Speaker
Description
One of the most enduring debates within the study of religion over the last century and half has been how to make sense of the plurality of mystical experiences found in the human record (James, 1902; Zaehner, 1957; Stace, 1960; Katz, 1978; Forman, 1990; Taves, 2009). This question, however, is not new nor confined to modern academic discourse and theological speculation. There is a rich history in Indian theological and philosophical thought that has recognized and developed various theories relative to their particular worldview. Among these, Jīva Gosvāmin (ca. 16th c.)—one of the early architects of early Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava theology—offers an innovative model of mystical pluralism in which different scripturally-sanctioned paths of yoga lead to the ability (yogyatā) to directly perceive (sākṣātkāra) divine reality (tattva) without attributes as brahman or with attributes as a form of bhagavān. While traditional historiographical research is critical for gaining insight into the influence of the context and history of the ideas informing such models, contemporary psychological research can offer us insight into the influence of human psychological processes. To this end, I argue cognitive research on learning (Rumelhart, et al, 1976; Bechtel et al, 2002), attribution theories (Spilka et al, 1985; Malle, 2004), and conceptual processing theories (Al-Issa, 1995; Aleman and Larøi, 2008) suggests that paths of yoga can serve as learning strategies that transform how one cognitively processes information. In so doing, they create favorable cognitive conditions for the emergence of experiences reflective of what one has trained and learned to experience.
