Exploring Spiritual Concepts for Spirituality Education in Secondary School

Abstract

While research on spiritual education is increasing, spirituality is still recognized to be an abstract, difficult, and ambiguous concept. The purpose of this study is to define the concept of spirituality clearly by considering the concept and exploring the direction of spiritual education in secondary education. Spirituality can be defined according to vertical and horizontal dimensions. First, the vertical dimension implies metaphysical and religious meaning concerning a relationship with a higher and transcendental being in a specific individual context that goes beyond the existing understanding of individualistic, inner-centered, and afterlife-centered spirituality. Second, the horizontal dimension includes existential meaning in social and environmental relationships, meaning relationships with self, others, and nature. Thus, spirituality is "expansion of consciousness about transcendent existence." This emphasizes spirituality linked to temporal life, exemplifying the need to fulfil social responsibility and the possibility of practicing it. Moreover, it serves as a basis for escaping from the narrow perception of interpreting spirituality only from an excessively mystical or rationalistic perspective in the past. Spiritual education in schools needs to teach both horizontal and vertical dimensions harmoniously.