Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Ramalli, and welcome to today's RE lesson.

This lesson forms part of our unit on Buddhism beliefs and teachings.

And in today's lesson, we are going to explore all about the life of the Buddha.

Today's lesson outcome is I can explain key events from the life of the Buddha, why they are important, and how they influence Buddhists today.

To help guide us through today's lesson, there are five key words: ascetic or holy man, Buddha, enlightenment, the Four Sights, and Buddhahood.

Ascetic, otherwise known as a holy man, is a person who lives a life free from worldly pleasures.

Buddha is an awakened or enlightened person.

Enlightenment is a state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truth of existence.

The Four Sights of Siddhartha Gautama's experience of illness, old age, death, and a holy man.

And Buddahood refers to reaching enlightenment.

Today's lesson on the Buddha takes three parts.

We're going to begin by learning about Siddhartha Gautama's early life, moving on to the ascetic life and enlightenment, and finishing by considering the importance and influence of the Buddha's life.

The Buddha was a prince named Siddhartha Gautama.

He lived around the 6th century BCE in Lumbini, now Nepal.

He was influenced by Hindu beliefs, which dominated the region in which he lived.

He was given the title of Buddha, meaning an awakened or enlightened person.

Many Buddhist texts such as Buddhavamsa XXVI, that tell the story of the Buddha's life, were written hundreds of years after he died.

Because of this, it can be hard to know what parts are factual information and what parts might be illustrative.

Some Buddhist interpret all the stories as factual and believe they actually happened.

Others see them as illustrative to teach them key truths.

Most Buddhists believe that the stories contain spiritual truths.

Let's complete a check for understanding what do Buddhists mean by the Buddha? a, the mythical person; b, the enlightened person; or c, the inspirational person? Pause a video and press play when you are ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected b as the correct answer.

Buddha means the enlightened person.

Before and after Siddhartha Gautama's birth, there was signs that he would be a significant individual.

Stories about the birth of the Buddha are recorded in the Jataka.

Even before the birth of Siddhartha, it is said that there were signs he would be a significant individual.

The story of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha, begins with his mother, Queen Maya, who had a dream of a white elephant entering her womb.

The dream was interpreted as a sign her unborn child would be special and achieve perfect wisdom.

There were other stories that indicated Siddhartha was going to be significant.

According to the birth story, Siddhartha walked and talked immediately after birth.

Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini.

And as he took his first steps, lotus flowers appeared beneath his feet, symbolising his purity and greatness.

Shortly after Siddhartha was born, an astrologer named Asita made a prophecy.

The prophecy was significant because it predicted that Siddhartha would either become a great king or a revered holy man.

The prophecy worried Siddhartha's father King Suddhodana.

He wanted his son to one day be king.

As Siddhartha grew up, he continued to live in luxury in the royal palace.

He married Yasodhara and they had a son Rahula.

Let's check you've understood what you've just heard.

What was the interpretation of Queen Maya's dream? a, her unborn child would achieve perfect wisdom; b, her unborn child would be courageous; or c, her unborn child would be perfect and kind? Pause the video and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected a.

The interpretation of Queen Maya's dream was that her unborn child would achieve perfect wisdom.

King Siddhartha went to great efforts to hide the truth about sadness, pain, and suffering from Siddhartha.

He wanted to avoids Siddhartha seeking truth in religion and risking him becoming an ascetic, holy man.

He kept him within the palace walls, surrounded with luxury, in the hope that he would never want to leave.

Siddhartha Gautama married and his wife gave birth to a son, Rahula.

They all lived in the palace.

Despite Siddhartha wanting for nothing, he became curious about the world beyond the palace walls.

Let's complete a check for understanding.

Select one reason why King Suddhodana wanted Siddhartha to remain in the palace.

a, he wanted him to spend time with friends and family; b, he wanted him to be an ascetic; or c, he was worried the prophecy would come true? Pause the video and press play when you are ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected c.

King Suddhodana wanted Siddhartha to remain in the palace because he was worried that the prophecy would come true.

The Four Sights as recorded in Jataka 075.

Traditional Buddhist stories say that when Siddhartha was 29 years old, one night he left the palace with Channa, his chariot driver, and saw the Four Sights.

