Lesson video

Hi, my name is Mrs. Afshan, and welcome to our lesson.

Today's lesson is about Sikh belief in God, specifically focusing on how Guru Nanak's teachings inspire Sikhs today.

We'll look at important concepts like Waheguru, Ik Onkar and The Mool Mantar.

The lesson is called Sikh belief in God from the Unit Sikhs, How Does Guru Nanak Inspire Sikhs Today? The outcome of today's lesson is I can explain that Sikhs belief in one God who is everywhere and loves everyone.

Let's get started.

These are some of the key words we will be focusing on in today's lesson.

These words will help us comprehend the main ideas.

The words are Waheguru, which is a Sikh word for God, meaning wonderful Lord or wonderful teacher.

The next word is Ik Onkar, which is a symbol or a statement that there is only one God.

And finally, Mool Mantar, which is a special prayer that helps Sikhs remember and understand God.

You can pause the video now and note down these words So you can go back to them during the lesson.

We have two cycles in our lesson today.

First, we will be looking at, what do Sikhs believe about God? Let's get started.

The religion of Sikhi was started in the 15th century in India by Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak believed inequality, kindness, and that there is only one God.

Guru Nanak once said, "God is like the light in the world, everywhere we go, but we can't see it directly." This means that there is one God who is everywhere, in everything and beyond human understanding.

Time for a check for understanding.

Guru Nanak believed that God is present in everyone and everything.

True or false, what do you think? True, that's correct.

And why did Guru Nanak believe that God is present everywhere in everything? It's because Guru Nanak believed that God is the creator of everything, so he's eternal and present everywhere.

Well done if you got that right.

This is the image of Mool Mantar.

Guru Nanak wrote many important teachings, one of which is called the Mool Mantar.

Let's explore Mool Mantar a little bit more.

The Mool Mantar comes from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book for Sikhs, which has a collection of hymns of different Sikh gurus, which means essential teaching is a very first and most important prayer in the book that teaches about God.

Time for another check.

What is the name of the first verse in the Guru Granth Sahib? Is it Ik Onkar or Mool Mantar Or is it Guru Nanak? What do you think? That's correct, it's called the Mool Mantar.

Well done.

The Mool Mantar is written in the Punjabi language using a script called Gurmukhi.

Gurmukhi means from the mouth of the guru, which is showing the importance of this script.

In conveying Guru Nanak's teachings.

Gurmukhi is formed by combining two words, the word guru, which means spiritual teacher and Mukhi means mouth.

The whole of the Guru Granth Sahib is written in this script.

Here's Ranjit.

Let's meet Ranjit, Ranjit, who is a British Sikh.

He visits the Gurdwara with his family every Sunday.

Ranjit believes that God is one and he is always there, no where he goes.

He also finds that God is like a friend who is kind and always ready to listen.

Let's listen to what Ranjit says.

Ranjit says, "Whenever we go to the Gurdwara, the first thing we say is the Mool Mantar, it's really special because it helps us all think about God.

We remember that God is truthful, kind and doesn't have any fear.

It's like the perfect way to start our time together and feel close to God." The Mool Mantar is the first prayer in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book for Sikhs.

It is a special prayer that helps Sikhs remember and understand God.

Let's listen to Mool Mantar together.

(singing in foreign language) Let's look at the lines of Mool Mantar which are as follows.

(speaking in foreign language) Which means there is one God.

(speaking in foreign language) Truth is his name.

(speaking in foreign language) He is the creator.

(speaking in foreign language) He is without fear.

(speaking in foreign language) He is without hate.

(speaking in foreign language) Which means he's immortal, without form.

(speaking in foreign language) He's beyond birth and death.

(speaking in foreign language) He is self illuminated.

(speaking in foreign language) He is realised by the kindness of the true guru.

Some Sikhs believe that Mool Mantar does not end at Gur Parsaad and instead refer to an extended version that includes additional phrases.

Why is Ik Onkar important for Sikhs? What do you think? well done, great thinking.

Do you remember Ik Onkar is the first line of the Mool Mantar, which means there is one God.

It reminds Sikhs that all are connected because they all share the same creator.

Time for another check, hope you're ready.

What does the first line of the Mool Mantar.

Ik Onkar, mean? Does it mean there are many gods or there is one God, or does it mean God is everywhere? What do you think? That's correct.

It means there is one God, well done.

Aisha and Lucas are discussing Sikh beliefs about God.

Let's look at what Aisha says.

Aisha says, "Guru Nanak wrote the Mool Mantar to teach that there is only one God.

It is the first part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of Sikhi.

Do you remember, we've looked at it together as well? Let's find out from Lucas what he thinks about Sikh beliefs about God.

Lucas says, "The first line, Ik Onkar, means there is one God.

This idea helps Sikhs believe in one God who is everywhere and is always there for everyone.

Hope you remember that too.

Here's our task for today.

Alex is trying to explain Sikh beliefs about God.

Alex says, "Guru Nanak wrote the Mool Mantar to teach that there is more than one God.

It is the last part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of Sikhi.

The first line, Ik Onkar, means there are many gods.

This idea helps Sikhs belief in one God who is everywhere and is always there for everyone." But parts of Alex's explanation are incorrect.

