Lesson video

Hi everyone, I'm Miss Reid, and welcome to another lesson on Buddhism.

Let's have a look at our key question for today.

Our key question is what is the eightfold path? Well, we did mention this in our last lesson.

In this lesson, we're going to be recapping Buddhism as a religious tradition that was passed on by word of mouth in the beginning.

We'll also learn about one of Buddhist core teaching that helps Buddhists reach enlightenment, the Eightfold Path.

In this lesson, you will need an exercise book or a piece of paper, you'll need a pencil and you'll need your brain.

Please also take a moment now to clear away any distractions, including turning off any notifications or apps or conversations that you have running in the background if you know how to.

Please also take a minute to try and find a quiet place where you can work today and you won't be disturbed during the lesson.

Pause the video now so you can get the things that you need and find a quiet place to work.

Now you have everything you need, let's carry on.

Here are star words.

I'm going to say the key words and I want you to repeat them after me.

Buddhism, enlightenment, meditation, Buddha, the Eightfold Path, Dharma.

Great work everyone.

So in today's lesson, we'll be thinking about Buddhism: an oral tradition, we'll be learning about Dharma, and then we'll move on to learn about the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment.

So, as we learned in the last lesson, Buddhism is an oral tradition, or at least that's how it began.

Now, the important thing about Buddhism, is that it started off being passed through word of mouth because oral means spoken rather than written.

Now, when we say that Buddhism was an oral tradition, we're saying the Buddha's teachings were originally spoken and heard by others.

The first people to hear Buddha's teachings were his immediate followers.

They then continue to tell or teach others about his teachings and it was heard by many more people.

And this is how Buddhism first started to spread.

Importantly, that Buddha didn't write anything down or if he did, the writings have been lost.

His followers passed on his teachings and it wasn't until after the Buddha's Day that people began to record his teachings in words.

The Dharma, we're going to read some information about the Dharma.

I'm going to read the information out loud and you can read along with me at home.

Most Buddhists believe that Buddha's teachings reveal the true laws of the universe and the duties that people have.

These teachings or ways of life are known as Dharma.

The Dharma, or Dhamma, provide Buddhists with a way to live their life in order to reach enlightenment.

The Dharma encourage people to follow the Noble Eightfold Path and meditate.

Most Buddhists believe that following the Dharma will help them overcome suffering.

Now we've read that text, you're going to answer some questions.

These questions are true or false questions.

Let's have a closer look at them.

True or false, Buddha's teachings are known as meditations.

Two, the Dharma show Buddhists how to reach enlightenment, true or false.

Three, Buddhists believe they can never overcome suffering, true or false? You can pause the video now so that you can answer true or false.

You only need to write true or false.

You don't need to write the whole statement out.

pause the video now, So you can complete that task.

Great work everyone, let's have a look at the answers.

So number one, Buddha's teachings are known as meditations, that is false, Buddhists teachings are known as the Dharma.

Number two, the Dharma show Buddhists how to reach enlightenment, that is true, they offer Buddhists an opportunity to follow a path to help them to reach enlightenment.

Number three, Buddhists believe that they can never overcome suffering.

Well that is false because Buddhists believe that by following the Eightfold Path or the Dharma, they can reach enlightenment and therefore nirvana and be free from suffering.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your answers.

Let's move on to have a look at the Noble Eightfold Path to enlightenment.

Now, the Noble Eightfold Path is meant to offer Buddhists eight areas through which they can lead a good life.

It offers Buddhists a practical guide for how to live their lives.

Each path can be worked on in any order and some are more difficult to achieve than others, depending on the situation that the person is in.

They are designed to relieve suffering.

Let's have a closer look at all eight paths.

Right understanding or perfect view, right resolve or perfect intention, right speech or perfect speech, right action or perfect action, right livelihood, perfect means of making a living, right effort or perfect attitude, right mindfulness or perfect concentration, right meditation or perfect meditation.

We're now going to have a closer look at all of those eight paths in more detail.

So the first, right understanding or perfect view.

So, having the right understanding is when you see the world as it really is, and not how you want it to be.

Sometimes we try to change things that are outside of our control, and we can get upset if we don't understand things clearly, for example, a natural disaster such as a flood is something that is outside of our control.

Floods can have a devastating impact and can make us feel extremely upset.

Right understanding, in this case, might mean accepting that something terrible has happened and thinking about what can be done to make the situation better for those suffering, rather than dwelling on the fact that there has been a flood.

Here's a task, choose the correct option.

Right understanding means, a, understanding the Buddha, b, understanding the world as it really is, and not how you want it to be, c, understanding that you can change the world.

Pause the video now and choose the correct option.

How did you do? Let's have a look at the answer.

The answer is b, Understanding the world as it really is, and not how you want it to be.

Pause the video now, so you can tick or fix your answers.

Let's move on.

So, the next one, right resolve, or right intention.

Now, right resolve or perfect intention rather means that we can commit to a decision or action for the right reasons.

For example, I remember a time when my mom asked me to help her with the washing up because she had a sore hand.

I said no, because I didn't really want to do it.

She then said that she would give me two pounds for helping.

straight away, I told her that I would help, and she told me that she was disappointed because I only wanted to help because she had offered me something rather than simply wanting to help to make things easier for her.

I helped her for selfish rather than altruistic reasons.

