keen to ensure that she was telling me the truth. I was also interested in determining her mental state of mind. I was therefore keen on her reactions, behaviour emotions and speech. These factors could tell a lot about her state of mind.
The first thing which I wanted to determine is the problem which she was facing, what caused it and how it has affected her life. I was able to get this information by giving her a chance to tell her side of the story. From my analysis, I was able to conclude that her main problem was the lack of a stable job and good income was her main problem.
Due to this, Maria had to struggle to earn a living; a move that made her make a number of wrong choices in her life, smuggling drugs into the united states being one of them. After determining her problem, I wanted to know what factors of her life led to the development of this problem. I discovered that Maria was born in a poor family; she therefore lacked the opportunity of getting a good life and education.
Once she became mature, she had to support her family, including her sister who was pregnant. On top of this, she got pregnant with a man whom she did not love. Desperate to earn a living and determined to make it in life, Maria offered herself to be used as a drug mule to smuggle drugs into the United States. She is optimistic that life would be better here than back at home.
Maria has no history of any medical problems. She is physically fit, a factor which has sustained her through the hard work that she has been engaging in all through her life. I did not identify any mental disorders in her. She is a woman of good personality bases on principles and ethics which she had learned from her culture. That is why she was noble enough to raise money to send the body of her counterpart for burial back home.
Her family is engaged since they have been living together all through their lives apart from this time that she is in the United States. Her main basic needs at the moment are food, shelter and clothing for herself and her baby to come. She does not know where to start from since she is in a foreign state which is not familiar to her.
To make the matters worse, she is in the country illegally. This will make her chances of getting a job to be harder. Despite all this, Maria is composed and optimistic that the future is bright. She just has to struggle and work harder.
From this assessment, I was able to conclude that Maria is of sound body and mind. The main cause of her problems was due to her poor background, a burden which she has to carry with her and if things do not work out for the better she will transfer them to her unborn baby. This is just one among the many cases which are being experienced all over the world.
Type of Contract
I will develop a formal contract with my client. The development of the contract begun during the exploration period when I was trying to identify the clients problem and continued throughout the process. The relationship that developed between us during this process led to the establishment of a formal contract of service.
According to Cournoyer (2008) the skills that are required to set up a contract between a social worker and a client include: reflecting and identifying an issue, establishing goals, developing an action plan, evaluating the progress and summarising the contract (p. 296).
These basic steps will assist on the formulation and making of a stable contract that will protect the interest of both parties which are involved in the contract. As a social worker, I will exercise professional ethics and values to ensure that all the requirements of the contract are met so that the rights and responsibilities of the parties involved are respected.
Goals
We were able to set up three goals between my client and I which had to be achieved by the end of our sessions. The first goal was for her to accept her biopsychosocial status. This will enable her to be true to herself and formulate means through which she could overcome this burden and make her life better. The second goal was to improve her self esteem. From my assessment, I noted that my client had a low self esteem.
She had the belief that she could not get a good job or interact with other people since she was a person from a poor background. I believe that she was experiencing the same problems back at home and that is why almost all her friends were of a similar upbringing. Having a high self esteem will improve her social skills; she will be able to interact with almost everyone in the society.
It will therefore be much easier for her to get information which might lead her to a good job. The last goal was to process documents which will ensure that she is staying legally in the United States. This will make her a peace of mind, guarantee her a safe stay in the country and it will be easier for her to get a good job. All this goals aim at making her life to be better by improving all the dimensions of her life.
Professional Ethics Dilemmas
My role as a social worker will be to improve the life of my client and make it better (Zastro, 2009). However, during this process there are several incidences where the boundary of ethics which guide my profession is crossed. This will lead to a professional ethic dilemma. The repercussions of such cases might be very severe at times. While dealing with Maria, I might get emotional due to her sad story and decide to assist her beyond the limits of my profession.
In the process, I would have been assisting an alien who is in the country illegally. This will automatically make me her accomplice. By doing this, i would have acted beyond my powers and at the same time I would have been committing a federal offence. This will have a negative impact on my career and question my professional ethics.
References
Ambrose, S.D. (2006). Religion and psychology: new research. Boston: Nova Publishers
Cournoyer, B. (2008). The social work skills workbook. New York: Cengage Learning.
Edward, P.M (2010). A handbook of Psychology. London: Sage
Green, R.R. (2002). Resiliency: an integrated approach to practice, policy, and research. Michigan: NASW Press
Zastro, C. (2009). The Practice of Social Work: A Comprehensive Worktext. New York: Cengage Learning.
