Lesson video

Hello there and welcome to an RE lesson.

My name is Mr. Robertson.

I absolutely love RE and I'm really excited about what we're going to be doing today.

This lesson is part of our unit called Dharma: how is this interpreted and put into action? And in these lessons, we are looking at this ancient Indian conception of dharma.

We are looking at what it means for different Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs.

And crucially, we're thinking about the difference that this word makes to the lives of different people.

And why this concept could teach us so much in the world today.

Our first lesson introduces all of this, and it's called dharma and pluralism.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain the meaning of dharma and the different way it's interpreted by Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs.

Now in this lesson we have four key words or phrases.

The first is Hindu dharma.

And by that we mean the true essence of all living things.

Next, we have Buddhist dhamma and you might notice a slightly different spelling there.

And that's, we'll find out about why that is later.

And by that we're talking about the teachings of the Buddha.

Then we have Sikh dharma, which is about living with a good moral code and honoring God.

And finally, we have the word pluralism, which is a view that there are many ways to experience the divine.

In this lesson, we're gonna come across all these different words and phrases, and I feel pretty confident you'll know how to use them by the end of this lesson.

So in this lesson on dharma and pluralism, we're looking at two different things.

And we're gonna focus, first of all, on dharmic religions and their interpretation of dharma.

So here you can see a map.

And I imagine many of you are thinking, aha, this is a map of India and South Asia.

And you're absolutely right.

This part of the world is just such a fantastically interesting, diverse place.

It covers a huge area and it contains deserts and mountains, tropical rainforests and great plains.

And it's been the cradle of so much civilization.

So many things like our number system were invented in India.

So this incredibly rich area also has an incredibly interesting and deep religious history as well.

And from this subcontinent, we have Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh worldviews, which all originated here.

And they're often referred to as dharmic religions or worldviews.

And the reason for that is as well as all originating in this area of ancient India, there are some key concepts which they share, although they're interpreted quite differently as we're going to find out.

And particularly, the idea on dharma, which we're going to explore today.

So what are these key concepts which we might see if we look at these different worldviews? Well, one is the concept of dharma.

Another is the concept of karma or the idea of actions having consequences.

And third is the idea of reincarnation or rebirth.

One similarity we can find amongst these worldview traditions is this idea that life is not a single lineal idea like you might find in things like Christianity and Islam and Judaism.

But life is more of a cycle that contains creation and living and transformation.

And that the universe and also human lives are part of this cycle of reincarnation.

So let's just check our understanding so far.

Which one of these is not a shared belief amongst dharmic religions? A, rebirth.

B, karma.

C, dharma.

Or D, heaven.

Think about what we've just been saying.

Pause the video and have a think.

Yes, it's heaven.

Well done if you've got that right.

Because heaven is the idea of a life at the end of a lineal worldview like in Christianity and Islam.

And it's not a concept we've been talking about in dharmic traditions.

Brilliant if you got that right.

So this concept of dharma we said can be found in all three of the dharmic worldview traditions.

Well, what is this word? Well, it comes from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit.

And it means to hold, support, or sustain.

It's the idea of something that underpins and holds up or the essence of something.

Now in Buddhism, many of the ancient texts are from another ancient Indian language called Pali.

And so the word dhamma is used instead.

You could see they're spelt in very similar ways, they have a common root, but they come from different languages.

And dharma can mean many different things and we're going to look at those in detail.

But it includes ideas such as practices, the idea of duty and your role in life, and the idea of good deeds and trying to be a good and compassionate person.

So it's a really broad word.

Unlike all translations from other languages, it's really hard to simplify it into one simple meaning in terms of English.

Rather, it's a word that has layers of meaning.

And of course, really importantly, in each religion, it's interpreted slightly differently.

So let's think about this.

I have a true or false question for you now.

The word dharma is interpreted in the same way in each dharmic religion.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's false, isn't it? And why? Because we said that dharma includes lots of different ideas such as practice, duty, good deeds, but is actually interpreted differently in each dharmic religion.

Here you can see a diagram.

And we are using this diagram to try to get us to understand how this word has originated and where we might find it.

So the Hindu religion is the oldest of all dharmic religions and actually is one of the oldest religions in the world.

It's thousands of years old.

And so in lots of ways, Buddhist dhamma and Sikh dharma have their roots in Hindu dharma.

Because as we said, all these religions originated in the Indian subcontinent.

And the ancient Indigenous religion of the Indian subcontinent was forms of Hindu dharma.

Buddhist and Sikh dharma have arisen more recently.

