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 explain the Hindu beliefs about the soul and the significance of moksha.

Okay, let's begin our lesson.

To help us with our understanding and our learning today, there are five key words.

Those key words are atman, Brahman, karma, moksha, and samsara.

Atman means soul or spirit.

Brahman is the supreme spirit or ultimate reality.

Karma is the belief that all actions have consequences, and moksha is the liberation or freedom from samsara.

Samsara is the belief in the cycle of rebirth for the soul.

In our lesson today on dharma and moksha, there are two learning cycles and we are gonna begin with the Hindu beliefs about the soul.

Humans often ask ultimate questions about life and the afterlife.

These questions might include: Does God exist? Why are we here? And what happens when we die? Hindus have also pondered these questions for thousands of years.

Hindu Dharma teaches that the ultimate reality is known as Brahman.

Brahman is the supreme reality or spirit in the universe.

Everything in the world is a manifestation of Brahman, and for many Hindus, Brahman is the divine or God.

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

True or false? Brahman is the name for the ultimate reality or supreme spirit in the universe.

Pause the video here and press Play when you are ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody that's said true.

Brahman is the name for the ultimate reality or supreme spirit in the universe.

Fantastic.

Hindu Dharma teaches that all living beings have a soul or spirit, and the Hindu term for the soul or spirit is atman.

The atman is a special part of a living being that is separate from the physical body.

Hindus believe that the atman is eternal, meaning it never dies and cannot be destroyed.

Here we have a quote from the Hindu text, the Katha Upanishad.

It says, "Hidden in the heart of all beings is the Atman, the Spirit, the Self; smaller than the smallest atom, greater than the vastest space." What might this extract from the Upanishad tell us about Hindu beliefs in the atman.

I would like you to pause the video here, turn to your partner, and have a discussion about what this extract from the Upanishad might tell us about Hindu beliefs in the atman.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Great discussions, well done.

The Upanishad state that the atman is hidden in the heart of all beings.

Although it's tiny, the atman is also huge as it is part of the ultimate reality.

The atman and Brahman are one.

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

What is the Hindu name for the essential spirit or soul in all living beings? Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody that selected B, the answer is atman.

Now let's consider the Hindu greeting of Namaste.

This translates to mean the divine within me bows to the divine within you.

How might this belief about the atman influence a Hindu's life? Pause the video here, have a discussion with your partner, and press Play when you are ready to reflect on your answers.

Okay, welcome back everyone.

Fantastic, well done on your discussions.

Well, because of the belief that Brahman is a part of the atman, most Hindus believe that every living being has Brahman's spirit present within them.

And this is the reason that many Hindus are vegetarian, as animals are living beings and have an atman.

So this is how the belief might influence a Hindu's life, 'cause they may choose to be vegetarian.

Let's pause for a moment and reflect on what you have just heard.

Many Hindus may choose to be what because of their belief in the atman? You've got three key words to choose from: carnivores, vegetarian, pescatarian.

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

Okay, well done to everybody that said B.

Many Hindus may choose to be vegetarian because of their belief in the atman.

So most Hindus believe in reincarnation, and this is a belief that the atman enters a new living being upon death.

The cycle of birth, life, and death is called samsara, and most Hindus believe in being reincarnated multiple times.

Hindus aim to escape samsara and achieve moksha.

Let's pause for a moment and reflect on what we have just heard.

What is the cycle of life and death called in Hindu Dharma? Is it A, moksha; B, atman; or C, samsara? Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

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

Okay, so now we are in a great position to really reflect and show our understanding of Hindu beliefs about the soul by completing this practise task.

I would like you to fill in the missing words.

Hindu Dharma teaches that all living beings have a known as an.

This is and never dies.

Most Hindus believe that and the atman are the same thing.

When a person dies, the atman moves on to a new body.

This process is called.

Most Hindus aim to escape and achieve.

Okay, pause the video here and press Play when you are ready to see the correct answers.

Okay, fantastic.

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

So now we're gonna check the correct answers.

Hindu Dharma teaches that all living beings have a soul known as an atman.

This is eternal and never dies.

Most Hindus believe that Brahman and the atman are the same thing.

When a person dies, the atman moves on to a new body, and this process is called reincarnation.

Most Hindus aim to escape samsara and achieve moksha.

Fantastic, well done.

So now we're at a point where we're gonna be moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is on the significance of moksha.

Karma is the belief that all actions have consequences.

Here we have Priya, she's a practising Hindu.

She explains her beliefs about karma.

Priya says, "For me, I believe actions create karma.

Good actions lead to good karma, while bad actions can lead to bad karma.

If someone has gained good karma in a past life, their atman will be reborn into a better life than before.

I believe good karma is earned by performing positive actions such as helping others and following one's dharma." The Bhagavad Gita is another sacred text that discusses karma and moksha.

It states, "The meaning of karma is in the intention.

The intention behind action is what matters." So let's pause for a moment and just reflect on what this means.

Well, Hindus might interpret this as saying, "Sometimes a good action can produce a negative outcome, but that the guiding principle behind it was good." Okay, fantastic.