‘What are human persons?’ translates into a personal question that asks each individual who they are. The question has attracted heated debates in the past, creating a sense of loyalty between physicalists and dualists (Churchland 12). Physicalism encompasses everything about human persons such as their mental states, which the human body determines and is dependent on physically. The physicalist’s philosophical thought explains reality using the view that the human person is an assembly of space atoms. On the other hand, dualism denies physicalism, or that the physical facts of human bodies do not determine the composition of human beings (Cumplodo n.d.).
Plato’s Phaedo is among the earliest endorsers of dualism. The text argues for an immaterial mind or soul that makes up the identity of a human person. The immaterialism also makes up the mental abilities of humans, for instance, logical thinking. The majority of global religions hold that the immaterial mind and soul constitute the human person (Cumplodo n.d.). In this text, I hold the position of a substance dualist by arguing that the constitution of the human person goes past pure material entities. It is important to think of human persons as distinctive beings and not physical objects. Essentially, the human person is a product of immaterial minds or souls. I will conclude that only dualism can solve the view of insuperable physicalism.
Using the picture of the first person that human persons are substances, and the argument for my existence without a body creates neutrality between dualist and physicalism debates (Moreland 111). This will be valuable to prevent bias in this argument. This discussion examines the difference between the discourses on Leibniz’s law. Combing dualism and materialism with Leibniz’s law creates an argument for human persons. For instance, the distinction between parts and locations allows dualists to argue that bodies and minds have properties that make the mind and the physical body distinctive. Another argument for Leibniz’s law on dualism states that the minds and not bodies are known to exist (Moreland 111).
One may be certain that the mind exists but doubt the physical body’s existence. While one may know their existence, they cannot be certain. This means that the mind is aware of its existence while the body does not possess this characteristic. Leibniz’s law, therefore, argues for a distinct mind and body. On the other hand, Christians hold a contradictory dualist view of the human person as a unity between the body and the soul (Moreland 111). Christians hold that the soul enters an intermediate disembodied state after death. The Christian view holds that eventually, the soul will reunite with a resurrected body. This view holds that the self is a unified reality that interacts with the body. This self also includes mental states and acts freely and willingly. This Christian view of dualism contrasts with Lebniz’s law.
Although many contemporary thinkers reject dualism, it continues to resonate across philosophical thoughts in everyday discourse. The three basic claims of dualism include a distinctive mental and philosophical realm, fundamentality in mental and physical realms, and an ontological distinction in mental and physical realms (Churchland 12). Dualists hold that mental and physical realms make up important parts of the human person. The human person has various mental and physical features that make them real. Dualists contend that that their common-sense view has arguments that support this view.
Evidence suggests that physicalists would also agree with this stance (Churchland 12). Dualists agree with the fundamentality of physical and mental realms arguing that one cannot reduce them to mere basics. Since these aspects are not dependent on the other, the ontological distinction of both mental and physical realms creates a conceivable separation that facilitates their existence. These three claims allow physical substances to relate to one another. According to Churchland (12), souls relate causally with the body creating direct actions on the body. Thus, dualism presents a more holistic view of human persons since the functions affirm a functional interdependence of the whole individual. This interdependence occurs despite the conceivably separable nature of distinctive substances. Therefore, dualism relates to a non-physical substance that is not empirically observable.
Weak physicalists have five basic notions that affirm the physicalist concept (Pojman & Vaughn 78). First, physicalists argue that mental is best understood in its own terms. This view holds that the high-level realities such as mental states of the human person are not explainable based on concepts and theories only. Weak physicalism also holds that human persons are fundamental material beings (Pojman & Vaughn 78). Therefore, this physicalist view remains committed to ontological monism that rejects non-physical substances. This view holds that physical entities make up human persons, that characteristics of human beings are physical properties, and that all cause-effect processes are physical processes (Pojman & Vaughn 78).
Another view holds that the mind produces physical events by rejecting the reality of causally unrelated mental properties. Additionally, this view argues that weak dualism influences low-level realities. Last, the mental depends on the physical asymmetrically, a concept that creates interdependence in the levels of reality, according to the physical primacy. Most notable are criticisms leveled at weak physicalism, including the affirmation that dualism requires common sense in understanding human persons (Pojman & Vaughn 78). Since our common sense notions may be wrong, physicalism faces the burden of proof. Another argument against weak physicalism is that the system cannot explain the mental properties of physicalism. The argument mainly states that phenomenal consciousness makes up human mentality. Thus, accounting for phenomenal experiences is a problem associated with physicalism, given the feelings linked to mental experiences.
