synopsis templatearchive.teachfind.com/ttv/static.teachers.tv/shared/files/10413.doc · web...
TRANSCRIPT
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.
0201 10:11:33:21 10:11:37:00
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
www.visiontext.co.uk