Lesson video

Hi everyone.

My name's Mrs. Charalambous, and welcome to today's learning with me.

We're going to learn lots of interesting things today, so I hope that you are ready.

Our lesson today is Dharma, living the Hindu life from the unit Hindus, how do Hindus see Brahman? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe what dharma is to different Hindus and how fulfilling this leads to good karma.

Let's start our learning today with some key words and my turn, your turn.

Dharma, dharma.

A Hindu's personal duty to act with compassion.

Seva, seva.

Serving others without expecting anything in return.

Karma, karma.

Produced by a person's actions that influences what happens to them in their life or future lives.

Dana, dana.

Generosity and giving to others through charity.

Let's look at our lesson outline today and start with cycle one.

What is dharma? This is Het, a British Hindu.

He has a Hindu worldview.

Het has been hearing lots of different words that are connected to his religion and is learning about them through his family and community.

Het recently learned about dharma.

The word dharma comes from Sanskrit, the ancient language of India.

Dharma can be split into two parts, Dhar from the word dream, meaning to hold or to sustain.

Dharma is a big idea of what holds everything together, the values and actions that keep life balanced and fair.

What might dharma mean for humans? Take a moment now to think and reflect on this question.

You can also share your answers with me if you'd like.

Het's family learn a lot about dharma from the sacred story of the Bhagavad Gita.

The deity, Krishna, teaches Arjuna about dharma.

In the Bhagavad Gita, one definition of dharma is a personal duty to act with compassion, and here is an illustration from the Bhagavad Gita showing Krishna who is blue and Arjuna there in the middle.

Let's check our understanding with true or false.

Dharma is a responsibility for Hindus to act with compassion, true or false? True, why? Dharma is a duty that encourages Hindus to act with fairness, kindness, and compassion towards others.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

Let's move on.

What might we mean by duty? Take a moment to think about that.

You can feed back some of your answers to me as well.

Laura says, "When I think about the word duty, I think about things I'm expected to do, like chores at home or tasks at school.

But actually, duty is more than just something we have to do.

It's about the responsibilities we take on because they are important or right to do." Aisha says, "My duty as a member of my family is to make sure I help my parents keep our house tidy." Alex says, "My duty as a student is to listen to others in class and be kind to those around me." Do you think you have any duties in your life? Would you like to share some with me? Why do you think that? Where does your view come from? Take a moment to tell me some of your answers and reflections.

Het has learned that dharma is about carrying out a personal duty to act fairly, kindly and truthfully.

He understands that dharma is different for everyone based on their roles in life as a family member, friend or student, for example.

Het says, "I practise dharma by helping my parents at home, like cleaning my room and doing the dishes without being asked.

This is my responsibility in the family.

At school, I also practise dharma by being a good friend, listening to my friends, and cheering them up when they're feeling down because I care about them." This is Priya, Het's older sister.

She says, "One way I practise dharma is by being a good role model for Het.

I help him with his homework and show him how to make good choices.

Another way I practise dharma is by volunteering at a local charity every weekend.

I help sort food donations and organise events because I believe it's important to serve others without expecting anything in return." Which of these statements does not describe how Het and Priya understand dharma? A, it means acting kindly and with compassion.

B, it means being a good role model.

C, it means helping others so you get thanks and praise.

D, it means serving others by volunteering and doing charity work.

Take a moment before I reveal the answer.

That's right, it's C.

It means helping others so you get thanks and praise.

That is not what dharma is about.

Let's start task A part one.

Read through how Dhanu, a Hindu practises dharma.

Highlight the actions that show how she's fulfilling her personal duty to help others.

"I enjoy having my grandchildren visit.

I look after them and make sure they have everything they need.

I also prepare meals for my daughter to take home, so she has food during the week as she works long hours.

On Tuesdays, I take my elderly neighbour shopping for food and other necessities and we sit and have tea while she tells me how she's been." Number two, explain what dharma is and why it is important to Hindus.

Pause the video here so you've got plenty of time to do some writing and when you are ready, unpause me and we can go through some feedback together.

Let's look at feedback together for task A part one.

Read through how Dhanu, a Hindu, practises dharma.

Highlight the actions that show how she is fulfilling her personal duty to help others.

Here are all the parts that you could have included.

I'm going to read all the highlighted parts only.

I look after them, make sure they have everything they need.

Prepare meals for my daughter, take my elderly neighbour shopping, and I have tea with her while she tells me how she has been.

Well done, if you highlighted all of those.

Part two, explain what dharma is and why it is important to Hindus.

Here is how you might have answered the question.

Dharma is a person's duty to act with compassion, fairness, and kindness.

It involves doing what is right, whether at home, school or in the community.