Physicalists decide the compositions of human persons based on three self-imposed constraints (Cumplodo n.d.). First, this decision depends on scientific things that are verifiable using senses. It should also relate to physical facts and be explainable using the evolutionary theory. Therefore, concluding that souls and materials are immaterial complicates the view of the human person (Cumplodo n.d.). It also complicates the composition of the human person. Physicalism holds that the mind constitutes the brain, while the brain constitutes a human person. According to Moreland (16), physical objects change when they gain new parts after losing old ones.
For instance, replacing the parts of an old car with new ones makes a different car. However, human beings remain the same, even if they replace parts such as memories or personality traits entirely. Even if God gives a person new memories or traits, he or she remains the same. It is also possible that a human person can continue living without memories or traits, such as the few seconds following Adam’s creation. Additionally, human persons can exist, without the presence of physical objects (Moreland 16). All these aid in concluding the view that more than behaviors or memories make up the human person. Therefore, dualist’s view that the human person unifies the body, memory, and behaviors makes sense of this fact.
A criticism of physicalism is the view of a continuous personal identity, particularly explaining the continuity following death and resurrection (Pojman & Vaughn 92). Given the physicalist view that humans are identical to the body, humans cannot exist away from the body. Therefore, the death of a body means that the human person will no longer exist. If God were to bring up a body years later, this would only be my replica. Physicalism tries to understand the continuation of the human person as time goes by (Pojman & Vaughn 92). The body is a collection of physical parts that ground personal identity. Therefore, the body remains an identity that is hard to establish, asserting continuity in appreciating human persons as self-sustaining organisms. In this view, the gappy nature creates an identical identity that represents different stages of the human person. However, most philosophical thoughts reject the gappy existence in physicalism. Suggesting that God can intervene at a person’s death to miraculously extend their biological life past death is a conceivable alternative explanation. These philosophers argue that the power rest with God, to facilitate a biological identity.
Duplication is thus, the key objection to the continuity criteria (Pojman & Vaughn 96). God cannot make copies of mental states because it would create an imbalance in the order of the world. Having many versions of a single individual claiming to be that individual would create an imbalance. This is what makes it hard for physicalist philosophers to discern the true nature of human persons. Making many versions of a single human person with equal claim to being that person makes it hard to discern who the person really is. Physicalists argue for psychological continuity, stating that transferring another mind to a body brings a human person’s identity close to their mental states. Thus, the absence of material continuity will prohibit a continued identity. Thus, latter and early stages are identical with the appropriate connection between mental continuity. Dualists have rejected physicalist thought, based on the continuity criteria associated with duplication.
What are human persons? Are we physical beings, spiritual beings, the two combined, or something very different will generate heated debates among philosophers that are not resolvable any time soon. Based on the presented evidence, the dualism view allows us to think through the issue of human persons. Physicalism on the other hand approaches the understanding of the human person using physical bases. They view the human as a complete physical being with no added spiritual substance, arguing that a person has similar identities to physical objects, especially the body. They hold that physical dimensions require an understanding that is based on inner dimensions such as beliefs. Even Christian physicalists rejecting the view of mental reality in physicalism are maintaining a view that is significant to inner lives of humans. This essay notes that the ability of souls to relate causally with the body creates a more holistic view of human persons. This is because these functions affirm a functional interdependence of the whole individual. This interdependence occurs despite the conceivably separable nature of distinctive substances.
Bibliography
Churchland. Paul. On Functionalism and Materialism. Class reading, n.d. Print.
Cumplodo, Emmanuel 2011, What is a Human Person? An exploration & Critique of Contemporary perspectives. PDF file. Web.
Moreland, James. Contemporary Defense of Dualism, Class Reading, n.d. Print.
Pojman, Louis and L. Vaughn. Philosophy: The Quest for Truth (9th Eds.), UK: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.
A journey can be defined as a process of moving towards a certain point. Human life is also characterized as a continuous movement. Therefore, the concept of journey is very close to our lives. The questions related to searching for the sense of life and exploring the nature of existence are regarded as the ones that all human beings were looking the answers for since the beginning of the history. The process of discovering the nature of the being can be considered a journey with the ultimate point that is difficult to be reached.
