Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Ramalli, and welcome to today's RE lesson, which forms parts of our unit on Buddhism: Practises.

In today's lesson, we're going to be exploring the Six Perfections in the Mahayana Tradition, focusing on the first two perfections, generosity and morality.

Okay, let's begin.

Today's lesson outcome is I can explain the six perfections of generosity and morality and how these teachings can be developed.

So to help guide us through today's lesson, there are four key keywords.

Our keywords are Bodhisattva, generosity, morality, and the six perfections or paramitas.

Bodhisattva is an enlightened being who postpones their final escape from samsara in order to help living beings.

Generosity is the sincere and selfless desire to benefit others with no expectation of reward.

Morality is principles or beliefs about what is right and wrong, including following the Five Moral Precepts.

And the six perfections or paramitas are ethical principles in Mahayana Buddhism to lead a being to enlightenment.

So in today's lesson on the six perfections in the Mahayana tradition, generosity and morality, we're first of all going to explore the first two of the six perfections, generosity and morality, and then we're going to move on to explore how generosity and morality can be developed.

Okay, let's begin.

Mahayana means Greater Vehicle, and this school of Buddhism focuses on achieving enlightenment for the sake of all beings, by becoming a Bodhisattva.

Now, one way this can be achieved is by developing the six perfections, also known as the six paramitas.

The term paramita has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language.

Para meaning beyond and mita, that which has arrived.

So paramita can translate to mean that which has gone beyond.

The six perfections are ethical principles that leader being to enlightenment.

They are qualities that demonstrate how a Bodhisattva should live.

The six perfections support Buddhists to attain enlightenment.

And here on your screen you can see an illustration of the six perfections.

Let's complete a check for understanding.

Which of the following means the six perfections: A, ethical Principles in Mahayana Buddhism to lead a being to enlightenment, B, the fundamental nature of all beings, or C, achieving enlightenment for the sake of all beings? Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to check your answer.

Welcome back, and well done if you selected A as the correct answer.

The definition of the six perfections is ethical principles in Mahayana Buddhism lead a being to enlightenment.

Well done.

Here we have Katrina.

Katrina is a Mahayana Buddhist, and she introduces the six perfections.

Katrina says, "As a Mahayana Buddhist, I believe I must follow the example of the Buddha and develop the virtues of the six perfections.

I believe that cultivating these virtues will help me realise the Buddha-nature within me.

The Buddha-nature refers to the fundamental nature of all beings, which means that all beings can become enlightened." The six perfections are generosity, or dana, morality, sila, patience, ksanti, energy, virya, meditation, dhyana, and wisdom, prajna.

So in today's lesson, we're going to be exploring generosity and morality.

So here I'm going to show an example of a question and then you're going to have a go yourself.

The six perfections are ethical principles in Mahayana Buddhism to lead a being to enlightenment.

Give one of the perfections.

So for example, generosity.

Now it's your turn to have a go.

Give another of the perfections.

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

Okay.

Welcome back, everyone.

Time to check your answers.

So you may have said morality.

Other possible answers are patience, energy, wisdom, and meditation.

Buddhists might look to a source of authority to find out more about important teachings like the six perfections.

In many Mahayana texts, it is taught that the Bodhisattva should practise the six perfections: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom.

Through these perfections, the Bodhisattva achieves liberation and leads others to the path of enlightenment.

What does this teaching highlight about the six perfections? Either on your own or with your partner, consider what does this teaching highlight about the six perfections.

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

Okay.

Welcome back, everybody.

So what does this teaching highlight about the six perfections? So you may have said through developing the six perfections, a Bodhisattva can lead others towards enlightenment.

Okay, let's complete a check for understanding.

I would like you to fill in the missing word.

In many Mahayana texts the (pauses) should practise the six perfections.

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

Welcome back, everybody, and well done if you said the missing word is Bodhisattva.

Each of the six perfections is believed to develop a particular feature of a Buddhist character or their understanding.

So number one, generosity, or dana, is the sincere and selfless desire to benefit others with no expectation of reward.

So this can include giving material goods, helping someone, sharing wisdom of the Buddha's Dhamma, or cultivating a selfless mindset.

The second perfection, morality, or sila, refers to the principles or beliefs about what is right and wrong.

So morality includes following the five moral precepts.

And so to do that, the aim is to live morally and show compassion in daily life.

Okay, let's pause and check you've understood what you've just heard.

Which one of the following is not one of the six perfections in the Mahayana tradition: A, morality, B, jealousy, or C, generosity? Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected B, jealousy is not one of the six perfections.

Okay, so now we're going to pause and complete our first practise task.

I would like you to complete the table to explain two of the six perfections.

In your explanation of the six perfections, you should include an example.

So because in today's lesson we've been learning about the perfections of generosity and morality, I've chosen those examples.

So what I would like you to do is explain and give an example of each of those two perfections.

Good luck completing the practise task.

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

Okay.

Welcome back, everybody.

So let's check your answers to the first practise task.

So I asked you to complete the table to explain two of the six perfections.

In your explanation of the six perfections, you should include an example.

Your response might be similar to this.

Generosity.

Generosity is a sincere and selfless desire to benefit others with no expectation of reward.

