Subtitles

Associated Teachers TV programme

KS3 RE: Hindu Spiritual Pathways

0001 10:00:07:10 10:00:10:23

When you think about Hinduism,what thoughts spring to your mind?

0002 10:00:10:23 10:00:12:20

A lot of colour and deities.

0003 10:00:12:20 10:00:15:22

- Yeah. What about you?- Festivals where you can dance.

0004 10:00:15:22 10:00:18:13

The stories of Krishna and Rama.

0005 10:00:18:13 10:00:21:01

When it comes to my mind,I think it's a vast religion.

0006 10:00:21:01 10:00:22:24

It's got so many different pathways,

0007 10:00:22:24 10:00:25:18

so many different forms of worshipand types of people.

0008 10:00:25:18 10:00:29:08

That's where the word came from,"Hindu", meaning "the vast river".

0009 10:00:29:08 10:00:33:14

It not only tolerates but acceptsother religions.

0010 10:00:33:14 10:00:36:03

Yeah. I like that idea of pluralism.

0011 10:00:39:15 10:00:42:08

To be honest, I don't really knowwhat God is to me.

0012 10:00:42:08 10:00:44:11

I haven't experienced Godfor myself,

0013 10:00:44:11 10:00:48:17

so I don't know whether he existsor what is he, how does he exist,

0014 10:00:48:17 10:00:52:02

whether it's a he, whether it'sa she, whether it's nothing, really.

0015 10:00:52:02 10:00:55:23

I think God is someonewho's up above in the heavens

0016 10:00:55:23 10:00:58:07

who watches over us

0017 10:00:58:07 10:01:03:10

and tries to... not control us,but likes to play around with us.

0018 10:01:03:10 10:01:06:06

To me, I'm not actually surewhat God is.

0019 10:01:06:06 10:01:10:11

When you look at the world you thinkit's so intricately designed

0020 10:01:10:11 10:01:14:18

that there must have been a cause,so you kind of think there's a God.

0021 10:01:14:18 10:01:18:04

But then you think what aboutif it's just all in man's mind

0022 10:01:18:04 10:01:20:17

and it's something made up

0023 10:01:20:17 10:01:25:01

so that we can control ourselvesand our behaviour towards others?

0024 10:01:25:01 10:01:28:10

I believe that although Godis high up above us

0025 10:01:28:10 10:01:34:09

and he created this universe andmade humans and every living thing,

0026 10:01:34:09 10:01:37:12

there is still a part of himin every single one of us,

0027 10:01:37:12 10:01:39:22

so I try and find Godin everyone else.

0028 10:01:39:22 10:01:42:05

I don't believe in Godas a personality,

0029 10:01:42:05 10:01:44:09

a little manstanding up in the heavens,

0030 10:01:44:09 10:01:48:12

because to me that ideaseems a bit unrealistic.

0031 10:01:48:12 10:01:52:02

However, there has to besomething out there in my opinion

0032 10:01:52:02 10:01:55:22

because this world,the universe, how it came together,

0033 10:01:55:22 10:01:58:22

is just so amazing I thinkthere must be something out there,

0034 10:01:58:22 10:02:01:21

there must be a forcepulling this together.

0035 10:02:01:21 10:02:06:12

Whether you call this God, whetheryou call this science, I don't know.

0036 10:02:09:21 10:02:13:03

Members of my family dodifferent things to relate to God.

0037 10:02:13:03 10:02:18:07

My father likes to play bhajans.These are songs.

0038 10:02:18:07 10:02:20:07

My mum goes to the temple a lot.

0039 10:02:20:07 10:02:23:05

She follows Ganesh,

the god for good luck.

0040 10:02:23:05 10:02:29:06

My grandma, every day she does puja,which is her form of worship,

0041 10:02:29:06 10:02:31:18

so she has the lamps,she has the deities.

0042 10:02:31:18 10:02:35:18

My father usually does meditation.

0043 10:02:35:18 10:02:40:01

I think that living in the materialworld that we live in today,

0044 10:02:40:01 10:02:43:21

it's really important to make thatconnection with the spiritual world.

0045 10:02:43:21 10:02:49:01

Every day before I go to schoolI pray to God.

0046 10:02:49:01 10:02:53:19

Inside it makes you feellike there's something out there

0047 10:02:53:19 10:02:56:12

and like someone's protecting you,

0048 10:02:56:12 10:02:59:20

so you feel kind of good.