However, the process of such spiritual journey can help the person to gain the priceless knowledge about human life. Besides spiritual journey, physical journeys also contribute to the person’s ability to judge the objective reality in a proper way, as they help to look aside the everyday routine and promote the ability to see ordinary things in a different way. Analyzing the benefits of the processes of spiritual and physical journeys helps to reveal how they help the person to explore the nature of existence.
Any attempt to focus on spiritual experience and explore the sense of being can be considered a spiritual journey. People go on such journeys while devoting their time to reading a certain kind of books, communicating with other people about spiritual themes, participating in spiritual practices or religious activities, etc. Any of these steps has the ultimate objective, which can be determined by finding the truth about the sense of human existence and defining the right way to live the life according to this truth.
Reaching this ultimate objective appears to be a very complicated task, as the wisest men of different times tried to find the answers to the existential questions and did not succeed. However, all of these men gained the invaluable knowledge about the specifics of human nature and the laws of human life. Such spiritual journeys help to explore what it means to live truly and prevent being afraid of death.
One of the rewards of any spiritual experience is the comprehension of the temporality of earthly life and understanding of the importance of focusing on eternal values. The main hero of Tolstoy’s novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” experienced a spiritual journey at the end of his life. The process of this journey helped him to learn more about the nature of existence and analyze his life based on the gained knowledge.
Physical journeys can be regarded as one of the effective ways to broaden the worldview, and, therefore, understand the nature of existence. The person receives an opportunity to look aside the conditions he/she is used to living in and see the life from a different perspective while going on a journey. From the ancient times, people were attracted to distant countries, and long-term journeys were made for the sake of exploration.
While people were searching for discoveries and conquering the unknown places, they were discovering not only new continents and countries but also new aspects of the existence. Their view of the world and human life was changing with every new journey. Nowadays people travel to improve and broaden the borders of personal worldview through the prism of new impressions. Any journey makes the person’s perception of life deeper and more extensional.
Therefore, it contributes to the personal growth and teaches to understand the world. The main hero of “The Epic of Gilgamesh” experienced such kind of journey, which helped not only to achieve the goal but gain new knowledge and understand the nature of existence better.
Both spiritual and physical journeys present great value not because of the goals they help to reach but because of the benefits the processes involved in their realization give. That are the cases when the way to the final point is precious itself, even if the point is not reached. The process of a spiritual journey aimed at searching for the truth can be considered extremely fruitful even if the ultimate objective is not reached.
Such process helps the person to understand what it means to be a human and which kind of life can be regarded as the righteous one. The process of a physical journey can also be regarded as the favorable one as it puts the person under the conditions that help to see the new sides of life and learn about those aspects of life that cannot be explored while leading a routine life at one place.
Both spiritual and physical journeys help to explore the nature of existence. The process of a spiritual journey benefits the person with new knowledge and a better understanding of the world.
The process of a physical journey helps to broaden the person’s worldview and discover new sides of human life. Any person eager to find out what is the righteous way of living the life, what are main goals of human existence, and how to overcome the affection for earthly values and the fear of death, should try to go on a journey that will bring much new knowledge and wisdom.
The inner need to be alone with oneself has always guided people who wanted to achieve enlightenment. Suffice it to recall the famous examples of Gautama Buddha, who lived alone and attained nirvana, or Jesus Christ, who fasted for forty days. In many cultures, such seclusion is called a retreat and is seen as a way to explore oneself deeper. The time of a retreat is used for meditation, prayer, or meditation. This essay will focus on how the practice of a one-time retreat can affect spiritual life.
In the pursuit of fleeting pleasures in the stream of daily worries, people do not always have time to understand the meaning of existence. The practice of retreat makes it possible to realize and accept this meaning to find inner freedom. Fading away from the world and being alone is the ministry to God (Nouwen, 1995). During exercises, people try to go beyond habits, stereotypes, to overcome themselves, their emotional prohibitions, and restrictions, to break the existing blocks that prevent them from living a full life. In this sense, a retreat is a conscious attempt to organize one’s thoughts and protect oneself from reality.
