Lesson video

Hello, there.

Welcome to another RE lesson.

I am Mr. Robertson, and in this unit, we are asking the big question, "Dharma, how is this interpreted and put into action?" And in today's lesson, we're going to be thinking about dharma and moksha.

So we're going to be thinking about the ideas of the purpose of life and what might happen after we die, and how those ideas might be impacted by a belief in dharma.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain Hindu beliefs about the soul and the significance of moksha.

We have five keywords in this lesson today.

Atman means soul or spirit.

Brahman is the supreme spirit or ultimate reality.

Karma is the belief that all actions have consequences.

Moksha is liberation or freedom from samsara.

And samsara is the belief in the cycle of rebirth or the soul or atman.

All of these words will come up as we go through the lesson, and I think you'll be confident with them by the end of it.

So in this lesson, we're going to start by looking at Hindu beliefs about the soul.

Humans often ask ultimate questions about life and the afterlife.

I wonder if there are ultimate questions like this which you've reflected on.

You might ask, does God exist? Why are we here? What happens when we die? Hindus have pondered these questions for thousands of years, and the Hindu tradition contains such an enormous amount of wisdom of different humans who throughout time have really thought about these ideas and come up with some interesting explanations and insights.

Hindu Dharma teaches that ultimate reality is known as Brahman.

Brahman is the supreme reality, energy, spirit, or consciousness in the universe.

Everything in the world is a manifestation of Brahman.

Many Hindus talk about Brahman as the divine or God, but because the Hindu worldview is pluralist, there are many different answers and understanding of this.

And different Hindu texts have emphasized different types of the divine.

So for some Hindus, Brahman may be a one energy and consciousness.

And for other, the idea of Brahman may be seen through a deity as a divine lord, someone to be devoted to and worshiped.

So there is that diversity and difference within the Hindu worldview.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

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

Think about what we've been learning.

Is that true or false? Excellent, it's true.

Well done.

So Hindu Dharma further teaches that all living beings have a spirit or essence or soul within them.

And the term for this essence, this spirit, this soul is atman.

Again, these are Sanskrit words from the ancient language of India.

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

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

It is the essence of a human being or living being.

We can find information about these beliefs in different Hindu texts.

Here, we're going to look at an extract from the Upanishad, and the Upanishads are some of the most ancient Hindu texts.

They deal with philosophical ideas about reality, about the divine and about human.

So let's look at this quote together.

It's from 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." Wow, there's some really incredible ideas in that very short sentence, isn't there? I wonder from reading this, what this might tell us about Hindu beliefs in the atman.

Read it again slowly and think what might be saying.

So one of the things we might pick out is the idea that it's hidden in the heart of all beings.

So the atman is in humans and in all living things.

Secondly, we might also note that it talks about the atman being tiny, smaller than the smallest atom, but also huge as part of the vast space.

And that's because for many Hindus, the atman and Brahman are one, which means that there is a divine in all of us, all living beings contain a spark or essence of Brahman, which we call the atman.

Let's just check our understanding.

What is the Hindu name for the essential spirit or soul in all living beings? Is it A, Brahman? B, atman? C, Upanishad? Excellent.

It's the atman.

Well done if you got that right.

Brahman is the term for ultimate reality, the supreme spirit or consciousness, and the Upanishad is the collection of philosophical texts in the Hindu tradition.

Now, some of you may know of a traditional greeting in India.

Some of you may have been to yoga lessons and seen this before.

This is the greeting namaste.

And traditionally, Hindus may put their hands together and recognize each other with the term namaste.

Now again, this is another Sanskrit word with many deep meanings, but we might translate it as the divine within me bows to the divine within you.

And we can see Het, one of our Hindu case studies, saying namaste.

I wonder how this belief about the atman influence a Hindu's life.

If you think that there is a divine in you and in all living things, how might that influence how you see others or treat the world? Because of the belief that Brahman is part of the atman, most Hindus believe that every living being has Brahman's spirit within them.

So for this reason, some Hindus are vegetarian because animals and living beings have an atman.

Let's just check our understanding here.

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

A, carnivores? B, vegetarian? C, pescatarian? Which one do you think is most likely? Excellent.

It's B, vegetarian.

Well done.

It's important to note that not all Hindus are vegetarian because as we've said, it's a pluralist worldview and there are many different ways of living as a Hindu.

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

This cycle of birth, life, and death is called samsara, and most Hindus believe that they might be reincarnated multiple times.

The aim of life ultimately is to escape the cycle of birth and rebirth, to escape samsara and achieve moksha, which is released from the cycle of life.

Let's just check our understanding again.

What is the cycle of life and death called in Hindu Dharma? A, moksha? B, atman? C, samsara? Excellent.

It's C, samsara.

A moksha is the release from that cycle, and the atman is part of Brahman, the divine in each of us, the essential soul, essence, or self.

Let's just check our understanding.