The story of the Four Sights can be found in the Jataka 075.

The first sight Siddhartha noticed was an elderly man with grey hair and wrinkled skin leaning on a stick.

Siddhartha was shocked.

He had never seen anyone look like this before.

Channa explained, "This man is old.

As people age, their bodies change and they become slower." Siddhartha was puzzled.

"Does this happen to everyone?" He asked.

"Yes, my prince," said Channa.

Siddhartha felt sad and confused.

He had never imagined that people grew old and he wondered what other secrets the world held.

The second sight illness.

As his chariot continued, he spotted a man sitting by the side of the road coughing and groaning.

The man looked weak and pale, clutching his stomach in pain.

"What's his wrong with him?" Siddhartha asked worried.

Channa told him, "That man is ill.

Sometimes people get sick and it makes them feel weak or hurt." "But can this happen to anyone?" Ask Siddhartha his heart heavy.

"Yes, sickness can come to anyone, even those who are strong and young." Siddhartha felt a pang of sadness.

He had never thought about that people could suffer in such a way.

Why did things like this have to happen? The third sight death.

By now Siddhartha's heart was filled with questions he didn't know how to answer.

He continued on his journey hoping to learn something that would help him understand.

In front of him, he saw a long silent procession of people walking slowly down the road, a funeral procession.

Some were crying and others held flowers.

They were carrying a small wooden platform with a covered body lying on it.

Siddhartha felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Who is that person? Why is everyone so sad?" He asked.

"That person has died, my prince," Channa explained quietly.

"Death comes to all of us eventually, and it is very sad for those who love them." Siddhartha felt a great weight in his heart.

He hadn't known that life came to an end.

He wondered, "Is there any way to escape these things?" Channa only shook his head.

Siddhartha grew very quiet, lost in the thought that life is impermanent.

The four sight, an ascetic.

Siddhartha went back to the palace feeling deeply troubled by all he had seen, but he still had one more question.

So he went out again hoping to find an answer.

This time he saw a man in simple clothes walking barefoot.

The man looked calm and peaceful even though he had no fine clothes or jewels like the people at the palace.

"Who is that?" Siddhartha asked watching him curiously.

"That is an ascetic," Channa replied.

"He has given up all his belongings to search for wisdom and truth.

He believes that finding inner peace is more important than having riches." Siddhartha was fascinated.

This man had none of the things that Siddhartha thought made people happy, yet he looked content and peaceful.

Siddhartha wondered if this holy man had discovered the secret to overcoming sadness and fear.

When Siddhartha returned to the palace, he realised that he wanted to learn more about finding peace.

Just like the ascetic, he had seen four sights that changed him forever.

Old age, illness, death, and the search for truth.

And from that day on, Siddhartha knew he would leave the palace one day to seek answers to the truth about life.

Seeing the Fore Sights were important for Siddhartha because: he realised that old age, sickness and death affects everyone; they made him question his princely life; he was inspired by the ascetic to seek peace; he then wanted to seek the truth about life and how to overcome suffering.

Let's pause and complete a check for understanding.

Which one of the following is not one of the Four Sights? a, the old man; b, the sick man; c, the blind man; or d, the ascetic? Pause a video and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you selected c.

The blind man is not one of the Four Sights.

Now we are going to pause and complete our first practise task.

You are going to answer the question, describe Buddhist beliefs about the Buddha's early life.

And here is some guidance on how you might like to structure your answer.

So make a point and develop, and then make a second point and develop.

Each part of your answer, you should include a range of religious and specialist terms; and for at least one part of your answer, you should use a source of wisdom and authority.

This could be an exact or paraphrased quote, or a general teaching from a named source.

Remember to accurately apply this to the point and question.

Good luck completing the practise task.

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

Okay, welcome back everybody.

So you wrote an answer to the question: Describe Buddhist beliefs about the Buddha's early life.

Your answer might be similar to this.

One Buddhist belief about the Buddha's early life is that he was born in Lumbini and grew up in Nepal.

The Jataka tales tells a story of his birth including that, when he took his first steps, lotus flowers appeared beneath his feet, symbolising his purity and greatness.