An example would be giving away material goods such as donating to a food bank.

Morality means principles or beliefs about what is right and wrong.

An example would be living morally and showing compassion in daily life.

Fantastic.

Well done on completing the first practise task.

So now we're gonna move on to the second part of our lesson on the six perfections in the Mahayana tradition, generosity and morality, by considering how generosity and morality can be developed.

Lucas asks, "As a Mahayana monk, Ting, how do you develop the perfection of generosity?" Ting says, "The first of the six perfections is focused on developing the act of giving or generosity.

One way that I develop this within myself is by sharing the Buddha's Dhamma, his teachings.

This is my gift to the Sangha, the Buddhist community.

Once people know the Dhamma, it can guide them to help them navigate the challenges through their own lives." Katrina explains how she develops the perfection of generosity.

Katrina says, "As a Mahayana Buddhist, I develop generosity by giving things to those that are in need.

This includes giving money to charity, donating food to the food bank, and offering clothes that I no longer need to my local charity shop.

I do this without expecting anything in return.

It is important that I give freely." Katrina further explains the principle of generosity.

Katrina says, "Generosity is not limited to physical donations or acts.

Generosity is also about cultivating a selfless mindset.

True generosity transcends material things and is rooted in an attitude of openness and kindness, motivated by the wish to relieve others' suffering or dukkha." Tashi, a Mahayana Buddhist, explains how she practises generosity.

Tashi tells us, "I practise generosity by being charitable with my time and actions.

At school I'm part of the fundraising team and spend time organising events that raise money for local and national charities.

Next week I'm helping to raise money through a school cake sale." Time to complete a check for understanding.

Select three ways that a Buddhist might develop the principle of generosity: A, share the Buddha's Dhamma, B, donate unworn clothes to charity, C, sell unworn clothes for cash, or D, cultivate a selfless mindset? Remember, you're looking to select three answers for this check for understanding.

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answers.

And well done if you selected A, B, and D.

Share the Buddha's Dhamma, donate unworn clothes to charity, and cultivate a selfless mindset are three ways that a Buddhist might develop the principle of generosity.

Ting explains how he understands morality as a Mahayana Buddhist monk.

Ting says, "The second perfection of morality includes consciously following the Buddha's Dhamma, such as the five moral precepts.

However, it is not just about following rules or refraining from harmful actions.

To develop the perfection of morality, I must also develop mental discipline and mindfulness." Lucas asks, "Ting, how do you develop the perfection of morality?" Ting says, "One way I develop morality is by abstaining from harming any living being.

This is not only abstaining from causing physical harm, but also in my speech and thought.

I always try to act in a way that aligns with ethical principles to help on my Bodhisattva path towards enlightenment." True or false, developing the perfection of morality is reduced to following rules or refraining from harmful actions.

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

Well done If you said that statement is false.

Developing the perfection of morality also includes mental discipline and mindfulness.

It's not just following rules or refraining from harmful actions.

Katrina, a Mahayana Buddhist, explains how she develops the perfection of morality.

Katrina says, "I developed the perfection of morality by following the five moral precepts.

I also aim to develop compassion, also known in Buddhism as karuna, by practising honesty and integrity in my interactions, that's in my personal and professional relationships." Mike, a Mahayana Buddhist, explains how he develops the perfection of morality.

Mike tells us, "One way I develop the perfection of morality is through mindfulness.

I do this by observing my thoughts, speech, and actions.

By staying present and aware, I can avoid acting impulsively or harmfully.

This includes being more conscious of how I speak to others.

I meditate daily to help develop mindfulness." True or false, mindfulness helps with the development of morality? Pause the video and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you said that statement is true.

Mindfulness means Buddhists are more likely to observe their thoughts, speech, and actions.

Time to complete our second and final practise task.

Explain two different ways in which Buddhists can develop generosity and morality within themselves.

Here's some guidance that you might benefit from following when answering the question.

So first of all you're going to make a point, so give one way that generosity can be developed, and then develop that point.

So explain with examples to develop your first point.

The question asks for two different ways.

So your second point could give one way that morality can be developed and then develop the second point by explaining with examples.

Good luck completing the practise task.

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

Okay.

Welcome back, everybody.

Let's check your answers for the second practise task.

So you answered the question, explain two different ways in which Buddhists can develop generosity and morality within themselves.

Your answer may include these points: "One way a Buddhist can develop generosity is by having a selfless mindset.

This can be practised by helping those in need or sharing the Buddha's Dhamma.

This must be done with no expectation of a reward.

One way a Buddhist can develop morality is by following the five moral precepts.

This includes avoiding causing harm through their words and actions." So what you can see here are two different points, and each points have been developed.

Well done on completing your second practise task.

So that brings us to the end of today's lesson and the summary of our learning.

The six perfections or paramitas are qualities that demonstrate how a Bodhisattva should live.

Each perfection is believed to develop a particular feature of a Buddhist character or understanding.

The perfection of generosity can be developed by helping someone sharing the Buddha's Dhamma and cultivating a selfless mindset with no expectation of reward.

And lastly, the perfection of morality includes following the five moral precepts.

Fantastic, well done on all of your hard work in today's lesson.

So thank you for joining me.

Goodbye.