We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

WALT
We are learning to:
Analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings.

WILF
What I’m looking for is that you can say:
• I can hear about the religious and historical
context of his teachings.
• I can write a speech to persuade people to
focus on the essence of religion.
• I can discuss how to apply his teachings to
problems today.
 We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

The Religious and Historical Context

In 1486, in the year of Lord Chaitanya’s

appearance, India was largely under foreign rule
(Muslim mughals).
• This meant that public displays of being a
Hindu were mostly forbidden (as it is in most
Muslim countries today).
 We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

• Hinduism was typically practiced in a sectarian

and ritualistic way. For example, the caste
system was corrupt and based on birth instead
of qualification.
• The different sections of Hindu society didn’t
cooperate with each other and often even
tried to harm one another.
We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan movement

worked to improve the situation by:

• Encouraging everyone to cooperate and practice

the essence of religion – to develop our love for
God – instead of fighting over different rules and
rituals.
• Proving that the caste system (properly called
Varnashrama) should actually be based on
qualification and not birth, and that anyone,
regardless of birth, could be a priest.
We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

• Encouraging public displays of Hinduism, mainly

chanting Hare Krishna on the streets, and the the
first historical acts of public disobedience.
• Speaking with the Muslim rulers to try and explain
that there is only one God.
 We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

Persuasive Writing
• Imagine it is 16th century and you are part of
Sri Chaitanya’s movement.
• Soon you’ll write a speech which tries to
convince people that there is one God and
that they should focus on the essence of
religion (to love God) and to cooperate with
each other instead of fighting amongst each
other.
We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings
We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings
 We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

Do you remember the main

teaching’s of Sri Chaitanya?

• Simultaneous oneness and difference of the soul and

God.
• Be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant
than a tree, always offering respect to others and never
expecting any in return. Then you can chant the holy
name of Krishna constantly. – Shikshastakam, verse 3.
 We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

Circle Time

• How do you think the teachings of Lord

Chaitanya are relevant today?
• Do you think that there is religious
discrimination today?
• How should we use what we know about Lord
Chaitanya to address any problems that we
see today?
 We are learning to analyse the relevance of Sri Chaitanya’s teachings

Reflect

• What have you learnt today that you didn’t

know before?