0049 10:02:59:20 10:03:04:22

Myself, if you had to classify itI suppose it'd be karma yoga.

0050 10:03:04:22 10:03:08:09

I'm active. I'm not one of thosepeople who like to contemplate.

0051 10:03:08:09 10:03:10:20

I always want to help people.

0052 10:03:10:20 10:03:14:02

You're kind of empathisingwith the person you're helping,

0053 10:03:14:02 10:03:19:23

but afterwards you feel a lot morefluffy. Can I use that word?

0054 10:03:19:23 10:03:21:19

I don't thinkyou need to go to temple

0055 10:03:21:19 10:03:25:00

or you need to do these ritualthings to worship God.

0056 10:03:25:00 10:03:27:21

You can just worship Godin whatever way is natural to you

0057 10:03:27:21 10:03:30:02

because I think God is everywhere.

0058 10:03:30:02 10:03:33:23

By living a good life, service toothers is a way of worshipping God.

0059 10:03:37:07 10:03:40:10

(Sonia) In the Hindu tradition,there is just one god,

0060 10:03:40:10 10:03:43:10

but there is more than one wayto see and relate to God.

0061 10:03:43:10 10:03:47:16

Some see God with form,some see God without form.

0062 10:03:47:16 10:03:51:06

Some see God as female,some see God as male.

0063 10:03:51:06 10:03:53:15

(Ramana) Some see God in nature.

0064 10:03:53:15 10:03:56:16

Some Hindus also see God in people.

0065 10:03:56:16 10:03:59:09

Many Hindus see Godin the form of deities

0066 10:03:59:09 10:04:01:07

that represent certain qualities,

0067 10:04:01:07 10:04:05:05

for example strengthor good fortune.

0068 10:04:05:05 10:04:07:22

(Roshni) For other Hindus,God takes no visible form

0069 10:04:07:22 10:04:09:18

and has no personalities.

0070 10:04:09:18 10:04:13:14

For these Hindus, God is a principlethat underpins all reality.

0071 10:04:13:14 10:04:17:19

They believe this ultimate realityor God appears as the universe

0072 10:04:17:19 10:04:20:19

and this idea is called Brahman.

0073 10:04:20:19 10:04:24:19

They also believe this ultimatereality or God appears in everyone,

0074 10:04:24:19 10:04:27:22

so Hindus believeGod can be seen in all of us.

0075 10:04:27:22 10:04:30:07

This idea is called atman.

0076 10:04:30:07 10:04:34:13

Hindus believe that each one of usis essentially God.

0077 10:04:34:13 10:04:37:20

(Meera) Also, the way we practiseour faith varies too.

0078 10:04:37:20 10:04:40:06

There are many differentpathways to God

0079 10:04:40:06 10:04:44:04

and all Hindus can choosewhich path suits them.

0080 10:04:44:04 10:04:46:24

(Ramana) In the Hindu text"The Bhagavad Gita",

0081 10:04:46:24 10:04:49:09

Krishna explainsthe different paths to God.

0082 10:04:49:09 10:04:51:18

There are four paths called yogas:

0083 10:04:51:18 10:04:55:24

bhakti, jnana, raja and karma yoga.

0084 10:04:59:09 10:05:02:04

So, what exactly is bhakti yoga?

0085 10:05:02:04 10:05:04:06

It's a path taken by people

0086 10:05:04:06 10:05:09:13

who I'd say are emotional in natureand have a natural love for God.

0087 10:05:09:13 10:05:14:01

The idea of bhakti yoga is to useeverything you can in daily life

0088 10:05:14:01 10:05:20:14

to link to God, so you can havebhakti through music or chanting,

0089 10:05:20:14 10:05:25:05

or worshipping God through puja, forexample, where you use artefacts.

0090 10:05:25:05 10:05:28:23

You can think of God in many ways.

You can think of God as a friend.

0091 10:05:28:23 10:05:31:10

The saying actually goes in Hinduism

0092 10:05:31:10 10:05:35:16

that man makes God in his own imageto relate to him better.

0093 10:05:35:16 10:05:39:05

What chanting does, it actuallymakes you focus on that image

0094 10:05:39:05 10:05:41:13

and also bringyour intense love for God.

0095 10:05:41:13 10:05:43:22

So, for example,if you're a follower of Shiva

0096 10:05:43:22 10:05:48:07

you'll say, "Om Namah Shivaya.Om Namah Shivaya."

0097 10:05:48:07 10:05:51:00

If you're a follower of Krishna,"Hare Krishna."

