Gauḍīya cosmopsychism: a Gauḍīya Vedāntic approach to the cosmopsychist Individuation Problem
Asian Journal of Philosophy June 17, 2026 Kshitish Sharma, Gyan Prakash
A philosophical paper examines the metaphysics of consciousness through the Mādhva Gauḍīya Vedānta tradition of Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism. It finds that while this Hindu school shares cosmopsychism's view of universal consciousness, it maintains a dualist metaphysics. The tradition posits the jīvātmā as an eternal individual consciousness, dependent on yet ontologically distinct from the paramātmā. The interplay between these conscious principles and an inert material matrix (prakṛti) is proposed as a model for probing mind-matter relations. The conception of "dual consciousness" spanning unified and individuated domains offers insights into resolving the "Individuation Problem" within cosmopsychist frameworks.