But there are common roots in all of these traditions.

So like a tree, dharma is the roots.

But also as a tree, it grows up, it adapts and change.

And so we have different interpretations of that word.

Now for Hindus, the word dharma is complex.

And as we said, it doesn't have a simple single translation.

Dharma is about the true essence of all living things.

It's about what makes us all who we are.

So many Hindus who want to follow their own dharma, it's about acting with compassion and trying to be in balance with those around you, human beings and the living world.

And really importantly, dharma is flexible depending on the situation.

It's not a rigid set of rules to be followed.

And actually a person's dharma may change as they move through life.

So dharma is not the same for a child or a student or a new parent or an older person.

Dharma is something that changes and flexes, but it's all about living with compassion and balance and treating those around you in that way.

There are many texts which look at this idea of dharma in the Indian traditions and the Hindu traditions.

The Bhagavad Gita is a really important text to many Hindus and in lots of ways summarizes lots of ideas from earlier texts.

One quote from this is that, "Nothing is ever lost in following one's own dharma." Now what do we think that might mean, nothing is ever lost? And I think the idea here is that we all have to find and follow our own dharma, follow the path that is right for us.

But when we follow that path and find that path, we don't lose anything by not following a different path.

It's about trying to live a life true to you and living with compassion.

Let's just have a think about what we've been talking about.

Which of these statements describe dharma for most Hindus? A, dharma is fixed.

B, dharma is flexible.

C, dharma means acting from compassion.

D, a person's dharma is the same for their whole lives.

Think about what we've just been saying.

Which of those is true and which of those is not? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, B.

We said that dharma is flexible.

It's not a fixed set of rules for everyone at all time.

And C, dharma is about acting from compassion.

We also mentioned that a person's dharma may change as they move through life.

So brilliant if you got those right.

Now, Buddhist dhamma is slightly different.

The word dhamma, again, it's spelt differently, 'cause it's from the Pali not the Sanskrit.

It really refers to the teachings of the Buddha, that enlightened being, Shakyamuni Buddha.

And these teachings include things like the Three Jewels, which we're going through looking at, and the Four Noble Truths.

But Buddhist dhamma is broader than that because it's also about other beliefs and practices that support the path to enlightenment.

So many Buddhist traditions are looking to enlightenment, to realization of the truth of the world and understanding the world as it is.

And they look to the teachings of the Buddha in different ways to help them achieve that.

Again, there are many different Buddhist texts, but a particularly important one for many Buddhists is the dhammapada.

And one quote here we have is, "He who drinks deep from the dhamma lives happily with a tranquil mind." So again, what might this quote be helping us understand? Here we have the idea of the dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha as something which you can drink deeply from.

It's a source of wisdom, a place to go to help understand the truth about the world.

And if we can understand that truth, then actually we can be happy.

And one of the ways we can be happy is our minds can be tranquil.

We could be drawn into the present moment and not lost to our own negative thoughts or ruminations or distractions.

And so the teaching of the Buddha is a way to live a happy tranquil life in the moment.

Let's just check our understanding here.

I have a true or false question for you.

Buddhist dhamma refers to the teaching of the Buddha.

Is that a true or false? Again, pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's true.

And well done if you've got that right.

And it's true because as we've said, Buddhist dhamma can include lots of teachings such as the Three Jewels and the Four Noble Truths.

So in Sikhi, in Sikh traditions, dharma can refer to the practice of living with a good moral code.

Dharma can mean honoring God or Waheguru, the most widely used term for God by many Sikhs.

But it can also include the teachings of the gurus and the idea of justice, equality, and honest living.

So you can see here the idea of dharma has an important meaning as well to do with how to live a life of equality following the teachings of the gurus, living a just and honest life, but also the idea of honoring God as well.

And we have here a quote from the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the sacred text for Sikhs.

It says, "The faithful are firmly bound to the dharma." So here we have this idea that to live according to dharma is to be firmly bound to the teachings of the gurus, to live a life of equality and honest living.

So we've looked at the ideas of dharma across the three traditions, Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs.

But let's hear from some practicing Buddhists and Sikhs today to see what this word means to them.

So Mandeep is Sikh and he says, "I try to make the right choices in my life and be fair and equal to everyone, then I am following the dharma." Thank you, Mandeep.

So we can see here this idea of making choices, living an honest and moral life.

And Linn says, "The Buddha's teachings help me follow the path of dharma and to live with more compassion and wisdom." And so Linn is linking this idea of dharma to following the teachings of the Buddha and following a Buddhist path to live a more wise and compassionate life.

