Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Romaly, and thank you for joining me for today's RE lesson.

I'll be guiding you through our learning today and my priorities to ensure you successfully meet our learning outcome.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to explain the meaning of the Sikh understanding of dharma and how Sikhs might put this into action.

Okay, let's begin.

To help us with our learning today, we have three keywords.

They are Sikh dharma, mukti, and Waheguru.

Sikh dharma is living with a good moral code and honouring God.

Mukti is the freeing of the soul from rebirth.

The soul reunites with Waheguru, and Waheguru is God, the divine.

In our lesson day on Sikh dharma, we're going to begin with the first part of our learning on Sikh dharma.

Sikhi emerged in the Punjab region of South Asia, now in Pakistan and India, in the late 15th century CE.

The founder was Guru Nanak.

Sikh dharma comes from Waheguru, the teachings of Guru Nanak and the nine successive living Sikh gurus.

The teachings are contained in the Sikh holy text, the Guru Granth Sahib.

Let's reflect on what we have heard.

True or false? The Guru Granth Sahib is the founder of Sikhi.

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

Well done to everybody that said false.

Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhi.

The Guru Granth Sahib is the name of the Sikh holy text.

Sikhs follow dharma to live according to Waheguru, the divine.

"There is but one God.

His name is Truth.

He is the Creator.

He fears none.

He is without hate.

He never dies." These are the words from Guru Nanak.

What might this quotation indicate about a Sikh belief in God? Look at the words used to describe him.

Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner.

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

Okay, welcome back.

This quote might tell Sikhs that there is only one Waheguru.

He created the universe.

He is strong and kind.

He is eternal.

Well done.

Sikhs also follow dharma because they believe in karma.

Karma means a person's actions having consequences that impact on future lives.

What other religions also share a belief in karma? You've got five seconds to have a discussion.

Okay, great discussions.

Did you say the Hindu Dharma and Buddhism? They are other religions that also share a belief in karma.

By following dharma and gaining good karma, Sikhs are able to escape samsara and be reunited with Waheguru.

This is known as mukti.

You can see this belief demonstrated here in this diagram.

Mukti is the goal for most Sikhs.

Let's take a moment to pause and reflect on what you have heard.

True or false? Sikh dharma is to live according to Waheguru.

You've got five seconds to choose your answer.

Okay, five seconds is up.

Well done to everybody that said true.

Okay, so now we're in a good position to really demonstrate our understanding on Sikh dharma.

You're gonna put your understanding here into practise.

Here we have Izzy and Alex, and they are discussing Sikh dharma.

Which of them gives a better answer? Explain why using keywords and quote from the Guru Nanak.

Izzy says, "Sikh dharma is a set of duties that a Sikh must follow to gain good karma.

Sikhs find these duties in the Guru Granth Sahib." Alex says, "Sikh dharma is about connecting with Waheguru who is 'the truth.

' It is also about gaining good karma.

This is to increase a Sikh person's chance of achieving mukti." Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, fantastic.

Well done.

Let's take the opportunity now to reflect on your responses.

In your answer, you may have said, "Alex gives the better answer because he understands that Sikh dharma is linked to the relationship with Waheguru, God.

He makes a link to the quotation from Guru Nanak which identified Waheguru as 'the truth.

' Alex also recognises the importance of gaining good karma to increase the chances of a Sikh attaining mukti and being reunited with Waheguru." Fantastic, everyone.

Well done on all your effort on that practise task.

Now this brings us on to our second part of our lesson on Sikh dharma in action.

At the centre of Sikh dharma are three core duties Sikhs can perform to achieve mukti.

They were formalised by Guru Nanak and can be summed up as: prayer or Naam Japna, work, Kirat Karni, giving, Vand Chakna.

Let's take a moment to pause and think about what we've just heard.

How many core duties should Sikhs perform to reach mukti? Is it A, two, B, three, or C, four? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your answer.

Well done to everybody who said B.

There are three core duties that Sikhs perform to reach mukti.

Fantastic.

Well done.

The first duty is prayer, otherwise known as Naam Japna.

Prayer can be performed either silently by reciting Waheguru in the mind our aloud.

Prayer might be performed at home or in the Gurdwara.

Most Sikhs believe that it's important to keep Waheguru in their mind at all times.

Thinking of Waheguru will encourage a more selfless lifestyle and create good karma.

Although gaining good karma may be a consequence of helping others, it is not the main motivator for Sikhs.

Here we have a quote from the Guru Granth Sahib: "Worship and adore Him, and you shall be at peace forever." What might this quote about prayer teach Sikhs? Consider who might "Him" be.

What might be meant by "peace forever"? Pause the video and have a discussion with your partner.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Let's take a moment to reflect on the meaning of the quote from Guru Granth Sahib.

You were asked to discuss what might this quote teach Sikhs about prayer.

This might teach Sikhs that if they pray to Waheguru they can achieve mukti.

