Sacred Space Timeless Time: Reality and the Existence of Hang Tuah

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