So I've got some sentences for you here with some missing words.

I'd like you to read these and see if you could think what the missing words might be.

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 onto a new body.

This process is called.

Most Hindus aim to escape.

and achieve.

Think about everything we've been learning so far.

Can you think of the missing words in these sentences? Well, how did you do? So Hindu Dharma teaches that all living beings have a soul.

You might put self or spirit 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.

This is called reincarnation.

Most Hindus aim to escape samsara and achieve moksha.

So well done if you've got those right.

For the second part of this lesson, we're going to be thinking about the significance of the idea of moksha.

Karma is the belief that all actions have consequences.

Hari, who a practicing Hindu, explains her beliefs about karma.

"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 born 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." So you can see here this idea of karma, of actions having consequences and those having consequences in lives to come as well as in the world now.

The Bhagavad Gita, which is an important Hindu text alongside the Upanishads, discusses karma and moksha.

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

The intention behind action is what matters." I wonder what you think that might mean? What's the important word here that you might draw out? So some Hindus might interpret this as saying a good action can produce a negative outcome, but the guiding principle behind it was good.

What's really important is your intention when undertaking actions.

It's not about being focused on the consequences.

It's not about being focused on whether this will be better or worse, but it's about thinking about what am I trying to do? What is my intention here? And if my intention is to live compassionately and do the right thing, then that's what's most important.

What is the meaning of karma? A, that actions have consequences? B, the cycle of birth, life, and death? C, liberation or freedom from samsara? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's A, that actions have consequences.

Well done if you got that right.

Moksha is also a key belief in Hindu Dharma.

Moksha means 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.

We've heard from the Bhagavad Gita once.

Let's hear some more.

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." So what does that sound like moksha is and how might you go about achieving it, I wonder? What would you pick out in that quotation? So you might look at this to be saying that an individual must free themselves from material desires and become satisfied with their place in the world.

Moksha isn't about spiritual perfection.

It's about being able to free yourself from materialism and from the desires of the ego, and so not be drawn by actions that are going to make me better or richer or wealthier or more popular, but just being able to see yourself for what you are, satisfied in the self by the self.

So moksha is about that ability to renounce all desire, and that's how one attains it.

According to Hindu Dharma, what is the goal of most Hindus? A, attaining enlightenment? B, attaining samsara? Or, C attaining moksha? It's C, attaining moksha.

Well done if you got that right.

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

These might be moksha, freedom from samsara as we've looked at; artha, success, wealth, and prosperity; karma, seeking to gain good karma to achieve moksha; and dharma, leading a positive life by following one's duties and acting out of compassion.

All of these four aims build up towards what it means to live as a Hindu today.

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

She says, "As a Hindu, I may achieve moksha by fulfilling my personal duty, or dharma." Let's just check our understanding.

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

Kavita discusses how she might follow her dharma to achieve moksha.

Kavita 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's 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 free from samsara, the cycle of rebirth.

Let's just check our understanding.

I've got a true or false for you here.

Attaining moksha means escaping samsara.

Is that true or false? Think about what we heard from Kavita and Dhanu.

Excellent.

It's true.

Brilliantly worked out.

Let's look at our final task.

Laura is explaining why moksha is significant to many Hindus.

But in her explanation, she's mixed up some key terms. Can we rewrite our answers so it's correct? She says, "Moksha is significant because it is the cycle of birth, life, and death.

Many Hindus believe the body is 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." Can we correct some of the terms she's used and some of the language she's used so it better reflects what we've been learning today? Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So you might have said moksha is significant because it is the escape from samsara.

Samsara is the cycle of birth, life, and death.

Many Hindus believe that the atman or soul is part of Brahman.

When the individual gains enough 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 experienced.

Well done if you managed to sort those out.

Brilliant work.

Second task is this.

I'd like you to give two reasons why Hindus might seek moksha as an ultimate goal.

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

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

Why might that be something important? Where might you look at that and where might it come from? Another reason Hindus might see moksha as an ultimate goal is.

Can you think a little bit about what we learned from the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads about the ideas of atman and Brahman? What might be a purpose in life? What might one be looking to achieve through life? And how might moksha show the ultimate aim of life? Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So you might have said: One reason Hindus might seem moksha as their ultimate goal is the reuniting of their atman with Brahman, which means escaping samsara.

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

Well done if you managed to get those correct.

Brilliant work.

We've been learning today that in Hindu Dharma, the belief in the soul or spirit is called the atman, which is eternal and cannot be destroyed.

We've learned that reincarnation is the belief that the atman enters a new living being upon death.

We've learned the cycle of birth, life, and death is called samsara.

We've learned that by gaining enough good karma, by following your dharma, a Hindu is able to escape samsara and achieve moksha.

And we've learned that moksha is significant because the atman escapes from samsara.

Hope you've been enjoying learning with me today, and I really look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon.

Thank you.