Gauḍīya cosmopsychism: a Gauḍīya Vedāntic approach to the cosmopsychist Individuation Problem

Abstract

This paper explores the metaphysics of consciousness through the lens of Mādhva Gauḍīya Vedānta, a Hindu philosophical tradition within Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism. It primarily examines how this school’s concepts relate to contemporary cosmopsychism. While resonating with cosmopsychist views of universal consciousness, the Gauḍīya perspective maintains a dualist metaphysics. It posits the jīvātmā as an eternal individual consciousness, dependent on yet ontologically distinct from the paramātmā . The interplay between conscious principles ( paramātmā and jīvātmā ) and an inert material matrix ( prakṛti ) is proposed as a model for probing mind-matter relations. It suggests that the Mādhva Gauḍīya tradition’s conception of “dual consciousness” spanning unified and individuated domains offers insights into resolving key unresolved issues within cosmopsychist frameworks, especially the “Individuation Problem”.