So you can see here how these terms of dharma, they're interpreted slightly different, but they both have this cross idea of living a moral life, which is perhaps locating the word within the teachings of the Buddha for Linn, whereas for Mandeep, he's looking to the teachings of the gurus and living an honest life.

So let's check our understanding again.

Which one of these does not describe how many Sikhs interpret dharma? A, honoring God or Waheguru.

B, the Four Noble Truths.

C, living with a good moral code.

Think about what we've heard and also what Mandeep was saying.

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's B, isn't it? Four Noble Truths, because that's a Buddhist teaching and not a Sikh teaching.

Brilliant if you got that right.

Let's draw our learning today.

I want us to think about this idea, this word dharma, and how it can be interpreted differently by Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs.

I've got some sentence starters for you here.

Most Hindus interpret dharma as.

Can you think about what we said there about those ideas of compassion? Those ideas of dharma, is it the same? Is it always the same? Is it for all time for everyone in the same way? Most Buddhists interpret dhamma as.

Think about what Linn said, think about the teaching she might have referred to, and what she was trying to do.

And most Sikhs interpret dharma as.

Can we think about what Mandeep said? Who would he be looking to? What's important for him in his life? Can you use those sentences to help describe how dharma might interpreted slightly differently by Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs? And I really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Wow, you've been doing some excellent thinking.

So I've got some examples here.

You may have said other things.

I've said most Hindus interpret dharma as acting in balance and with compassion with the world around you.

And you might have mentioned something about dharma not being fixed but being flexible and changing as you move through life.

We've said that most Buddhist interpret dhamma as the Buddhist teachings.

You might have mentioned the Four Noble Truths.

You might have mentioned the idea of trying to live with a clear and tranquil mind.

And most Sikhs interpret dharma as living with a good moral code and honoring Waheguru or God.

And again, you might have talked about honest living.

So if you've managed to think of some sentences to express these ideas of dharma, fantastic work.

Really well done.

So in the second part of this lesson, we're going to be looking at the idea of Sanatana dharma and the idea of pluralism.

Here we can see a beautiful photograph of the Himalayas in the northern part of India.

And look at the beautiful color of that water.

It's a really bright blue because it's high and it's full of oxygen.

So often when we talk about Hindus, we might hear about the word Hinduism as a name for a religion or worldview.

So where does this word Hinduism come from? Well, like many words in the Hindu tradition, it comes from the Sanskrit word Sindhu.

And this refers to the Indus river, which is a feature in the Indian continent.

And in fact, this refers to a civilization, an ancient civilization of the people who lived around the Indus river, one of the most ancient civilizations in the world.

And so the word Sindhu became Hindu to describe the people who lived there.

The word ism was added later as part of the colonization of India.

Now, many Hindus refer to their own religion as Sanatana dharma, which translates as eternal law or eternal religion.

And that's because many Hindus believe that the beliefs and practices of the Indian subcontinent have deep historical roots.

This is a worldview which is thousands of years old, Many Hindus might say this religion, this worldview is eternal.

It's part of the universe.

And so this word Sanatana dharma is seen as more authentic.

So in this lesson and in our lessons, we've used the term Hindu dharma because we're trying to move away from this idea of Hinduism.

The ism has been added as a way of describing a set of beliefs.

But actually as we seem with the root of Sindhu, it just describes a people.

It doesn't necessarily describe a religion.

The religion is much older than this.

And so we talk about Hindu dharma.

Some Hindus may talk about Sanatana dharma.

But Hindus are very diverse, and so people may use all of these different terms. So I'd like you to think about two reasons why some Hindus may reject the term Hinduism.

A, it is a move away from colonial rule.

B, it was developed during the 21st century.

C, the term is oversimplified Which two reasons might Hindus reject the term Hinduism? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, A, it's a move away from colonial rule, and C, the term is oversimplified.

You can see a diagram here of a mountain.

And behind the mountain we have the sun rising.

And the different colors represent different paths up the mountain.

I don't know if you any of you have ever climbed a mountain or a steep hill before and you may have taken a path that leads you to the top.

But was it the only path? Maybe around the south sides there were other paths.

Perhaps some were steeper, some were simpler.

Some wound their way round, some go more directly up.

There's often more than one way to reach the top of a mountain.

Now we use this word pluralism to describe different traditions.

And Sanatana Dharma or Hindu Dharma can be understood as a pluralist tradition.

By that we mean that there are multiple ways of approaching the divine or ultimate truth.

