Basic Beliefs of Chaitanya Vaishnavism

In my mind and experience, the basic beliefs of Chaitanya Vaishnavism are:

Belief in God-dess as the Divine Couple, Radha Krishna. Radha is superior to Krishna in the sense of dominating him by her love which is what is really important and worship-able. Otherwise, they are co-equal God and Goddess, two halves of one whole, the embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss, the cause of all causes, the ground of all being, the goal of our longings, most merciful and loving to their devotees, the well-wishers of all, who can be experienced by their devotees in every aspect of creation, within their hearts and minds, as well as in the eternal spiritual world, Goloka Vrindaban.

Around 500 years ago, Radha Krishna incarnated as Krishna Chaitanya, our Eastern savior, who showed us how to love Radha Krishna by his example and teachings which his followers developed into a popular devotional movement that is considered to be the essence of Vedic teachings and the best way to attain union with God-dess.

This devotional process emphasizes a spontaneous approach to God-dess in which one cultivates an eternal relationship with them, which is most often of an erotic nature and considered to be the highest loving relationship attainable. One becomes a confidant of Radha and experiences the highest bliss through bringing about the union of the Divine Couple and vicariously experiencing Radha’s feelings.

One usually becomes initiated into this process by a spiritual teacher who is part of a recognized line of teachers. One uses one’s teacher, other saintly practitioners and the mythological residents of Vrindaban as role models for one’s devotion and undergoes a personal transformation like an actor preparing for a role becoming that role as an eternal spiritual identity.
Everything is the play of God-dess. The living entities are separated parts and parcels of God-dess who are one in quality with God-dess and different in quantity. Each spirit soul is like a halogram containing the whole in microcosm. The material world is a real but temporary reflection of the spiritual world in which we are to grow spiritually and find our connection to God-dess which frees us from repeated birth and death and allows us entry into the eternal pastimes of Goloka.

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