Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Ramalli, and thank you for joining me for today's RE lesson.

I'll be guiding you through our learning today, and my priority is to ensure you successfully meet our learning outcome.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to describe how Siddhartha understood impermanence and what it means for different Buddhists.

To help us with our understanding in today's lesson, there are three key words.

They are: meditating, impermanence, and enlightenment.

Meditating is focusing and clearing the mind.

Impermanence means nothing remains the same forever.

And enlightenment is waking up to a deeper understanding of life and the world around you.

So for our lesson today on Siddhartha, enlightenment, and impermanence, we're gonna begin with the first part of our lesson, "How did Siddhartha achieve enlightenment?" (mouse clicking) After Siddhartha had given up living as an ascetic, he spent lots of time meditating whilst trying to achieve enlightenment.

There are many images of Siddhartha meditating, just like the example you can see on your screen.

Meditating means focusing and clearing the mind.

Look at these two images of Siddhartha meditating.

Choose three features that you notice.

So I would like you to look at these two images and identify three different features that you notice about these two images.

Pause the video here and press play when you are ready to reflect on your answers.

Okay, welcome back.

So I asked you to look at these two images and choose three features that you notice.

Aisha, Andeep, and Jacob discuss what they notice about the three images.

Aisha says, "I notice Siddhartha is sitting cross-legged under a tree." Andeep noticed that Siddhartha is wearing orange robes.

And Jacob noticed that Siddhartha has a halo behind his head.

Did you notice these three things too, or perhaps you came up with some other examples? Okay, so I would like us to pause for a moment and reflect on what we have just heard.

Select two things that you may see in an image of Siddhartha meditating, A: a palace, B: a tree, C: an orange robe.

Pause a video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, welcome back everyone.

I asked you to select two things that you may see in an image of Siddhartha meditating.

Well done to those of you that chose B and C, you are likely to see a tree and an orange robe.

Fantastic, well done.

Aisha wants to understand what these features symbolise, she wants to understand the meaning of these features.

She speaks to her friend, Linn, who has a Buddhist worldview.

Aisha says, "I have been studying images of Siddhartha Gautama meditating.

What do the features symbolise?" Linn responds and says, "Buddhist believe Siddhartha achieved enlightenment meditating under the Bodhi tree.

The orange robes represent a simple life and the halo symbolises his enlightenment." Okay, let's pause for a moment and check our understanding of what we have just heard.

On your screen, there is a True or False statement.

"Siddhartha found their way to enlightenment through a message from God." Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you are ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done, everybody.

If you selected False, why is that statement false? Well, Buddhism teaches that Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment by meditating under a Bodhi tree, not through a message from God.

So well done to everybody that said that statement was false.

Many Buddhists also want to achieve enlightenment like Siddhartha, but what does that mean? Linn explains her understanding of enlightenment.

Linn says, "Enlightenment is discovering the truth about life and accepting that everything changes.

This brings calm and peace inside.

The Buddha became enlightened when he learned how to let go of things that made him unhappy and focus on helping others achieve the same thing.

I want to achieve enlightenment too." Tashi also has a Buddhist worldview.

She explains her understanding of enlightenment.

Tashi says, "Imagine if you had a superpower that let you understand why people feel upset, and you could always stay kind and happy no matter what happened.

That's kind of what enlightenment is.

It's a super understanding of how life works and how to be happy without needing stuff like toys, snacks, or other things to make you feel good.

I also want to achieve enlightenment." Okay, so let's pause for a moment and check her understanding of what we have heard.

Which option does not describe what enlightenment is? A: figuring out how to stop feeling sad or worried.

B: discovering the truth about life.

C: worrying about everything.

D: realising that stuff doesn't bring happiness.

Pause a video here and press play when you are ready to see the correct answer.

Well done to everybody that selected C as the correct answer.

Fantastic, well done.

So now we are in a strong position to complete a practise task to demonstrate our understanding of how did Siddhartha achieve enlightenment.

I would like you to decide if each of the following statements is true or false.

Then, I would like you to correct the false statements.

Welcome back, everybody.

So for the practise task, I ask you to decide if each of the following statements is true or false, then correct the false statements.

So let's check the answers.

So your true or false answers may look like this: "The Buddha meditated under a beach tree" is false.

"The Buddha is often shown wearing gold robes," false.

"The Buddha achieved enlightenment through meditation," true.

"Enlightenment means worrying about things," false.

"Most Buddhists also want to achieve enlightenment," true.

I then asked you to correct the statements that are false.

So your statement answers may look like this: "The Buddha meditated under a beach tree." Instead, "The Buddha meditated under a Bodhi tree." "The Buddha is often shown wearing gold ropes." "The Buddha is often shown wearing orange robes." "Enlightenment means worrying about things." You may have said, "Enlightenment means discovering the truth about life." Fantastic, well done on all of your hard work on that practise task.

So that brings us onto the second part of our lesson on Siddhartha, enlightenment, and impermanence.

The second part of our lesson is what did the Buddha teach about impermanence? Once Siddhartha had achieved enlightenment, he was referred to as "the Buddha," meaning "the enlightened one." The Buddha went on to teach others about what he had found out.

Why might he want to tell others about enlightenment? Pause the video here, and with your partner, discuss an answer to that question.

Press play when you're ready to reflect on your answers.

Great discussions, everybody, fantastic.