Another Buddhist belief about the Buddha's early life is that he was the son of King Suddhodana.

He lived in luxury in a royal palace and was bought up shielded from suffering in the world.

So here you can see that there have been two points made and each point has been developed.

There is a use of keyword and specialist terms, and there is also reference to a source of wisdom and authority.

So for example, it references the Jataka tales, and then it applies this to the point and the question.

Well done on completing the first practise task.

So now we're gonna move on to the second part of our lesson to consider the ascetic life and enlightenment.

Once Siddhartha had witnessed the Four Sights and was inspired by the ascetic who had appeared at peace, his focus became the search for the causes of suffering.

Determined to find the truth, Siddhartha left his palace and family behind to live as an ascetic.

He lived as an ascetic for six years.

An ascetic life often has the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals.

He practised extreme self-denial, fasted for long periods of time and meditated for years in search of enlightenment.

One day, Siddhartha was bathing in the river.

And when he saw a girl who was looking after a herd of sheep for her father, the girl offered Siddhartha a bowl of milk and rice.

Siddhartha accepted because he was so weak and hungry.

Siddhartha felt much better after eating the bowl of milk and rice.

He realised that fasting had not brought him any closer to finding the truth towards the causes of suffering.

After six years, Siddhartha rejected his life as an ascetic.

This event was significant because he realised that living life to extremes, extreme luxury and asceticism had not led to the answer to suffering.

This led to the development of the middle way.

Siddhartha meditated under a Bodhi tree where he faced distractions from the demon, Mara.

Remaining focused, he eventually achieved enlightenment, gaining a deep understanding of the nature of suffering and how to overcome it.

This event was significant because he achieved a state of Buddhahood.

He discovered the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path, which became the foundation of his teachings.

Siddhartha, now known as the Buddha, returned to the five ascetics to tell them all he had learn.

Let's completely check for understanding.

What a Buddhist mean by an ascetic life? a, a life free from worldly pleasures, involving giving up material possessions; b, a state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence; or c, a life filled with worldly pleasures and material possessions? Pause a video and press play when you are ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected a.

By the ascetic life, but its referring to a life free from worldly pleasures, involving giving up material possessions.

Attaining enlightenment.

In the Jataka tales it states, "Let only my sin, sinews, and bone remain and let the flesh and blood in my body dry up; but not until I attain the supreme Enlightenment, will I give up this seat of meditation." What does this teach Buddhists about Siddhartha Gautama's goal to achieve enlightenment? With your partner or spending time reflecting by yourself or speaking to me, think about and reflect on an answer to that question.

What does this teach Buddhists about Siddhartha Gautama's goal to achieve enlightenment? Pause a video and press play when you're ready to reflect on your answers.

Okay, welcome back everybody.

So what does this teach Buddhists about Siddhartha Gautama's goal to achieve enlightenment? Well, this shows profound determination to attain enlightenment.

Siddhartha that is willing to endure extreme hardships, even to the point of his body withering away.

The Buddha wanted to help others achieve enlightenment.

This was important because he established the Sangha to do this.

The Sangha is a community of monks, and nuns, and followers who follow his Dhamma.

Through his wisdom, the Buddha inspired millions, and his teachings continue to guide people on the path to enlightenment today.

Let's completely check for understanding.

What do Buddhists mean by enlightenment? a, an awakened or enlightened person; b, a state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence; Or c, a state of ignorance about life truths? Pause the video and press play when you are ready to check your answer.

Well done if you selected b.

When Buddhists refer to enlightenment, they mean a state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence.

So now we're gonna complete our second practise task.

Alex has written part of an answer, responding to the task: explain the importance of the enlightenment for Buddhists.

Alex has said, "The enlightenment refers to the Buddha achieving a state of wisdom that enabled total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence.

The enlightenment is important for Buddhists because the Buddha achieved the state of Buddhahood.

The Jataka describes the Buddhist's determination to achieve enlightenment.

Most Buddhists want to follow his example and achieve the state of Buddhahood too." So you are going to add to Alex's answer to include another paragraph explaining the importance of the enlightenment for Buddhists.

And here is some guidance that you could use.

So first of all, give a point.