0098 10:05:51:00 10:05:54:17

It's a challenge to do everythingevery day and remember God.

0099 10:05:54:17 10:05:58:04

This is quite tough. As a matterof fact, the Gita actually says

0100 10:05:58:04 10:06:02:00

there's four kindsof bhaktas or devotees.

0101 10:06:02:00 10:06:05:01

One is the lazy one,

0102 10:06:05:01 10:06:07:04

or the person who once in a while:

0103 10:06:07:04 10:06:09:23

"Exams are coming up," he goes,"I must remember God."

0104 10:06:09:23 10:06:12:22

The other bhaktais one who is suspicious.

0105 10:06:12:22 10:06:14:17

- "What is that God thing?"- Yeah.

0106 10:06:14:17 10:06:19:04

The other one I would say isthe one who likes material wealth.

0107 10:06:19:04 10:06:21:14

"If I pray to you, can I get A*s?",for example.

0108 10:06:21:14 10:06:24:17

And to be fair, in HinduismGod is fine with that.

0109 10:06:24:17 10:06:26:14

He likes all kinds of bhaktas.

0110 10:06:26:14 10:06:29:21

The last one is the one

called jnani, the wise one,

0111 10:06:29:21 10:06:32:09

the person who loves Godfor the sake of love.

0112 10:06:32:09 10:06:35:01

If you go in the hills,you see the mountains

0113 10:06:35:01 10:06:38:01

and you just love them.There's nothing you want in return.

0114 10:06:38:01 10:06:41:21

It's just because they're beautiful.That's the stage you can get to.

0115 10:06:41:21 10:06:45:21

Personally speaking, at what stageam I? That's a good question.

0116 10:06:45:21 10:06:48:24

The path of devotion or bhakti.

0117 10:06:48:24 10:06:52:18

Those who feel naturally drawnto God often prefer this path,

0118 10:06:52:18 10:06:55:16

and bhakti is the way to Godthrough devotion.

0119 10:06:55:16 10:06:59:06

This involves worship and adorationof a personal form

0120 10:06:59:06 10:07:02:04

through reading scriptures,singing and praying.

0121 10:07:05:16 10:07:08:23

Jnana yoga is one ofthe pathways to find God.

0122 10:07:08:23 10:07:13:01

It is a path, as they say,of knowledge - a path of intellect

0123 10:07:13:01 10:07:16:03

where one would actually usetheir powers of reasoning

0124 10:07:16:03 10:07:18:12

and their powers of thought

0125 10:07:18:12 10:07:21:11

to actually inch their wayto finding God.

0126 10:07:21:11 10:07:26:04

You have to have the right characterwhich allows you to reason.

0127 10:07:26:04 10:07:28:20

You also need to developsome qualities -

0128 10:07:28:20 10:07:30:20

the power to be able to discriminate

0129 10:07:30:20 10:07:34:02

between what is unrealand what is real,

0130 10:07:34:02 10:07:36:23

what is permanentand what is temporary,

0131 10:07:36:23 10:07:40:17

because what our scripture saysis that the permanent is God,

0132 10:07:40:17 10:07:42:20

the ultimate reality.

0133 10:07:42:20 10:07:46:03

What is temporary is likeour bodies. We are born, we die.

0134 10:07:46:03 10:07:51:01

You have to develop a powerof living an unattached life.

0135 10:07:51:01 10:07:53:22

What that meansis that you must detach yourself

0136 10:07:53:22 10:07:57:00

from the hustle and bustleof this world, of this life.

0137 10:07:57:00 10:07:59:09

So what does jnana mean to you?

0138 10:07:59:09 10:08:02:16

It is the knowledgethat there is an ultimate reality

0139 10:08:02:16 10:08:06:08

which, although it's within myself,it's also out in the cosmos,

0140 10:08:06:08 10:08:08:02

in the projection of the universe.

0141 10:08:08:02 10:08:12:16

Jnana also means I must find a wayof reaching that ultimate reality

0142 10:08:12:16 10:08:16:15

and it is the knowledge that I needto develop to actually get there.

0143 10:08:16:15 10:08:20:05

What elements of jnanado you most do?

0144 10:08:20:05 10:08:23:02

I read scriptures.

0145 10:08:23:02 10:08:27:05

I actually read the writingsof many of our saints

0146 10:08:27:05 10:08:30:04

and I try to analysewhat they're actually teaching us,

0147 10:08:30:04 10:08:34:21

reasoning on what I've readand how I can relate that to myself

0148 10:08:34:21 10:08:37:19

and how I can progressin my spiritual journey from there.