Now, being altruistic means that you are selfless and you do something because you have compassion for others.

Altruism means being selfless.

What does altruism mean, shout it out? That's right, being selfless.

Now, when someone asks me for help these days, I always try to say yes if I can, because I realise that if they've asked for help, it's because they really need it.

I've got a question for you.

When did you do something for someone else where you were only thinking of others? It could be a big thing or it could be a little thing.

Tell your screen, shout it out.

Oh, great, you were being altruistic in that circumstance.

Well done.

So, right speech.

Now, often, people say unkind things when they are angry.

Sometimes people gossip behind people's backs and this can cause people to feel upset and can take a long time to sort out.

Right speech is concerned with people avoiding unkindness, gossip, lying and all forms of untrue and abusive speech.

Answer the question.

Your friend has lost a game against you and has said they don't like you.

Which of these responses demonstrates right speech? a, I know you are angry now, so I'm going to let you calm down, b, I don't like you either, c, you are a bad loser.

which of those options demonstrates right speech? Pause the video now and choose the correct option.

Did you get the right answer? Let's have a look.

It was a, I know you're angry now, so I'm going to let you calm down.

Refraining from saying anything unkind or abusive is exactly what right speech is all about.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your answer.

Great work everyone, let's move on.

Right action.

Well, right action means behaving in a thoughtful way, considering others and the world that we live in.

By considering our own actions, we can help people around us.

Can you think of a time that you have recently done something to help someone else? It could be a very small thing such as helping your parents or carers to tidy up your home, or a big thing, like putting on a cake sale to raise money for charity.

What have you done to help somebody else recently? Amazing, good work everyone.

That demonstrates right action.

Let's move on.

From right livelihood, well, our livelihood is how we choose to work and earn money.

Our livelihood can have an effect on the world we live in.

Buddhists, do not agree that people should work in a job that might cause harm to other people or animals, they believe, that we should work for the good of the community and benefit the world as a whole.

Answer the question.

Choose one of the jobs below and explain why Buddhists might believe it does not demonstrate right livelihood.

a, selling weapons, b, animal testing, c, being a butcher.

For this task, you can choose one of those jobs and explain why Buddhists might think that it doesn't demonstrate right livelihood.

You can write a short sentence next to one of the options.

Pause the video now and complete that task.

Let's have a look at what I wrote and you can compare your answers to mine.

So I've said, selling weapons would not demonstrate right livelihood because weapons can cause harm to people or animals.

b, animal testing.

I said that testing products on animals can cause them harm, so it doesn't demonstrate right livelihood.

And c, being a butcher, this involves killing animals, which Buddhists don't believe is right, so it doesn't demonstrate right livelihood.

Compare one of your answers to mine and either tick or fix your answer.

Well done everyone, give yourself a pat on the back, that was quite a tricky one.

Let's move on.

So right effort.

Well, right effort is about developing a positive attitude, being determined and living in a balanced way.

It involves putting effort in to avoid feelings like greed and jealousy and making an effort to develop feelings of compassion and consideration for others.

Right effort is all about putting effort into the right things.

Sometimes, people put a lot of effort into the wrong things, such as wanting to be the winner, the best looking, or the richest, rather than being the most kind, loving, or understanding person.

Answer the question.

Which of these statements does not demonstrate right effort? I always try to be kind, I always try to be the first in line, I always try to be caring.

Pause the video now and complete that task.

Let's have a look at the correct answer.

So, the answer was b, I always try to be first in line, because this statement does not demonstrate right effort.

Pause video now so you can tick or fix your answer.

Great work everyone, let's move on.

So, right mindfulness.

Well, sometimes we're caught in a moment and we've come completely focused on it.

This can be helpful as it allows us to put all of our energy into that activity.

Being focused can help us recognise things about ourselves.

For example, activities like painting or running often help people focus and gain a sense of calm and peacefulness.

What activity do you like to do to help you feel calm and focused? Shout it out.

Well, such a range of activities that help you feel calm and focused.

If you're not sure, maybe you could try a few things out, like doing exercise or doing a quiet calm activity, like painting or drawing.

You never know how it might make you feel.

And finally, right meditation.

Now, concentrating or meditating is sometimes hard because our mind gets easily distracted.

The Eightfold Path step of right meditation, encourages us to focus the mind on something.

This is why Buddhists sometimes try to look at a candle to help them focus and concentrate their thoughts on one thing, rather than getting distracted by lots of different thoughts and feelings.

Meditation is what ultimately leads Buddhists to enlightenment and nirvana.

For this reason, it is very important part of Buddha's teaching.

Answer the question.

What do Buddhists do to try to reach enlightenment? Pause the video now and answer that question.

Let's have a look at my answer and you can compare yours.

I said, Buddhists, meditate to reach enlightenment.

You can pause the video now so you can tick or fix your answer.

Well done everyone.

That brings us to the end of today's lesson.

A really big well done for all the fantastic learning you've done today.

I wonder if you can write down the most interesting thing that you've learned today.

If you're able to, please take a picture of your work and ask your parent or carer to share it with your teacher so that they can see all the fantastic things that you've learned today.

And if you'd like, you can also ask your parent or carer to send a picture of your work, to @oaknational on Twitter, so I can see your work too.

That's all I have time for today.

Thank you so much and enjoy the rest of your learning.