So you could start by saying, "The indictment is important for Buddhists because," And then support that point with a source.

So you could say, "This is supported by," "In the Jataka Tales it describes," or "Buddha said or taught." And then moving on to develop and say, "This shows the importance of the enlightenment because." Good luck completing this practise task.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, welcome back everybody.

So you asked to add to Alex's answer to include another paragraph explaining the importance of the enlightenment for Buddhists.

Your answer may include the following points.

Another reason the enlightenment is important to Buddhists is because, after the Buddha achieved enlightenment, he returned to the ascetics, the holy men, to teach them what he had discovered.

This is supported by the Buddha's teachings of the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path.

This shows the importance of the enlightenment because it marked the beginning of the Sangha, the monastic and wider Buddhist community.

Fantastic, well done on your hard work completing that practise task.

And now we are moving on to the third and final part of our lesson to explore the importance and influence of Buddha's life.

Linn, a practising Buddhist, explains why the Buddha's life is important to her.

Linn says, "The Buddha's life is important to me because it influences me to live according to the Middle Way.

For example, I know I must spend time completing my homework, but it cannot take all of my spare time.

I also need time with my friends and family.

So I try hard to live a balanced lifestyle and avoid extreme ways of living." Roshan, a practising British Buddhist, explains which of the Buddha's life events is important to him.

Roshan tells us, "The Four Sights are important to me because they remind me that all people are affected by sickness, old age, and death.

This is a reminder for me that nothing lasts forever and that is important to live in the present moment." Let's complete a check for understanding.

Which of the following might influence how a Buddhist lives today? a, the life of luxury; b, the ascetic lifestyle; or c, the Middle Way? Pause the video and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done to everybody that selected c.

The Middle Way was a correct answer.

Tashi, a practising British Buddhist, explains which of the Buddha's life events is important to her.

Tashi tells us, "The Buddha's life is very important to me.

It influences me a lot, especially when I'm trying to meditate.

I know that the Buddha also faced distractions when meditating.

I do too, especially if I am hungry or tired.

I remind myself that the Buddha kept his focus and determination to attain enlightenment.

And this influences me by keeping me focused when I meditate." Let's complete a check for understanding.

Which of the following important practises might a Buddhist adopt today? a, performing meditation; b, singing hymns; or c, performing wudu? Pause a video and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected a.

As the correct answer, performing meditation is an important practise that a Buddhist might adopt today.

So now we are gonna complete our third and final practise task.

Here, we have a statement that says, "The most important event in the Buddha's life was the Four Sights." In your answer, you should discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view.

Remember, you must refer to religion and belief in your answer.

Alex has written the first part of this answer and you need to provide an alternative view.

Alex says, "Some Buddhists may argue that the most important event in the Buddha's life was that he walked and talked after birth, as contained in the Jataka.

This showed that Siddhartha was not just an ordinary person; he was going to be someone significant." So remember, you are providing an alternative view to Alex.

Pause a video and press play when you are ready to check your answer.

Okay, welcome back everybody.

So the statement you were given says, "The most important event in the Buddha's life was the Fore Sights." Provides an alternative view.

Your answer may include these points: Many Buddhists would agree that the Four Sights, as recorded in Jataka 075, were the most important event in the life of the Buddha.

This is because the Buddha left behind his life of luxury to seek the truth about suffering and how to overcome it.

The Four Sights are the most important because it teaches Buddhists that all people are affected by sickness, old age and death.

It is a reminder that nothing is permanent and that it is important to live in the present moment.

Fantastic, well done on all of your hard work in today's lesson.

So that brings us to the end of the lesson on the Buddha.

Here are the key learning points that we have covered today.

There are divergent beliefs about whether the life story of the Buddha is factual or illustrative.

Before and after birth, there were signs that Siddhartha Gautama would be significant.

Siddhartha gave up his life of luxury with his wife after seeing the Four Sights: sickness, old age, death, and an ascetic or holy man.

Siddhartha eventually reached enlightenment and achieved the state of Buddhahood.

Key events from the life of the Buddha are important for Buddhist today, for example, by reminding them that all people are affected by old age, illness and death.

Thank you very much for joining me for today's RE lesson.