Today, the meaning of spiritual solitude has slightly changed its form. Whereas retreat used to be a significant part of the lives of many monks and prophets, today, it is more of recreational activity. To achieve a state of complete spiritual solitude, people often go to distant countries or visit specialized institutions. Depending on the religious culture, retreat practices vary greatly: retreats can be both individual and collective. Sometimes the retreat is accompanied by complete silence, but other times it, on the contrary, implies active live communication. Such solitude is reduced to almost continuous meditation, which is only occasionally interrupted by sleep and food.
My spiritual experience of retreat was connected, first of all, with rethinking myself. In a moment of loneliness, being a beginner in this field, I quickly caught myself thinking that I could not control the flow of my thoughts.
However, immediately after the spiritual practice, there was an improvement in the perception of the present moment, attention, and consciousness, including the body’s feelings. This effect can be associated with short-term changes in dopamine and serotonin levels (Newberg, Wintering, Yamen, Zhong, Bowen, Averick, & Monti, 2018). Ordinary, rapidly changing everyday life has suddenly become more balanced and concentrated.
In a moment of silence and ritual, my mind was doing amazing things. It emphasized all the movements around me, the physical sensations, the contact with the air that touched my skin. At that moment, I had a bright feeling that the room was beginning to move, and I was with it. The masters asked me to be especially attentive to the process of my breathing, to concentrate on it. So, the state of trance enveloped me, and I started hearing inner voices.
Just a week after the retreat began, I realized how beautiful the world was. It is a confusing feeling, but I felt like I had a vision at the atomic level. At that moment, I loved not only myself but everyone else around me. According to Nouwen (1995), this feeling seems to be the union with God. This feeling did not leave me for a long time, and these days I felt like the happiest person on the planet.
Emphasizing all of the above, there are many religious ways to find yourself. In many cultures, there is a tendency towards isolation and spiritual loneliness to distract oneself from the bustle of the outside world. Spiritual practices of retreat today are somewhat different from what they used to be, but serve the same purpose. A retreat is a more potent form of meditation that can affect your world view and change values. This practice is closely linked to going beyond the comfort zone and discoveries. It is important not to lose this spiritual state after the course, but to learn to live with it.
References
Newberg, A. B., Wintering, N., Yaden, D. B., Zhong, L., Bowen, B., Averick, N., & Monti, D. A. (2018). Effect of a one-week spiritual retreat on dopamine and serotonin transporter binding: a preliminary study. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 8(3), 265-278.
Nouwen, H. (1995). Moving from solitude to community to ministry. Leadership, 16(2), 81-87.
“The influence of Manichaeism on Augustine of Hippo as a Spiritual Mentor” is Christine McCann’s publication investigating the way Manichaeism doctrines affected Augustine’s spiritual mentoring. McCann argues that Augustine’s encounter with Manichaeism had long-lasting impacts on his sensitivity to praise and pride. According to McCann (2009), Augustine disdained personal praises as he deemed them inappropriate and inaccurate, even rejecting the concept of being imitated and admired as a model. She posits that “the mentor is not the source of knowledge but simply an aid in the process of reading and understanding the Scriptures” (McCann, 2009, p.263). The author’s thesis is that a spiritual mentoring relationship should depart from enhancing one’s power, position, reputation, or influence but aid in the reading and understanding scriptural content.
McCann’s publication contains major arguments and refutations, which fortify the spiritual mentoring arrangements, anchored on extreme self-discipline and avoidance of any form of self-aggrandizement. The principal assertion is that discipleship and spiritual development through mentoring can be undermined and obstructed by deviations, such as predispositions towards personal praise. On the converse, the arrangement should seek to entrench a deeper focus on teachings compared to the mentor. Additionally, Augustine illustrates Manichaeans’ inability to deliver the right teachings as they have been diluted by untruths and inconsistencies, which renders them unreliable. She asserts that “Manichaeans’ own books contradict what he was told by other members of the group, and that this inconsistency shows the unreliability of their claims” (McCann, 2009, p.267). However, in determining the productivity of these arrangements, it is imperative that an assessment be conducted on the right candidates. For instance, Augustine could only obtain the truth from Faustus about the Elect (McCann, 2009). This publication implies that obsession with oneself and the promotion of self-importance subverts mentorship programs by redirecting focus to individuals rather than the teachings.
McCann’s work has various weaknesses, which undermine the application of his findings. For instance, Augustine’s obsession with winning arguments and the possible impacts on spiritual Christian aspirations were not comprehensively addressed. Additionally, the article does not provide definite Manichaean philosophies which disproportionately elevated Augustine’s sensitivity to praises and pride. However, McCann draws the comparisons with other publications and literature, which offers useful insights on the trajectory of spiritual mentorship. A prominent research question is the effect of the spiritual elitism on discipleship after Augustine’s challenge and teachings.