For Hindus, dharma is important because it guides them on how to be a good person.

Well done for completing task A.

Let's move on.

Our next learning is what is the difference between dana and seva? Hindu sacred texts describe two concepts linked to dharma.

Dana, which means generosity and giving to others through charity.

Seva, which means serving others without expecting anything in return.

One way, Het and his family practise dharma is through dana.

This is Het's donation box.

This year, Het decided to use part of his birthday money to buy food and supplies to donate to his local food bank.

Even though he could have spent the money on himself, he felt it was his dharma to help others who were less fortunate.

It was very considerate of Het.

It must have been a very big decision to give up some of that money.

Let's have a look at this multiple choice question.

What does Dana mean? A, helping others without expecting anything in return.

B, living a healthy lifestyle.

C, generosity and giving to others through charity.

That's right.

It's generosity and giving to others through charity.

Well done if you answered that question correctly.

Let's move on.

Another way Het practises dharma is through seva.

Here is Het, litter picking.

Het spends his Saturday mornings helping clean up a local park.

He picks up litter, plants flowers, and is part of his local community who help keep his area safe and clean for others.

He doesn't expect any reward or praise.

He just wants to help because he believes it's the right thing to do.

So nice that he's given up some time to do this for people around him.

What does seva mean? A, helping others without expecting anything in return.

B, helping others and expecting recognition.

C, generosity or giving to others through charity.

That's right.

It's A, helping others without expecting anything in return.

Well done if you answered that question correctly.

Let's look at task B.

Explain the difference between dana and seva.

Your answer should include an example for both types of dharma.

Try to use words, generosity, or selfless service in your answer.

Pause the video here so you can take a moment to write and reflect.

When you are ready, press play for feedback.

Feedback for task B.

Explain the difference between dana and seva.

Your answers should include an example for both types of dharma.

Het could practise dana, which is the act of giving by using his money to buy warm socks, gloves, or hats to donate to a shelter, especially when the colder weather approaches.

This would help him keep others warm during winter who might not be able to afford these items. Het could practise seva, which is the act of selfless service by spending time with his grandparents or elderly family members, helping them with small chores around their houses.

This is a kind and helpful action as it is putting others first before himself.

Pause the video here if you would like me to hear some of your reflections today.

Let's move on to cycle three.

How are dharma and karma connected? Priya has been teaching Het about the concept of karma.

Karma is the idea that actions have consequences.

Good actions, like helping others, create good karma and bring positive consequences.

Bad actions, like being selfish or unkind, create bad karma and lead to negative consequences.

For most Hindus fulfilling your dharma, acting with kindness and responsibility helps create good karma.

Not following dharma can lead to bad karma and negative consequences.

Dharma, good actions, good karma.

Ignoring dharma, bad actions, bad karma.

Take a moment to look at the diagram carefully.

Let's look at this multiple choice question together.

Which of the following best explains how dharma and karma are connected? A, fulfilling dharma leads to bad karma.

B, fulfilling dharma leads to good karma.

C, fulfilling dharma has no effect on karma.

That's right, it's B.

Fulfilling dharma leads to good karma.

Let's move on.

Het says, "Dharma means doing the right thing, like helping my family or being kind to others.

It's important because when I follow my dharma, I build good karma.

Good karma brings positive things back to me, which is why I always try to do my best." Priya says, "Dharma is about doing my duties with kindness and responsibility.

For me, it's helping Het with his homework and volunteering in my community.

It's important because following my dharma creates good karma, which brings positive outcomes for me and others around me." Let's have a look at true or false.

Not helping your sibling with their homework when they ask for help creates good karma.

True or false? It's false, why? Because not helping others goes against dharma and leads to bad karma.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

Let's look at task C.

Complete the diagram below, and then number two, give an example of a good action and a bad action.

Pause the video here so that you can write your answers and press play when you are ready for feedback.

Feedback for task C.

Complete the diagram below.

Here is how your diagram should look.

Dharma, good actions, good karma.

Ignoring dharma leads to bad actions, bad karma.

Task two, give an example of a good action and a bad action.

Here are some examples.

Good actions could have included donating pocket money to a local charity, helping parents keep the house clean and tidy.

Bad actions could have included not helping siblings with their homework and being careless with your litter.

Well done for completing task C.

Let's look at the summary for today's learning.

A Hindu's personal duty is called dharma, which can take different forms. Dana means generosity or giving to others through charity.

Seva means serving others without wanting any reward.

Fulfilling your dharma will help build good karma through things like dana and seva.

Well done for today's learning.

You've learned a lot and you've tried really hard.

You should all be very proud of yourself.

Bye for now.