Religion
Go and Philosophy
Go and Religion
In the past, there were Buddhist monks whose primary activity was to play Go.
Some speculate ancient go boards were used for divination.
Go is so old that it certainly has dogma and tradition, as many religions do. Go players spend more time playing go than many "religious" people go to church (daily, not weekly)
Go Clubs are houses of worship, and our best players (pros) are clergy. The devout students study the works of the clergy...
Go is so sublime that it is surely mystical
"Since I started playing Go, I've applied some of its concepts to my daily life, and guide some of my choices by them."
Phelan, from discussion page.
Also, see GameOfLife's homepage and Sebastian/All I need to know I learned from Go.
Go teaches us about ourselves
.. as we analyse our own mental process and the mental activity during this process.
"Go is just a game. However, the nature of the game allows it to provide a window into everyday situations. The choices made in a simple game turn out to be deeply representative of one's true character. When I play go, I am offered a window into another's complete spirit, and my own nature becomes transparent."
-- Jesse Chao, from AGA-EJ Volume 5, #62