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 a range of ways the moral precepts are interpreted and lived by lay Buddhists, monks, and nuns.

To help us with our understanding in today's lesson, there are three keywords.

They are moral, precept, and refrain.

Moral is concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour.

Precept is a rule or direction, often with some religious basis, dictating a way you should act or behave.

And refrain means to resist doing something.

So we're gonna begin our lesson today on Dhamma, moral precepts, by exploring the five moral precepts.

Most worldviews have a code of ethical behaviour.

What codes of behaviour have you heard of? Have you heard of the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule? In social science, we look at how people live, including the way that they behave due to their beliefs.

In this lesson, we will look at how moral precepts are important for the different ways Buddhists live.

Most Buddhists follow the five moral precepts, which is part of the Dhamma.

The Dhamma is the second of the three jewels.

These are not commandments but commitments that most Buddhists promise to make.

The blue jewel symbolises the Buddhist Dhamma.

Tashi and Linn, practising Buddhists, discuss what the five moral precepts mean to them.

Tashi says, "The five moral precepts are a set of guidelines.

They help me and my family to live a moral and ethical lifestyle." Linn replies, "I agree.

The five moral precepts also help me and my family to reduce suffering and to attain enlightenment." Okay, let's pause here and just check our understanding of what we have heard.

How many moral precepts are there: A, three, B, four, C, five, D, eight? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to everybody that selected C.

There are five moral precepts.

On your screen there is a statement, "The five moral precepts are commandments that all Buddhists must follow." Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Welcome back, and well done to everybody that said false.

Why is that statement false? The precepts are not commandments but commitments that most Buddhist promise to make.

So let's explore what the five moral precepts are.

Refrain from taking life.

Refrain from taking what is not given.

Refrain from the misuse of the senses or sexual misconduct.

Refrain from wrong speech.

And refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.

So refraining from taking life, that means avoiding harming any living being.

Refrain from taking what is not given is avoiding taking things that are not yours.

Refrain from the misuse of the senses or sexual misconduct is avoid overindulging in things like food, and don't cheat in relationships.

Refrain from wrong speech is avoid lying or spreading rumours.

And refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind is avoiding alcohol and drugs.

Okay, let's pause and check our understanding of what we have just heard.

Select the option that is not one of the five moral precepts: A, Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.

B, Refrain from taking life.

C, Refrain from right speech.

D, Refrain from taking what is not given.

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

Okay, well done to everybody that said option C.

Refrain from right speech is not one of the five moral precepts.

Buddhists may interpret the precept differently.

Tashi and Linn discuss how they interpret the first moral precept.

Linn says, "I interpret the precept 'refrain from taking life' to avoid harming any living being.

I try to avoid emotions such as anger or hatred, as these cause harm and create suffering." Tashi says, "I interpret the precept as practising compassion.

This extends beyond not killing to an attitude of kindness and care for all beings.

This creates good kamma for me and is a skillful action." On your screen, there is a statement, "The five moral precepts aim to reduce suffering." Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to everybody that said that statement is true.

Why is that statement true? Well, the five moral precepts aim to reduce suffering and create good kamma.

This is with the goal to achieving enlightenment.

So now we're in a good position to complete our first practise task.

I would like you to complete the table to show how a Buddhist might follow the five moral precepts in practise.

So just to remind you, the five moral precepts are: Refrain from taking life.

Refrain from taking what is not given.

Refrain from the misuse of the senses or sexual misconduct.

Refrain from wrong speech.

And refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.

For each moral precept, give an example of how a Buddhist might put that into practise.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Let's check your answers for that practise task.

Your answers may include these points.

Refrain from taking life in practise is avoiding harm to any living being or displaying negative emotions.

Refrain from taking what is not given, in practise, that's avoiding stealing, and always asking for permission before taking items that are not theirs.

Refrain from the misuse of the senses or sexual misconduct, in practise, that is avoiding overindulging in food and always being faithful in relationships.

