Michael Phelps and the Thirty-Two Marks of the Great Man (Mahāpuruṣa Lakṣaṇas)
Overview
In this module, students will become familiar with the thirty-two marks of the Great Man (mahāpuruṣa lakṣaṇas) through a comparison between the Buddha and Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps.
Embodied Experience
In this embodied experience, students will learn about competitive swimming through a series of dry-land postural exercises.
Viewing of Michael Phelps 200m IM Rio 2016:
Reading: “Why Michael Phelps Has the Perfect Body for Swimming,” Colleen de Bellefonds
Content
In the content section of this module, students will be introduced to two Buddhist primary sources that describe the thirty-two marks of the Great Man.
Readings:
Listening:
“The Marks of a Great Man,” Lakkhaņa Sutta (Dīgha Nikāya 30 of 34). Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. Read by Roland Kitchen.
This presents the brahmanical prophecy of the Great Man, and explains the 32 marks in detail. This discourse contains some of the latest and most complex verse forms in the canon.
Assignment 1 of 2
The first part of the assignment for this module will challenge students to think about inclusivity in elite athletics and Buddhist monasticism.
Viewing of Women’s Paralympic 200m IM SM7 Rio 2016:
Reading: 84000’s Pravrajyāvastu (Section 6)
Assignment 2 of 2
The second part of the assignment section of this module will ask students to reflect upon their learning experiences in this module.
Discussion Questions & Additional Resources
Readings:
- LaVaque-Manty, M., (2005) “Equal Opportunity to Meaningful Competitions: Disability Rights and Justice in Sports”, Disability Studies Quarterly 25 (3)
- Bejoian, L., (2006) “Nondualistic Paradigms in Disability Studies and Buddhism: Creating Bridges for Theoretical Practice”, Disability Studies Quarterly 26 (3).
Cite This Module
Gerjan Altenburg. 2023. “Michael Phelps and the Thirty-Two Marks of the Great Man (Mahāpuruṣa Lakṣaṇas).” In Stephanie Balkwill and Amy Langenberg (eds.), Buddhist Bodies Collective. https://buddhistbodies.com/378-2/extraordinary-bodies/michael-phelps-and-the-thirty-two-marks-of-the-great-man/
Author Bio: Gerjan Altenburg
Dr. Gerjan Altenburg is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He researches Buddhist monasticism. Recently, he has been putting contemporary court cases from Canada’s Maritime provinces into conversation with premodern, Indian Buddhist monastic law codes (vinaya texts).
Email: galtenbu@stfx.ca