0149 10:08:37:19 10:08:43:22

But I think I'm still a long wayaway from finding that elusive God.

0150 10:08:43:22 10:08:47:05

And which pathis the best one to take?

0151 10:08:47:05 10:08:50:06

There is no wrong path.All of them are correct.

0152 10:08:50:06 10:08:53:24

All of them are the right path andall are the best pathways to take.

0153 10:08:53:24 10:08:56:16

It depends on yourselfand your character.

0154 10:08:56:16 10:08:59:24

If you really are focusedon reasoning and your intellect,

0155 10:08:59:24 10:09:02:02

then jnaniis the better one for you.

0156 10:09:02:02 10:09:06:02

If you have the character for theother ones, they are better for you.

0157 10:09:06:02 10:09:10:09

They are all correct. They areall best, but they're best for you.

0158 10:09:10:09 10:09:12:10

(Ramana) The path of reason, jnana.

0159 10:09:12:10 10:09:16:12

Jnana yoga is for thinkersand those who like to reason.

0160 10:09:16:12 10:09:18:12

With this path,you want to reach God

0161 10:09:18:12 10:09:20:18

by clearly seeingwhat is real and permanent

0162 10:09:20:18 10:09:24:02

and what is not real but temporarythrough intellect.

0163 10:09:24:02 10:09:26:21

This yoga involves learningfrom the Hindu texts

0164 10:09:26:21 10:09:31:03

to help understand yourself and thenhow you fit into the universe.

0165 10:09:34:15 10:09:37:19

What would I have to do if I wantedto follow the path of raja yoga?

0166 10:09:37:19 10:09:39:21

First of allyou have to do meditation

0167 10:09:39:21 10:09:43:13

and meditation is to controlyour body and your mind.

0168 10:09:43:13 10:09:47:24

You do exercises to make your bodystrong and healthy,

0169 10:09:47:24 10:09:49:15

and to control your mind

0170 10:09:49:15 10:09:53:14

you need to sit stillfor very, very long periods of time

0171 10:09:53:14 10:09:57:07

and once your mind is still,it reflects God

0172 10:09:57:07 10:10:00:16

and that's enlightenment,union with God,

0173 10:10:00:16 10:10:04:10

and personalities like Buddhafollowed this path.

0174 10:10:04:10 10:10:06:05

Where is the best place to go?

0175 10:10:06:05 10:10:09:10

Ideally the best placewould be a quiet place,

0176 10:10:09:10 10:10:13:21

and you can put some incenseand close your eyes, relax,

0177 10:10:13:21 10:10:17:05

do a bit of breathing exerciseto calm your mind.

0178 10:10:17:05 10:10:19:24

If you keep doing it regularly,you'll get the habit

0179 10:10:19:24 10:10:22:17

and you can switch on and switch offwhenever you want.

0180 10:10:22:17 10:10:25:21

What goes through your mindwhen you're practising raja yoga?

0181 10:10:25:21 10:10:29:23

All sorts of thoughts keep coming,but I let them pass by.

0182 10:10:29:23 10:10:32:02

It makes me very calm and cool

0183 10:10:32:02 10:10:36:04

and very much in controlof my emotions,

0184 10:10:36:04 10:10:39:04

which is very helpful for everyone.

0185 10:10:39:04 10:10:41:08

(man) Om...

0186 10:10:41:08 10:10:43:20

(Roshni) The pathof meditation, raja.

0187 10:10:43:20 10:10:46:22

Raja is for peoplewho like to contemplate life.

0188 10:10:46:22 10:10:49:19

Through this path, the aimis to achieve enlightenment

0189 10:10:49:19 10:10:52:08

or union with Godthrough meditation.

0190 10:10:52:08 10:10:57:15

To do this, you have to learn howto control the body and the mind.

0191 10:11:02:24 10:11:05:06

So, what is karma yoga?

0192 10:11:05:06 10:11:07:05

The word "karma" means "action",

0193 10:11:07:05 10:11:09:22

so this is the path of finding Godthrough action.

0194 10:11:09:22 10:11:13:24

It's the best way of living a lifefull of action,

0195 10:11:13:24 10:11:16:07

at the same timeprogressing towards God.

0196 10:11:16:07 10:11:20:05

So I assume that generally activepeople are drawn towards this yoga.