The Hindu tradition, Sanatana Dharma, is an incredibly pluralist tradition.

Within it, there are so many different paths that you can take.

And Hindus are very relaxed about ways in which you can take and find your path.

There is not one way, one deity, one single text that one must follow.

Rather, there are multiple ways and it's about finding the right way for you.

Followers of Sanatana dharma accept there are many paths, and then an individual will find the right path for them.

One of the most ancient Hindu texts is the Rig Veda.

And the Vedas are the most ancient collection of Hindu texts.

And within the Rig Veda there's a very famous sentence which we've translated here.

It says, "Truth is one, the wise or wise people call it by various names." I wonder what you think that phrase might mean.

I'll say it again slowly.

"Truth is one, wise people call it by various names." I wonder if you can make a link with this idea of pluralism, with the idea of many paths up the mountain all leading to the same goal.

So we might interpret the Rig Veda here as saying that there is one truth ultimately, however different people may interpret the same truth in different ways.

And actually the wise understand that there are many ways to the truth rather than the one simple truth.

It's not to say that there are many truths.

There is only one truth, but there are many ways to it.

And this is such a critical idea at the heart of the Sanatana dharma, at the heart of Hindu dharma.

This pluralist approach, that you're not right or wrong, there isn't a right way or wrong way, but there are many ways.

and it is up to individuals to find the path that is right for them.

Let's just check our understanding of what we've been saying here.

For Hindus, pluralism is the belief that there is only one true path towards the divine.

Is that true or false? Well, it's false, isn't it? Well done if you got that right.

But why is it false? Because at the heart of Hindu tradition is this idea of pluralism.

We saw the quote from the Rig Veda.

"Truth is one, the wise will see it in various ways." There are many different paths to the divine.

Let's meet Priya and Het.

Priya and Het are British Hindus and they're reflecting on this idea of pluralism.

Priya says, "For me, there are many different ways to practice dharma.

I meditate daily to help me find balance and gain insight, but other Hindus may practice dharma differently to me." And Het says, "That's true, Priya, we are all different and need to find a path that works best for us.

I find caring of my local environment helps me achieve my dharma." And so we can see from Priya and Het that they may have different paths to understand their dharma.

So Priya may focus on ideas of meditating and finding balance that way.

Het finds the idea of serving others and caring for the world and the environment as a way in which he can follow his dharma.

Now that doesn't mean that that is the only way that they will try and follow dharma.

They may also find the idea many Hindus may combine things of meditation or prayer, ideas of service.

But the important thing to note here is that there are different paths for different people, not one path for just everyone to follow.

Let's just check our understanding again for this really important idea.

All Hindus will practice dharma in the same way.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's false, isn't it? And why? Because we saw from Het and Priya that there are different ways of following and practicing dharma, and it's a pluralist tradition.

Different Hindus will follow a path that works for them.

Okay, let's come to our final task for today.

We've been thinking in this section about the idea of Sanatana dharma and the idea of pluralism.

And Lucas and Sofia are reflecting on what they learned.

Lucas says, "Hindu pluralism is a belief that there is only one path that leads to the divine." Sofia says, "Hindu pluralism is a belief that recognizes there are many paths and they all carry truths that lead to the divine." Who has really understood this idea of pluralism better, Lucas or Sofia? I'd like you to think who has understood it and who hasn't and why, and what evidence from what we've seen? Can you think perhaps of that quote from the Rig Veda? Can you think about our Hindus Priya and Het and what they said? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent thinking.

So you might have thought that actually Sofia has a better understanding of the idea of pluralism.

She's recognized that there are many paths that all carry truths and they all lead to the divine.

You might have used the quote from the Rig Veda about truth being one, but the wise see it in different ways.

You might have thought about Priya and Het and how they both had different things that made them follow their dharma.

Maybe meditation, maybe serving others.

And so pluralism is about that broad understanding of many different paths, but they all lead fundamentally to that one truth or divine.

If you'd said something like that, brilliant, you've really understood what we're teaching today, and well done.

So let's summarize what we've learned today.

We've learned that Hindu, Buddhists, and Sikh worldviews are known as dharmic religions.

We've learned that dharma is interpreted differently within the dharmic religions.

Many Hindus prefer the use of Hindu dharma or Sanatana dharma over the term Hinduism.

We've learned that dharma is individual and flexible for Hindus.

And we've learned that Hindu pluralism recognizes there are many paths that lead to the divine.

Thanks ever so much for learning with me today.

And I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon.

Thank you.