So why might he want to tell others about enlightenment? Well, he would've wanted to share his truth about life with others.

Okay, let's pause for a moment and reflect on what we have just heard.

On your screen, there is a True or False statement.

Siddhartha was born as "the Buddha." Is that statement true or false? Pause a video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, welcome back everyone.

True or false, Siddhartha was born as the Buddha? Well done to all of you that said false.

Why is that statement false? It was only once Siddhartha had achieved enlightenment that he was referred to as "the Buddha," well done.

Once the Buddha had achieved enlightenment, he shared his teachings.

One of his teachings was impermanence.

It means that nothing remains the same forever.

To understand the Buddha's teachings on impermanence, look at the following three images.

How might each example change or be impermanent? The first image is of a school.

So consider how might the physical building of a school change or be impermanent, but also think about what happens inside of the school, and who is inside of the school, and how that might change or be impermanent.

The second image is of money.

So think about ways that money may change or be impermanent.

And the third image is of a child, and that child is feeling sad.

Think about how that feeling for that child may change or not be permanent.

So how might it be impermanent? Pause a video here, and with your partner, think about each of those three examples, and how each one might change or be impermanent.

Press pause, and then come back when you are ready to reflect on your answers.

Okay, welcome back, everyone.

Fantastic discussions.

So we're going to start with the first image, which was of a school.

And we're going to think about how a school might be impermanent.

So you may have come up with some of the following ideas too.

So the children who attend the school, they will change over time.

Perhaps the wood of the door will eventually rot and it will need replacing.

The windows will also need replacing at some point.

They will change, they will not be permanent.

And the building itself, while it hasn't always been there, and at some point, it could get pulled down.

Let's move on and think about the second image, which was money.

How might money be impermanent? Perhaps you came up with some of the similar ideas in your discussions.

So money can be impermanent because how much a person earns can change.

Money can be lost or stolen.

Its value can also increase and decrease, and then the currency can change as well.

Fantastic.

Moving on to the third example that I asked you to discuss, why might a child feeling sad be impermanent? Well, emotions change, and they can change quite quickly, but they change.

So this child is feeling sad.

That feeling is not always going to be that it's going to change, it is impermanent.

The child may receive support, perhaps from a parent or a carer and feel comforted and no longer feel sad.

Perhaps the child's friend or someone at school, or family member, might make that child laugh.

No longer will they feel sad.

And over time, that child will grow up, and what they're feeling sad about may change.

Okay, so let's pause for a moment and reflect on what we have just heard.

What does impermanence mean? A: nothing changes.

B: most things change.

C: nothing remains the same forever.

Pause a video here and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back.

So I asked you to consider what does impermanence mean? So well done to everybody that selected C, impermanence means nothing remains the same forever.

Well done.

(mouse clicking) Tashi explains her interpretation of impermanence.

Tashi says, "The Buddhist teachings on impermanence helps me not to get too attached to things.

If I was to get attached to money, then I may crave more money or fear losing money.

This can lead to suffering.

Accepting impermanence is the way to in enlightenment." Linn explains her interpretation of impermanence.

"The Buddhist teachings on impermanence helps me if I am feeling sad.

I know that feeling is not permanent and emotions change.

Eventually, I will feel happier again." Do you agree or disagree with the Buddhist teachings on impermanence? What might affect your point of view? Pause a video here and either on your own, have some reflection on those questions, or with your partner, discuss the answers.

Press play when you're ready to continue with the lesson.

Okay, welcome back, everyone.

Really good reflections and discussions.

So now, we are going to pause and check our understanding of what we have just heard on your screen.

There is a true or false statement.

"Accepting impermanence can lead to suffering." Is that statement true or is it false? Pause a video here and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back, everyone, and well done to everybody that said that statement is false.

Why is that statement false? Well, accepting impermanence can lead to enlightenment.

Well done, everybody.

So now we're in a strong position to complete a practise task on what did the Buddha teach about impermanence.

I would like you to write a paragraph explaining two ways a Buddhist living in the UK may apply the Buddhist teachings on impermanence.

You're going to use examples in your answer to support your points.

You may also like to use these starter sentences.

"A Buddhist living the UK today may apply the Buddhist teachings on impermanence by.

." "A second way that the Buddhist teachings on impermanence may be applied by Buddhists is.

." Pause a video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, welcome back, everybody.

So now, we are at a great point where we're gonna check our answers on this practise task.

I asked you to write a paragraph explaining two ways a Buddhist living in the UK may apply the Buddhist teachings on impermanence.

Your answer may have included these points: A Buddhist living in the UK today may apply the Buddhist teachings on impermanence by avoiding getting attached to items like money.

The value of money can change, or it can get lost or stolen, which could cause suffering.

A second way that the Buddhist teachings on impermanence may be applied by Buddhists is by remembering that emotions change.

This can help when feeling sad by remembering that this feeling is not permanent.

Well done on all your hard work on that practise task.

So that brings us to the end of our lesson on Siddhartha, enlightenment, and impermanence.

So what key points have we learned in today's lesson? Siddhartha gained enlightenment as he meditated under the Bodhi tree.

Most Buddhists aim to become enlightened.

Siddhartha discovered that everything is impermanent and nothing remains the same.

And accepting impermanence is the way to enlightenment.

Thank you very much for joining me for your lesson today, goodbye.