''Ludus amoris'' is a term in the Western
mystical
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
tradition that refers to the divine play (play of God). The term is in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and may first have been used by the Christian mystic
Henry Suso
Henry Suso, OP (also called Amandus, a name adopted in his writings, and Heinrich Seuse or Heinrich von Berg in German; 21 March 1295 – 25 January 1366) was a German Dominican friar and the most popular vernacular writer of the fourteenth cen ...
(1300–1366). The term has also been used in the titles of works of literature and music.
''Ludus amoris'' is a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
-derived term from the Western
mystical
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
tradition. Literally, "''ludus amoris''" means "game of love".
According to
Evelyn Underhill
Evelyn Underhill (6 December 1875 – 15 June 1941) was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism. Her best-known is ''Mysticism'', published ...
's ''Mysticism'',
According to Windeatt, "The notion of the play of love (''ludus amoris'') probably derives via
Suso from ''
Stimulus Amoris''. The Middle English version of
Suso's ''Horologium'' refers to 'þe pleye of loue þe which I am wonte to vse in an amarose sowle'."
See also
*
Lila (Hinduism)
Lila ( sa, लीला ') or leela () can be loosely translated as "divine play". The concept of lila is common to both non-dualist and dualist philosophical schools of Indian philosophy, but has a markedly different significance in each. With ...
, the divine play
References
External links
Example of ''ludus amoris'' in ''Horologium'' of Henry Suso (Google book image)
{{Authority control
Latin religious words and phrases
Mysticism