Lo universal en lo particular

Una aproximación desde el budismo Huayan

Abstract

Throughout history, the relationship between the universal and the particular has been outlined from multiple perspectives in different philosophical traditions. This relationship is often presented as problematic, especially when the emphasis falls on one of the two poles, i.e., in issues such as cultural identity or the place of individuality in the face of an all-encompassing totality. We propose an approach to this question starting from Buddhist thought of the Huayan school, where the relationship between the universal and the particular is conceived in terms of identity. The complementarity and non-duality between the two concepts derives from a way of thinking of the whole as equally expressed in each of its parts. The Huayan emphasis on the equality of all things suggests an harmonious view of the world, but it also opens up questions about the extent to which reciprocity and interchangeability suppress the distinction between things, forcing us to rethink what we mean by identity, truth or the value we assign to contradiction.