| Summary: | 博士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 體育學系 === 93 === Abstract
This thesis argues that people can become transformed and “spiritually enlightened”, specifically in the realm of sport and physical activity. Regarding sacred phenomenon in the world, how can an ordinary tree be transformed into a “holy tree”? In the world of sports, how can a marathon race become a “sacred journey”? How can a gymnasium be turned into a “Temple of God”? How can a near-fatal climbing accident in the forest result in a “sacred space-time”? In essence, the key concept of this thesis is to extend the ideas of Mercia Eliade in The Sacred and the Profane, in order to explain the dialectical relation between physical activity and spiritual enlightenment in the world of sport.
Some scholars today maintain that “sport is the modern man''s religion”, and that many sporting events demonstrate a religious perspective by both the participants and the spectators, on an individual level and in the collective. (See Jay Coakley, Sport and Society: Issues and Controversies, 2001.) For example, the ancient Olympic Games were sacred rituals held in order to honor the god Zeus. In addition, when the author experienced a near-fatal accident while hiking in the mountains, the trauma made him aware of the deep influence of the body upon the mind, causing him to reassess his values. These two examples of the body-mind-spirit connection were the inspiration for this thesis.
Analyzing the mountain accident experience, three themes came to light: first, “the meaning of the suffering”; secondly, “the value of death and rebirth”; and third, “the emergence of the sacred space-time”. These three themes form the main focus of this research.
The meaning of suffering deals with the ascetic reaction to pain, and how it creates the opportunity to enter the religious space. The meaning of suffering in the world of sport reveals the spiritual side of “injury”, “training”, “suffering and shared suffering”, and also represents the structure of “offering sacrifices” and “losing a part and gaining the whole”, thereby creating opportunities to enter a religious space.
The value of death and rebirth can be illustrated by a quote from Heidegger: “A person dying before death will not die while dying.” A traumatic accident forces one to place the value of life itself above social values such as honor, fame or wealth. Due to the trauma of the near-death experience, some original perspectives will die although the individual will survive. Zen philosophy teaches that he who wants to solve the problem of life and death must completely detatch himself from his ego, which is what Zen calls “complete death”. It is only in complete death that one finds “true life”. To live in true life is to break the antinomy of life and death. “Rebirth”, then, can be taken from the interpretation of the “play world” (Eugene Fink, “The Ontology of Play”, 1988): Sacred ontology = Religious Person and Awareness + Ritual celebration festival. The sacred is thus constructed by “the entity” (the religious person, with awareness) and “the simulation”, which is the ritual celebration in which the entity enters “the transition state” or “liminality” and experiences purification and rebirth through the reproduction of ritual.
Rebirth in sacred space-time, based on Fink’s ontology, requires four simultaneous conditions: “a sacred time and space”, “the bridge of ritual activity”, “emptying of the ego” and “revealing of the memory of the true self”. Surprisingly, these four conditions can be used to explain the creation of the “sacred time-space” not only in the mountain accident experience, but also in sport and religion. Many subtle aspects, such as suffering, sacrifice, payment, sympathizing with others, reproduction of the ritual, and purification of the body and mind can be found in all three examples.
Finally, what does it mean to be human? Throughout history, philosophers have separately proposed that people have “intellect” (Homo Sapiens), “creative ability” (Homo Faber), and “the ability to play” (Homo Ludens). The main contribution of this thesis lies in proposing that people are also “religious” (Homo Religiosus), or more clearly put, become “spiritually enlightened” in their daily activities. Spiritual enlightenment is brought about by ontology and the four conditions outlined above.
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