Reference
McCann, C. (2009). The influence of Manichaeism on Augustine of Hippo as a spiritual mentor. Cistercian Studies Quarterly, 44(3), 255-277.
The short story called “Araby” by James Joyce presents a multifaceted story that is permeated with details that enhance the events described by the author. The story itself represents the perspective of the author on several subjects at once, appearing to reach for the description of human nature itself. However, one of the most prominent subjects in this work is Catholicism. The topic of religion is used in Joyce’s work to reflect the duality of humans, as the narrator, in his most agitated state, is torn in two from the inner conflict. This paper will review the short story “Araby” by James Joyce through the spiritual lens with a side of the gender lens.
Main body
The narrator is associated with religion from the very beginning of the story. Joyce clearly establishes that the role of Catholicism in the life of the narrator is immense, as the boy visits the Christian school and lives in a house where an old priest has died (Joyce 1). However, the second paragraph gives a hint on the connotation of this setting when Joyce writes that The Abbot by W. Scott was among “old useless papers” (1). This careless attitude does not depict malice but a genuine lack of interest.
The mundane part of the story remains largely permeated with indirect yet critical religion-related remarks from the boy. For example, Joyce uses the following epithet to introduce the girl as “her figure defined by the light” (1). While this was so, this description reflects the very nature of the narrator’s feelings. His manner of description implies that he sees Mangan’s sister as a divine creature at a subconscious level. Nonetheless, the boy seems not to register the trail of his imagination.
Being in a vulnerable state from the feverish love he experienced, the narrator has involuntarily drawn a parallel between his passion and the Holy Grail. James shows that the boy compared the length he was ready to go for Mangan’s sister as if he “bore [his] chalice safely through a throng of foes” (2). This quote bears the utmost importance to the story and the chosen critical approach. It signals that the narrator holds religious ideas in the highest regard. At the same time, it links the imagery presented by the author with Catholicism, inviting a reader to think about something higher than simple beauty.
Alas, this bliss that the narrator experiences does not continue for long, as the story reveals that his feelings might be met with a positive response. This fact drives the narrator into an erratic state, in which he consciously evokes his spiritual side to aid him in calming his thoughts. Religion also plays the role of a restraint that is put on the narrator. Joyce draws a picture of a deeply confused young man who “pressed the palms of [his] hands together until they trembled” in an attempt to cease the stream of involuntary blasphemies that he thought of (2). No attempts to calm himself through the prayer have helped the narrator. In religious practices, it is often prohibited to compare anything earthly with the divine, yet the narrator is unable to help himself, even if only for a moment.
It is vital to note that religion permeates the entire story, just as it did with the life of the author. Joyce was raised in a Catholic family, and his beliefs are often reflected in his works (Stein 235). In many other stories, such as “Dubliners,” Joyce draws Christ as the source of salvation (Stein 235). It is not clear, but it is possible that this work represents a turning point in the author’s spiritual values since “Araby” can be read as a criticism of religion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this short story by James Joyce is filled with religious concepts and images, yet they do not represent his own views and cause strife. Everything he was taught and many aspects of his life are linked to Catholicism. Strong feelings, such as love, tend to stir the mind of people in a way that makes their thoughts chaotically reach all available connections. As the boy experiences this new feeling, religion, which is often taking on a role of an inner mental barrier, collides with it, making the narrator feverish, unfocused, and erratic.
The spirituality in this short story is more a curse than a blessing. The narrator mentally punishes himself for the perceived blasphemy he committed when he compares the mundane with the divine. However, he is unable to stop himself from thinking in this manner. The narrator’s entire life is surrounded by religion, in both school and his house. It is only natural that his mind falls prey to this permeating ideology. Catholicism commands his way of thought, whether the narrator is a religious person or merely born into such a community. Despite this uncertainty, he is thinking in religious forms, yet more earthly matters drive his actions. He might be thinking of Mangan’s sister as a higher being and imagine Araby as the path to deliverance, yet his motives are driven not by religion but by emotion.
Works Cited
Joyce, J. Araby: Short story. HarperCollins, 2014.
Stein, W. B. “Joyce’s Araby: Paradise lost.” Short Story Criticism, vol. 44, 2001, pp. 235-238.
