Reappraising Objects of Desire Through Practices of Devotion

A Cognitive Historiographical Approach to Religious Claims in Medieval India

Authors

  • Travis Chilcott Iowa State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jcsr.31055

Keywords:

Hinduism, Cognitive Historiography, Religion and Science, Bhakti, Desire, Schema Theory, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava

Abstract

Desires for mundane objects have been a central problem of soteriological concern in the development of many Indian traditions. Accordingly, they developed various methods for regulating and preventing them. But why would these practices be effective? To answer this question, I focus on the theology of the early Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, a sixteenth and seventeenth century Hindu path of devotion that innovatively adopted and adapted practices of devotion commonly practiced in India. Drawing on desire-regulation and schema theory research, I argue that many of these practices would help prevent and minimize unwanted desires for mundane objects because they help one learn to reappraise mundane objects in terms of the Gaudiya worldview with increasing cognitive efficiency. In so doing, they are likely to increase one's ability to delay gratifying unwanted desires, minimize and prevent their emergence, reduce reflective and automatic positive evaluations and increase devaluations of mundane objects of desire and regulate response behavior in desirable ways.

Author Biography

  • Travis Chilcott, Iowa State University

    Travis Chilcott is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University. He completed his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2011 and holds an M.St. in the Study of Religion from the University of Oxford. He is currently the co-chair for the Cognitive Science of Religion Group of the American Academy of Religion. His research interests include cognitive historiography, cognitive science of religion, psychology of religion, science and religion, South Asian religions, Hindu devotional traditions, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition(s), encounters with deities, and religious experiences.

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Published

2017-02-01

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Section

Articles

How to Cite

Chilcott, T. (2017). Reappraising Objects of Desire Through Practices of Devotion: A Cognitive Historiographical Approach to Religious Claims in Medieval India. Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, 3(2), 155-181. https://doi.org/10.1558/jcsr.31055

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