Abstract
This paper attempts to examine how humans could attain spiritual freedom through “play”. Considering “play” as the primordial activity of human beings, how “playful humans” could be spiritually free without tiding to utilitarianism or hedonism. In the face of “rationalism”, humans are expected to strictly follow imperatives. Humans are indeed not allowed to play freely—to play without any particular purposes. By re-reading some of the discourses posited by both Eastern and Western intellectual traditions, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity for instances, this paper will argue that “play” somewhat is one of the means, or even a “preferred” means to attain spiritual freedom. In so saying, it does not mean that “spiritual freedom” is ironically taken as something to strive for, but rather embedded in play or the play itself signifies it. There is in fact an inseparable relationship between “playful humans” and spiritual freedom, believing that the latter is not confined to an individual, but also embraces the communal.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2009 |