0197 10:11:20:05 10:11:24:16

Indeed. It is very true. The peoplewho would be drawn to the karma yoga

0198 10:11:24:16 10:11:27:18

would be those peoplewho like to perceive God

0199 10:11:27:18 10:11:31:03

as, if you like, the underpinningto the whole universe.

0200 10:11:31:03 10:11:33:21

They see God not as a personalitysitting in heaven.

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And there are some peoplewho think the best way to find God

0202 10:11:37:00 10:11:40:15

would be to see this God sparklingin the eyes of every living thing

0203 10:11:40:15 10:11:43:04

they come across,especially mankind,

0204 10:11:43:04 10:11:45:14

and they like to workfor the benefit of mankind.

0205 10:11:45:14 10:11:48:24

Because even if you want to say thatI am not really keen to be active,

0206 10:11:48:24 10:11:51:05

your mind is all the timeactive anyway,

0207 10:11:51:05 10:11:53:18

so you might as welluse this activity

0208 10:11:53:18 10:11:55:14

in order to progress spiritually.

0209 10:11:55:14 10:11:58:13

So the way you translate thisinto practice is to say,

0210 10:11:58:13 10:12:02:15

rather than be ego-centred, justlooking after me and my family,

0211 10:12:02:15 10:12:04:17

I start beginning to think about

0212 10:12:04:17 10:12:07:13

how can I benefitthis society as a whole?

0213 10:12:07:13 10:12:09:16

And can you use pathways together,

0214 10:12:09:16 10:12:12:01

or do you have to usea specific pathway?

0215 10:12:12:01 10:12:14:09

I would focus on the karma pathway

0216 10:12:14:09 10:12:17:22

and might incorporate other pathwaysin my daily life.

0217 10:12:17:22 10:12:21:02

OK. To achieve the same experience.

0218 10:12:21:02 10:12:23:20

The path of work, karma.

0219 10:12:23:20 10:12:28:00

Karma is suited to thosewho are active and love to work.

0220 10:12:28:00 10:12:30:02

Those who take this pathaim to reach God

0221 10:12:30:02 10:12:33:03

through selfless,God-centred action.

0222 10:12:33:03 10:12:37:07

Karma involves doing things forthe good of everyone, not the self.

0223 10:12:40:19 10:12:43:24

Which pathway do you thinkis best suited to yourselves?

0224 10:12:43:24 10:12:47:11

(Meera) Personally I findbhakta yoga really interesting.

0225 10:12:47:11 10:12:51:01

It's very accessiblein my daily life and my routine.

0226 10:12:51:01 10:12:54:00

I also agree.Bhakta yoga's probably the way to go

0227 10:12:54:00 10:12:56:19

because you can showyour love towards God

0228 10:12:56:19 10:12:59:07

and that's for me the best way.

0229 10:12:59:07 10:13:03:08

I thought karma yoga was quite good.It can fit into your lifestyle.

0230 10:13:03:08 10:13:07:08

It's a lot more activeand you're helping others as well.

0231 10:13:07:08 10:13:11:18

I think raja yoga is something thatyou might need time for and it's...

0232 10:13:11:18 10:13:15:08

- It doesn't really fit in.- It doesn't suit our lifestyle.

0233 10:13:15:08 10:13:18:23

So do you think that we can actuallysay which pathway is the best?

0234 10:13:18:23 10:13:22:21

You can't choose, but you can choosewhich one's the best for yourself.

0235 10:13:22:21 10:13:25:03

It depends onan individual's temperament

0236 10:13:25:03 10:13:26:24

and the society they live in.

0237 10:13:26:24 10:13:30:24

If you try and make everyonefollow one path of reaching God,

0238 10:13:30:24 10:13:34:10

it is virtually impossible becausepeople will, in their own minds,

0239 10:13:34:10 10:13:37:19

find their own ways, so everyoneis different in that sense.

0240 10:13:37:19 10:13:40:06

I think that'swhat my expert was saying,

0241 10:13:40:06 10:13:43:10

that pluralism in our religion,different pathways to God,

0242 10:13:43:10 10:13:46:20

allows you to view God - it's onegod - but view it differently.

0243 10:13:46:20 10:13:50:06

Once you've conquered one path,you've conquered them all.

0244 10:13:50:06 10:13:53:06

- Everything reconciles.- Yeah, exactly.

0245 10:13:55:21 10:13:59:03

Visiontext Subtitles:Margaret Burke

0246 10:13:59:03 10:14:01:03

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