Abstract

[Some cursory remarks on the influence of Huayan on Neo-Confucianism] It seems to be common Sinological knowledge that the complementary notions of “structure”(li) and “affairs”(more commonly:“events”, shi) have had a pervasive impact on Neo-Confucianism. And yet, a cursory comparison of the conceptualizations of the term li suggests that this assertion needs some qualification: While the emphasis on the term li mirrors Buddhist influence, the Cheng-Zhu school’s concept of li may be termed genuinely Confucian. This calls to mind an easily overlooked, yet rather widespread mechanism in religious and philosophical contacts.