Refrain from wrong speech, in practise, that is avoiding lying, spreading gossip and rumours.

And refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind, in practise, that is avoiding alcohol and drugs that may cloud the mind.

Fantastic, well done on all your hard work on that practise task.

Now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson on Dhamma and moral precepts by learning about the additional practises of monks and nuns.

In addition to the five moral precepts, Buddhist monks and nuns follow five more precepts.

These are known as the 10 precepts.

The additional precepts for monks and nuns are: Refrain from eating after noon.

Refrain from dancing, singing, and music.

Refrain from entertainment and beautification.

Refrain from luxurious beds or chairs.

And refrain from possessing money, silver, and gold.

Okay, let's pause for a moment and check our understanding of what we've just heard.

What must Buddhist monks and nuns refrain from doing? A, accepting donations, B, accepting food, C, eating after midday.

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

Okay, welcome back.

I asked you to decide what must Buddhist monks and nuns refrain from doing.

The options were A, accepting donations, B, accepting food, C, eating after midday.

Well done to everybody that chose C.

Buddhist monks and nuns should refrain from carrying money.

Therefore, they cannot go to the shops and buy their own food.

In Thailand, you might see Buddhist monks and nuns with alms bowls.

They will be offered food from people within the community.

Linn reflects on her uncle's experience of being a Buddhist monk.

Linn says, "My uncle, who lives in Thailand, used to be a Buddhist monk.

Sometimes he talks about the challenges he faced.

He has told me that when living in the monastery, he slept on the floor with a simple blanket.

He also told me the monks and nuns would not eat after midday.

My uncle found this difficult because he missed the luxuries of a comfortable bed and eating three meals a day." Let's take a moment and pause to check our understanding on what we have just heard.

On your screen, there is a statement.

Is this statement true or false? In Thailand, Buddhist monks and nuns can go to the shop to buy food.

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

Okay, well done to everybody that said that statement is false.

Why is that statement false? Well, Buddhist monks and nuns must refrain from possessing money.

In Thailand, you might see Buddhist monks and nuns with alms bowls.

They will be offered food from people within the community.

So now we're in a good position to complete the practise task on additional practises of monks and nuns.

I would like you to explain why the monks and nuns might find each of these additional practises challenging: Refrain from eating after noon.

Refrain from sleeping on luxurious beds.

Refrain from accepting money.

There is an optional sentence starter that you may like to use.

"Some Buddhist monks and nuns might find the precept challenging because.

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

Okay, welcome back, everybody.

Let's check your answers to that practise task on additional practises of monks and nuns.

I asked you to explain why the monks and nuns might find each of these additional practises challenging.

Your answer may have included the following points: "Some Buddhist monks and nuns might find the precept 'refrain from eating after noon' challenging because fasting or eating only one meal a day can lead to hunger, fatigue, and discomfort, especially if a monk or nun is engaged in meditation.

'Refrain from sleeping on luxurious beds' may be challenging, especially for those who are used to sleeping on soft beds.

It involves physical discomfort and maybe little sleep.

It requires a willingness to let go of attachment to comfort and luxury.

Lastly, 'refrain from accepting money' may be challenging because it requires reliance on others' generosity.

This could be difficult in situations where a monk or nun needs something urgently but cannot directly purchase it.

It may also challenge one's sense of personal security, as monks and nuns must trust that their needs will be met by the Sangha." Fantastic.

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

So that brings us to the end of our lesson on Dhamma, moral precepts.

So these are the key points that we have covered in our lesson today.

The Buddha taught five moral precepts that Buddhists may try to live by.

The precepts are behaviours to avoid.

There are additional precepts that may be followed by monks and nuns, and they are called the 10 precepts.

In some countries like Thailand, you may see Buddhist monks and nuns carrying out the precepts.

Fantastic.

Well done, everybody, and thank you for joining me for today's lesson.