韋伯論佛教在中國：一項明顯誤解還是一個未被發掘的問題？

Buddhism in China According to Max Weber: A Clear Misunderstanding or a Problem Not Yet Explored?

韋伯作品始終是有爭議的。假若連《基督新教倫理與資本主義精神》(Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus)這部論及西方近代文化起源的作品，都無可避免地陷入持續百年不休的爭議之中，那麼他對異文明的比較研究更是如此。在《儒教與道教》(Konfuzianismus undTaoismus)一書中，作者似乎忽略了對中國社會影響深遠的佛教，竟然以極少的篇幅低估其重要性。無論在德國還是法國學界，人們都很少提到中國佛教缺席的問題。在英語系國家裡，某些漢學家注意到這個不可思議的「處理手法」，不過卻將之歸咎於韋伯不識中文、或者其作品浸淫在一種歐洲中心主義所致。然而，事實真的就是如此嗎？若能察覺到韋伯留下的種種「線索」，這也許即為一值得探討、以致研究韋伯的專家們不應繼續忽略下去的「問題」。

The controversy defines the situation of the work of Max Weber. As Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus discussing the origin of modern Western culture has inevitably mired in violent discussions which lasted over a hundred years, the difficulties facing his comparative study of foreign cultures are conceivable. In Konfuzianismus und Taoismus, it seems that the author does not take care of Buddhism to the influence which the Chinese society was submitted, by underestimating with very few pages the importance of this religion. In Germany as in France, one seldom speaks about the question of Chinese Buddhism. In Anglo-Saxon countries, especially the USA, a certain number of Sinologists take into account this "method of treatment", but charging the impression that Weber does not know the Chinese language, or that his work was imbued with an euro-centrism. However, is it the truth? If we can aware that Weber left the various "clues", this would be a problematic so noteworthy that Weber's experts should not lose sight of.