Making Sense of Early Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Mystical Theology: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of History and Mysticism

Jīva Gosvāmin, a 16th–17th century Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava theologian, advanced a theory of mystical pluralism that parallels Steven Katz's constructivist thesis from over four centuries later. Both argue that mystical experiences are shaped by prior learning, conceptual frameworks, and expectations. Research on cognition, learning, and perception supports the idea that practices Jīva described help individuals internalize a specific conception of divine reality, including what it feels like to experience it. As these concepts become deeply internalized, they influence perception and create conditions for experiences that align with what one has learned to expect.

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Abstract

Abstract:Jīva Gosvāmin (16th–17th c.), one of the most important of the early Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava theologians, argues for a unique theory of mystical pluralism that shares critical parallels with the highly influential constructivist thesis advanced by Steven Katz, albeit separated by more than four hundred years. These parallels suggest a shared insight into the cognitive dynamics underpinning mystical experiences, which research on cognition and learning, conceptual processing, and perception helps explain. These researches suggest the practices with which Jīva is concerned serve as strategies that help one increasingly learn and internalize a particular conception of divine reality, what it is like to experience it, and an expectation that one will experience it. As these become increasingly internalized, they influence one’s perceptions and experiences relative to what one has learned, creating favorable conditions for the emergence of experiences that reflect, at least to some extent, what one expects to experience.