Can you rewrite Alex's explanation so that it becomes correct? Pause the video now and come back when you are ready with the corrected explanation.

Let's look at our answer.

We had to rewrite Alex's explanation so that it becomes correct.

The correct explanation is Guru Nanak wrote the to teach that there is one God.

The correct explanation is there is one God.

It is the first part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of Sikhi.

The first line, Ik Onkar, means there is one God, which is the correct answer.

This idea helps Sikhs belief in one God who is everywhere and is always there for everyone.

Well done if you corrected Alex's explanation.

Great work.

We now know what do Sikhs believe about God? Let's now go and find out why do Sikhs repeat, Waheguru.

Sikhs believe in one God as we've learnt before, and their main goal is to connect with God.

Just like people try to stay close to their friends and family by talking to them, Sikhs belief they can stay close to God by doing two things, meditation and good actions.

Time for a check.

Sikhs believe that one way to stay close to God is by doing meditation.

True or false, what do you think? True, that's correct.

And why do they think it is one of the ways to stay close to God? It's because Sikhs belief that by practising meditation, they can stay close to God as it helps foster a spiritual connection.

Well done if you got true as you answer.

What do you think meditation is? Have a think.

Meditation is a practise that helps people relax, focus and be more aware of their thoughts and feelings.

Did you think of the same explanation? Well done.

It's like giving people's minds a break from all the noise and attention around them.

Some people like to meditate as seen in the image, God is everywhere, in everything people see, in the people around them and even inside themselves.

Sikhs called this God Waheguru, which means wonderful teacher Sikhs meditate by repeating the name of God, which is Waheguru.

This helps them stay focused, calm and feel connected to God, just like how people feel peaceful when they focus on something important.

Let's see if you got that.

What do Sikhs consider Waheguru to mean? Is it wonderful teacher or place of worship, or is it sacred text? What do you think? That's correct, Waheguru means wonderful teacher.

You got that right.

Repeating Waheguru helps Sikhs focus on God and brings peace to their hearts.

Let's listen to soothing sound of Waheguru being repeated and think about how it makes Sikhs feel calm and peaceful.

(singing in foreign language) Let's meet Ria.

Ria is a British Sikh and has a Sikh worldview.

Ria practises meditation as a way to connect with Waheguru.

This reminds her to be kind, reflecting the teachings of Sikhi.

Ria shares how repeating Waheguru during meditation helps her.

Ria says, "As a Sikh, I practise meditation every day, and it's a way for me to connect with Waheguru.

When I meditate, I repeat the name Waheguru silently in my mind over and over.

This repetition helps me connect with Waheguru and feel calm.

I think about the love and guidance of Waheguru and I try to clear my mind of everything." Let's see if you remember what we've learned so far.

How does repeating the name Waheguru helps Sikhs? Is it, it helps them feel calm and connected to God, or it helps them memorise religious texts or is it, it improves their physical health? What do you think? That's correct.

Repeating the name, Waheguru helps Sikhs feel calm and connected to God.

Well done if you got that right.

Aisha, Lucas and Alex are discussing why the word Waheguru is important to Sikhs.

You remember what we've learned about Waheguru and why it is important to Sikhs already? Have a think.

Are you ready with your ideas? Let's find out what Aisha, Lucas and Alex thinks as well.

Aisha says, Waheguru helps Sikhs feel close to God.

Lucas says repeating, Waheguru brings peace and calm.

Alex says, Waheguru is a reminder of God's love and guidance.

Did you think of the same ideas? Well done if you did.

Here's our next task.

Read very carefully, decide if each of the following statements is true or false.

First, decide whether the statements are true or false, then correct the false statements.

The statements are, the word Waheguru means wonderful leader.

Next, Waheguru is the name of Sikh temples.

Third, repeating the word Waheguru helps Sikhs feel close to God.

Fourth, Sikhs believe that Waheguru brings wealth.

And finally the last statement, by saying, Waheguru, Sikhs remember God's love and guidance.

Remember to see if they are true or false first, and then correct the false statements.

Pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers with me.

Are you ready to check your answers? Decide if each of the follow statements is true or false and then correct the false statements.

Your answers might look like this.

So the first statement is true where he talks about the word Waheguru meaning wonderful leader.

The next statement is false.

Waheguru is the name of Sikh temples, it's false.

The next statement about repeating the word Waheguru helps Sikhs feel close to God is a true statement.

The fourth statement, Sikhs believe that Waheguru brings wealth is a false statement.

And finally by saying Waheguru, Sikhs, remember God's love and guidance, which is a true statement.

Well done if you found true of false statements and then corrected the false statements.

Well done.

Let's quickly summarise our learning.

Guru Nanak wrote the Mool Mantar to teach that there is one God.

We've also learned that the Mool Mantar comes from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book for Sikhs, which has a collection of hymns of different Sikh gurus.

We also looked at the first line, Ik Onkar, from the Mool Mantar, which means there is one God.

This idea helps Sikhs belief in one God who is everywhere and always there for everyone.

We've also listened and learned about how Sikhs repeat Waheguru to feel close to God and stay calm.

Saying Waheguru helps them think about God and God's love and feel peaceful and calm.

Well done, you should be proud of the progress you've made today.

See you in the next lesson, bye.