Divine Play, Sacred Laughter, and Spiritual UnderstandingThis study in the relationship between religion and the comic focuses on the ways in which the latter fulfils a central function in the sacred understanding of reality of pre-modern cultures and the spiritual life of religious traditions. The central thesis is that figures such as tricksters, sacred clowns, and holy fools play an essential role in bridging the gap between the divine and the human by integrating the element of disequilibrium that results from the contact between incommensurable realities. This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural series of essays is devoted to spiritual, anthropological, and literary characters and phenomena that point to a deeper understanding of the various mythological, ceremonial, and mystical ways in which the fundamental ambiguity of existence is symbolized and acted out. Given its interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective, this volume will appeal to scholars from a variety of fields. |
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Contents
| 1 | |
| 9 | |
Chapter 2 Ambiguity of the Demiurge | 17 |
Chapter 3 Dionysus Shiva Osiris | 40 |
Chapter 4 Divine Troublemakers | 61 |
Chapter 5 Coyote and Kin | 77 |
Chapter 6 Reading the Tricksters Footsteps | 95 |
Chapter 7 Thundering Clowns | 101 |
Chapter 8 Spiritual Laughter | 119 |
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Common terms and phrases
ability Absolute affinity akin al-Khidr alludes allusion Amaterasu ambiguity appears archetypes Arlecchino aspect associated Âtman become behavior burlesque character Christ Christian clown comic consciousness considered context contrast Coyote Coyote’s defined demiurgic dhikr dimension Dionysus divine domain duality element embodies entails envisaged Eulenspiegel evil expressed fact folly fool’s foolish Frithjof Schuon function God’s gods Hamlet Hermes heyoka highlighted Hodja holy fool human humor Ibid immanence infinite intelligence involves Islamic Kabbalah kind Lakota latter laugh laughter Loki madness malâmî man’s manifestation mankind Mâyâ means metaphysical Metatron mode mystery mystical myth nature negation one’s ontological Osiris Pantagruel Panurge paradox perspective play Plutarch principle prophet psychic Qur’ân reality realm refers relationship relative role sacred sacred clown sense sexual Shiva social soul speak standpoint stories Sufi Sufism suggests supreme symbolic Symeon terrestrial thereby things Thoth tion tradition transcendence transgression tricks trickster truth unity University vocation wisdom words worldly yurodivy
Bibliographic information
| Title | Divine Play, Sacred Laughter, and Spiritual Understanding |
| Author | P. Laude |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Springer, 2005 |
| ISBN | 1403980586, 9781403980588 |
| Length | 273 pages |
| Subjects | › › Literary Criticism / General Philosophy / Religious Religion / Comparative Religion Religion / General Religion / Philosophy Religion / Spirituality Social Science / Sociology / General Social Science / Sociology of Religion |
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