Hinduism pays tribute to Bhagavad-Gita as the most significant spiritual text of the faith since its inception. The book is considered a guide to the path of truth among the believers. Lord Krishna is believed to be the inspiration behind the book known as the Gospel of the Lord. Moreover, Bhagavad-Gita is linked with the 6th book of the Mahabharata poem. Bhagavad-Gita is comprised of 18 sections, each with spiritual and practical lessons of Hinduism.
The first section is about Arjuna’s despondency, which is related to the spirituality of the believers. From this section, Arjuna is described as a great spiritual warrior who is overcome by grief as he observes his friend and relatives sacrifice their lives in a war.
The second section discusses the foundation of knowledge. Arjuna seems confused after the war. In this respect, Arjuna seeks wisdom from Krishna, who assumes the role of a spiritual master. In this regard, Arjuna learns patience, tolerance, and selflessness. Krishna teaches Arjuna the difference between the material body and eternal soul.
The third section focuses on yoga as a liberating activity. Arjuna learns that yoga is significant in developing a similar consciousness as that of Krishna. Yoga is a sacrifice to please the gods. In practicing yoga, one attains transcendental knowledge and is liberated from the law of fate.
The fourth section describes transcendental knowledge as a basic level of faith. Transcendental knowledge involves learning the relationship between the soul and God. From this knowledge, the history of the Gita, the purpose of yoga, and a guru becomes significant in improving the believer’s spirituality.
The fourth section describes transcendental knowledge as a basic level of faith. Transcendental knowledge involves learning the relationship between the soul and God. From this knowledge, the history of the Gita, the purpose of yoga, and a guru becomes significant in improving the believer’s spirituality.
The sixth section emphasizes Dhyana yoga’s importance as a mediation practice that focuses on the supreme nature of the soul. Dhyana yoga is a mind-controlling practice that provides full consciousness of the Lord in an individual’s heart.
The seventh section focuses on the knowledge of the absolute. Bhagavad-Gita describes Lord Krishna as the source of the whole truth. Lord Krishna is defined as the controlling force in all material and spiritual things.
The eighth section discusses the expectations of attaining supreme status. In this regard, one is required to devote his life, time, possession, and death to Lord Krishna. This level of faith requires the utmost devotion for one to attain the consciousness of Lord Krishna.
The ninth section concentrates on the Raja Guhya yoga. The practice of Raja Guhya yoga is critical in attaining the most confidential knowledge. Personal knowledge is attributed to strong devotees of Krishna. The yoga practice is essential in pure devotion to Krishna as the supreme God to worship.
The tenth section teaches about the opulence of the absolute. This section glorifies the beauty and grandeur of Krishna’s divine energy. The power of Lord Krishna is described in the perspective of material and spiritual nature.
The eleventh section attributes Visvarupa Darsan yoga with the universal form of the cosmic universe. The versatile way is revealed to Arjuna through vision and revelations. However, the universal form can only be shown as a result of pure devotion to Lord Krishna.
The twelfth section attributes Bhakti yoga with devotional service. This yoga is associated with the attainment of love from Krishna. In fact, Bhakti-yoga is considered as the highest level of spiritual existence. At this level, Krishna devotees develop spiritual qualities.
The thirteenth section is about Praktri Purse Viveka yoga practice that focuses on nature, the enjoyer, and consciousness. The yoga practice liberates a Krishna devotee from materialism.
The fourteenth section uses Guna Traya Vibhaga yoga to describe the three modes of material nature. These modes include goodness, passion, and ignorance—Lord Krishna advocates for control of the methods as a way of attaining transcendental knowledge.
The eighth section discusses the expectations of attaining supreme status. In this regard, one is required to devote his life, time, possession, and death to Lord Krishna. The sixteenth section describes the Bhagavad-Gita perspective on the divine and demoniac natures. Individuals who do not follow Bhagavad-Gita scripture possess demoniac qualities. Therefore, one must conduct Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga yoga to deviate from demoniac grades and attain spiritual perfection.
The eighth section discusses the expectations of attaining supreme status. In this regard, one is required to devote his life, time, possession, and death to Lord Krishna.
The eighteenth section focuses on Krishna’s explanation of the perfection of renunciation. Krishna glorifies Bhagavad-Gita as the ultimate path of true religion. This section concludes the enlightenment of Bhagavad-Gita through the Moksha-yoga.