Specific running practices of certain regions of the East: the experience of philosophical analysis

Abstract

The subject of this research is the sociocultural conditionality of specific running practices of certain regions of the ancient and modern East, which reflect the basic worldview attitudes of the authentic religious-philosophical traditions and social patterns that are characteristic to the Eastern type of civilizations. In light of the crisis of Coubertin's Olympism as a social movement and ideology, civilization of the East vividly demonstrates the importance of comprehensive spiritual development, which prompts the extraordinary physical achievements. The running experience of the Buddhist monks proves that namely in the sphere of higher ideal values is the elevating source of the need for physical perfection, and the existential goal of a human lies in continuous improvement of own capabilities, development of spiritual and bodily unity, “enlightenment”, and pursuit of harmony with the cosmos. The following conclusions were made: 1. Specific running practices of the ancient East are not competitive in nature, being just one of the means for achieving spiritual liberation. 2. Running in the ancient East was often considered as a type of dynamic meditation, which defines its uniqueness. 3. The unique training techniques of the Buddhist monks were the true methods for fulfilling the higher levels of spiritual and physical potential, which proves their universal humanistic value. 4. The social significance of specific running locomotion found its reflection in performing by bhikkhu of the secular function of heralds and religious-magic functions of personal confirmation of attainability of moksha and incantation of evil spirits. 5. The peculiarity of running in the East in the modern context is substantiated by its large-scale involvement, nonreligious motivation, capability to unite cultural principles of the Western and Eastern civilizations, serve as the means of consolidation of people, as well as express the national spirit and be form of women's emancipation.