Abstract
What is real? Perhaps it lies in the concrete and tangible evidence of the existence of a person, or the occurrence of a historical event (or the profane dimension of reality). Yet intangibles (or the sacred dimension of reality) such as what we believe and what we feel are equally valid bases of our reality. Focusing on possibilities about the existence of Hang Tuah, warrior par excellence of the Malay world, the essay addresses issues of reality and existence. Initially, definitions of what is “real” and “reality” are explicated. Subsequently, drawing on Mircea Eliade’s ideas on the sacred and profane dimensions and based on hermeneutical principles of interpretation, the discussion explores the possibility of the existence of Hang Tuah. The discussion moves from a literal understanding (the text), to the literary language of Hikayat Hang Tuah (the subtext), to metaphysical considerations (the metatext). The essay presents a viewpoint of a traditional Malay society which participates in a sacred universe. Using the secular view as counterpoint, the essay explores different dimensions of time and space in the spiritual reality of Hang Tuah. It concludes that in order to constitute a holistic view of reality, both the corporeal and the incorporeal dimensions are necessary. Keywords: Hang Tuah, Malay traditional worldview, myth, reality, sacred universe, spiritual viewpoint
Highlights
In a secular and scientific context, empirical evidence determines the reality and truth of a certain phenomenon or person
If a historian were to discover a document stating that Hang Tuah was born on a certain date in a certain place, the truth of that document would be subject to scrutiny as to its authenticity and source
Scholars and the lay person who subscribe to the secular view, and who declare that only empirical evidence is admissible, should consider that empirical evidence has been acknowledged, time and again, to be subjective, inconclusive, personal or even spurious
Summary
In a secular and scientific context, empirical evidence determines the reality and truth of a certain phenomenon or person. An additional semantic sphere of “real” in the Webster definition that is applicable in the validation of Hang Tuah’s existence and reality, is in the definition, “relating to practical or everyday concerns or activities” (13) It is well-known that Hang Tuah is seen as a template of behaviour in numerous ways that relate to beliefs and practices in the daily lives of traditional Malay society. Secular understanding a myth commonly refers to something which is fictitious and/or fabricated, Eliade espouses the view of traditional societies in which myth represents the absolute truth In such a worldview, all myths relate to origins. For both Gadamer and Ricouer, dialogue involves dialectics, whereby all contradictions and conflicting forces that come into play have to be worked out in the process of investigating the truth
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