Let's move on.

Let's pause for a moment and reflect on what we have just heard.

What is the meaning of karma? Is it A, actions have consequences; B, the cycle of birth, life, and death; or C, the liberation or freedom from samsara? Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done to everybody who chose A, karma is actions have consequences.

Fantastic, well done everybody.

Moksha is also a key belief in Hindu Dharma.

Moksha means the liberation or freedom from samsara.

In Hindu Dharma, attaining moksha is considered the ultimate goal of life.

Moksha appears in the Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita.

Here we're going to have a look at a quote from the Bhagavad Gita.

It says, "When a man renounces all the desires of the heart and is satisfied in the Self by the Self, then he is said to be one who has attained moksha." According to this quote, how might a Hindu attain moksha? Pause the video here, have a discussion with your partner, and press Play when you are ready to reflect on your answers.

Okay, welcome back, great discussions everybody.

So I asked you to consider, according to this quote, how might a Hindu attain moksha? Well, an individual must free themselves from material desires and develop an understanding of the soul and universe.

Fantastic, great discussions.

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

According to Hindu Dharma, what is the goal of most Hindus? A, attaining enlightenment; B, attaining samsara; or C, attaining moksha.

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

Okay, well done to everybody that said C, attaining moksha is the goal of most Hindus.

The significance of achieving moksha features in the Hindu texts which outline the four main aims in life.

These are moksha, freedom from samsara; artha, which means success, wealth, and prosperity; karma, seeking to gain good karma to achieve moksha; and lastly, dharma, leading a positive life by following duties.

These are the four main aims in life.

Priya discusses how to live a life filled with meaning and purpose, guiding Hindus towards moksha.

Moksha is when the atman is reunited with Brahman.

Priya says, "As a Hindu, I may achieve moksha by fulfilling my personal duty or dharma." Okay, let's pause for a moment and reflect on what we have just heard.

How might Hindus attain moksha? A, by gaining good karma; B, by achieving enlightenment; C, by following dharma.

I would like you to select two answers that you think are correct.

Pause the video here and press Play when you are ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done everybody.

If you said A and C, you were correct.

Fantastic, well done.

Priya discusses how she might follow her dharma to help achieve moksha.

Priya says, "I'm a student, therefore my dharma is to focus on my education and learning.

By following my dharma, I can gain good karma which will help me achieve moksha." Moksha is significant for most Hindus because it is one of the four Hindu aims in life.

By following one of the main aims, good karma will be achieved.

It also means that living beings are liberated and freed from samsara, which is the cycle of rebirth.

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

True or false? Attaining moksha means escaping samsara.

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

Okay, well done to everybody that selected true, attaining moksha does mean escaping samsara.

Okay, so now we're in a really good position to check our understanding of the significance of moksha by completing a practise task.

Now, this practise tasks is in two sections.

So section 1 is, Laura is explaining why moksha is significant to many Hindus.

Laura has mixed up the key terms and I would like you to rewrite her answer so that it is correct.

"Moksha is significant because it is the cycle of birth, life, and death.

Many Hindus believe that the body is a part of Brahman.

When the individual gains enough karma through ignoring dharma, their body can escape the cycle of atman and achieve samsara.

The body is reunited with Brahman and more suffering is experienced." So I would like you to pause the video here and press Play when you are ready to check your answer.

And in your answer, you may have said the following points.

"Moksha is significant because it is the escape from samsara.

Samsara is the cycle of birth, life, and death, and many Hindus believe that the atman or soul is a part of Brahman.

When the individual gains enough good karma through following their dharma, the atman can escape the cycle of samsara and achieve moksha.

The atman is reunited with Brahman and no more suffering is experience." Okay, well done on all your hard work on that task.

Now, there is a second part of the task on the significance of moksha, and that is I would like you to give two reasons Hindus might see moksha as an ultimate goal.

Your answer should refer to the terms atman and Brahman, and you may wish to use these sentence stems to help you.

One reason Hindus might see moksha as an ultimate goal is.

Another reason Hindus might see moksha as an ultimate goal is.

Pause the video here and press Play when you are ready to check your answers.

Okay, welcome back everybody.

So let's check those answers.

Your answer might have included: One reason Hindus might see moksha as their ultimate goal is the reuniting of their atman with Brahman, which means escaping samsara.

Another reason Hindus might see moksha as their ultimate goal is that it would also mean they have achieved their Hindu life aims by following their dharma and attaining positive karma.

Okay, well done everybody on all your hard work on that task.

This brings us on to the summary of our lesson today on dharma and moksha.

In Hindu Dharma, the belief in the soul or spirit is called the atman, which is eternal and cannot be destroyed.

Reincarnation is the belief that the atman enters a new living being upon death.

The cycle of birth, life, and death is called samsara.

And through gaining enough good karma by following your dharma, a Hindu is able to escape samsara and achieve moksha.

Moksha is significant because the atman escapes from samsara.

Okay, well done on all your hard work today, and thank you for joining me for this lesson.

Thank you, bye.