Peran Pendekatan Fenomenologi dalam Memahami Pengalaman Spiritual

Abstract

Spiritual experience is a complex, subjective phenomenon that often eludes explanation through empirical approaches or conventional direct experience. This underscores the need for research methods capable of exploring the deepest meanings of human inner life in a more profound and systematic manner. This study utilizes library research with a phenomenological approach, focusing on the experiences of others without the interference of the researcher's personal opinions. It employs phenomenological reduction as a primary step to suspend bias and create space for a clearer understanding of the reality of spiritual experiences. This approach is applied to examine various research findings related to student spirituality, existential confusion, the process of self-meaning, and the experience of human relationships with transcendent values. The results of the analysis indicate that phenomenology is capable of uncovering the essence of spiritual relationships, the process of self-transformation, and the shifts in values and religious practices that accompany them. Furthermore, phenomenology serves as an effective framework for understanding the diversity of spiritual practices in the modern era and strengthening interfaith dialogue. In conclusion, phenomenology offers the most suitable methodological concept for understanding spiritual experience as a living and meaningful phenomenon of consciousness. This study recommends qualitative field research with diverse informants and collaborative efforts to test the extent to which these findings can be applied in education and spiritual counseling, as well as their contribution to religious understanding in the modern era.