Now let's take a moment to check our understanding of what has been heard.

What is not a reason why Sikhs pray? Is it A, it follows Sikh dharma, B, it helps 'em to gain good karma, C, it is important to keep Waheguru in mind at all times, or D, it is a way to reunite with Brahman? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you chose D.

The second duty is work called Kirat Karni.

Following Sikh dharma means earning an honest living and treating all people as equals.

Guru Nanak told a story about the importance of earning an honest living.

Guru Nanak spent much of his life travelling to different towns and villages so he could teach people about God.

He met a wide variety of people, wealthy and poor, honest and deceitful, humble and arrogant.

He shared his teachings with everyone he met.

One day as he approached a village, Guru Nanak began to feel tired and hungry and decided to stay for a few days.

Lalo, a humble carpenter, welcomed Nanak into his home, and the guru gladly accepted his invitation.

However, Malik Bhago, a wealthy man in the same village, heard of Guru Nanak's visit and sent servants to invite him to stay at his home instead.

Malik Bhago assumed the guru would prefer his luxurious house over the modest home of a poor man.

"I'll host a grand feast for the village's most important people with Nanak as my guest of honour seated beside me," he thought.

The feast was soon underway, but Guru Nanak didn't attend, which made Malik Bhago furious.

He sent his servants to fetch Nanak, who agreed to go with them.

When he arrived at Malik Bhago's home, a curious crowd had already gathered, sensing some tension and eager to see what might unfold.

Malik Bhago confronted him at the door.

"Why did you ignore my invitation and refuse to come to my feast?" he demanded.

"I prepared cakes and fine foods for you, but you chose to eat plain bread instead." In response, Guru Nanak asked for a piece of the cake from Malik Bhago's table, then took out a piece of Lalo's simple bread from his bag.

Squeezing both pieces, he revealed a surprising sight.

Drops of milk trickled from Lalo's bread, while drops of blood dripped from Malik Bhago's cake.

Shocked, Malik Bhago accused the guru of performing a trick.

Guru Nanak replied calmly, "This is no trick.

Lalo's bread was earned through honest labour, but your wealth and this cake came from exploiting the poor." Malik Bhago was struck by the truth of Guru Nanak's words and felt deep shame for his actions.

From that day forward, he resolved to live a more honest and compassionate life following the guru's teachings.

So let's pause for a moment and consider, how does this story help us to understand the importance of honest work and equality in Sikhi? Pause the video here.

Speak to your partner.

And press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Fantastic.

Well done on your discussions.

Let's pause and reflect on what you have heard so far.

Naam Japna means to earn an honest living.

Is that answer true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done to everybody who said false.

Kirat Karni means earning an honest living.

Brilliant, well done.

The third duty is giving or Vand Chakna.

Most Sikhs will share their earnings with others, contribute to charity, care for those in need.

Sikhs may volunteer in the langar, a kitchen giving away free food, at the Gurdwara to demonstrate the duty of giving to others.

Sikhs may also donate to charities such as those that help homeless communities and people in need.

Sikhi demonstrates the importance of treating all people as equals.

Okay, let's reflect on what we have just heard.

What two things may Sikhs do to demonstrate the duty of giving? A, Contribute to charity.

B, Think of Waheguru at all times.

C, Recite Waheguru.

D, Care for those in need.

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

Okay, fantastic.

Well done to everybody who said A and D.

So now we're in a good position to put all of our knowledge about Sikh dharma in action into practise.

I would like you to write a paragraph explaining three ways that Sikhs may put dharma into action.

Use the following keywords or phrases: prayer, Naam Japna, work, Kirat Karni, giving, Vand Chakna.

There are some optional sentence starters you may like to use as well: "An example of Sikh dharma is.

." "Some Sikhs might.

." Or "Sikhs might put dharma into action by.

." Okay, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your answers.

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

So I asked you to write a paragraph explaining three ways that Sikhs may put dharma into action.

You could have written: "An example of Sikh dharma in action is to pray, Naam Japna.

Most Sikhs pray to feel connected to Waheguru.

Praying can also lead to a more selfless lifestyle and good karma.

Sikhs might also put dharma into action by ensuring the work, or Kirat Karni, they do is honest.

This message is demonstrated by Guru Nanak in the story of Malik Bhago and Lalo.

Lastly, some Sikhs might also participate in giving, Vand Chakna, by donating money to charity or helping those in need.

Fantastic, great effort.

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

So that brings us to the summary and end of our lesson on Sikh dharma.

So what have we learned today? Sikhi was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak.

Sikh dharma indicates the path of Waheguru.

Sikhs follow dharma because of a belief in karma.

Mukti is the ultimate goal for many Sikhs.

And Sikh dharma can be put into action by following three core Sikh values: prayer, work, and giving.

Fantastic.

Thank you ever so much for joining me for today's lesson.

Goodbye.