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Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on...
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Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on Old Uyghur Buddhism and Buddhist Scriptures

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 5762

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Abdurishid Yakup

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Research Centre for Primary Sources of the Ancient World, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jägerstraße 22-23, 10117 Berlin, Germany
2. School of Minority Languages and Literatures, Minzu University of China, Zhongguancun South Road 27, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: Old Uyghur manuscripts with Buddhist, Manichaean; transmission of astral, religious and linguistic knowledge; plurilingualism on the Silk Road

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The historical record is unclear regarding the introduction of Buddhism to the Uyghurs. However, from the second half of the 11th century, Buddhism gradually replaced Manichaeism as the dominant religion among Uyghurs. Buddhism thrived among the Uyghurs from the 11th to the 14th centuries, particularly in the Qocho, Beshbaliq and Ganzhou regions. This period left behind a significant number of manuscripts and block prints with Buddhist content. During the early period of Old Uyghur Buddhism, translations were mainly sourced from Tocharian. However, later, Chinese became the primary source of translation, although some texts were also translated from Sanskrit and Tibetan. Old Uyghur Buddhists not only translated texts, but also created their own literature. They rewrote some Buddhist texts, composed stories and alliterative poems with Buddhist content and left various notes on the manuscripts they read or sponsored, as well as on the walls of the temples they visited.  Brahmi letters and Chinese characters were commonly used in Old Uyghur Buddhist manuscript culture. Old Uyghur Buddhists recited Chinese Buddhist scriptures in the Inherited Uyghur Pronunciation of Chinese, using a similar method known as Ondoku in Japanese Buddhist practice. They also established a system of Uyghur reading of Chinese characters, which is similar to Kundoku in Japanese Buddhist practice. This Special Issue aims to explore aspects of Old Uyghur Buddhism and the unique manuscript culture of the Old Uyghurs, who played an important role in the transmission of religion, knowledge and techniques on the ancient Northern Silk Road.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions dedicating to the discussion of various aspects of Old Uyghur Buddhism, including a historical review, research on monastic life and religious practices in Old Uyghur Buddhist society, and the interaction and conflicts between Old Uyghur Buddhism and other religions such as Manichaeism, Christianity, Daoism and Islam. It gives special place for the contributions that discusses various aspects of Old Uyghur Buddhist scriptures, including manuscript culture, editions or re-editions of Old Uyghur Buddhist texts, translation techniques and linguistic features. We welcome reviews of recent research on Old Uyghur Buddhism, Old Uyghur manuscript culture and research on Old Uyghur Buddhist scriptures. We are delighted to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Prof. Dr. Abdurishid Yakup (yakup@bbaw.de), or to the Assistant Editor of Religions, Ms. Margaret Liu (margaret.liu@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Abdurishid Yakup
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • Old Uyghur Buddhism
  • Old Uyghur manuscript culture
  • transmission of religious knowledge
  • interaction of religions
  • translation technique of Buddhist scriptures
  • plurilingualism
  • Dunhuang
  • Turfan
  • the Northern Silk Road

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2037 KiB  
Article
Two Fragments of the Old Uyghur Saṃyuktāgama from the Berlin Turfan Collection
by Binghan Sun
Religions 2025, 16(4), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040473 - 7 Apr 2025
Viewed by 322
Abstract
The Āgamas hold significant importance in the context of Old Uyghur Buddhism, as evidenced by the discovery of over 100 fragments of Old Uyghur translations from Turfan and Dunhuang. Of particular significance are the two fragments housed in the Berlin Turfan Collection, [...] Read more.
The Āgamas hold significant importance in the context of Old Uyghur Buddhism, as evidenced by the discovery of over 100 fragments of Old Uyghur translations from Turfan and Dunhuang. Of particular significance are the two fragments housed in the Berlin Turfan Collection, U 5464 and U 5501, which contain an Old Uyghur translation of the Chinese Saṃyuktāgama, inscribed on both sides of a repurposed Manichaean manuscript. These fragments correspond to the 22nd and 23rd fascicles of the Chinese source text. This study provides a comprehensive introduction and an edition of these two fragments, accompanied by a comparative analysis with a parallel Old Uyghur translation from Manuscript N, housed in Tokyo. The analysis reveals significant variations, particularly in translation strategies, suggesting the existence of multiple Old Uyghur versions of the text. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on Old Uyghur Buddhism and Buddhist Scriptures)
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24 pages, 11065 KiB  
Article
Forgotten Nunneries: A Challenge to Our Understanding of the Rock “Monasteries” of Kucha
by Qian Wang and Giuseppe Vignato
Religions 2025, 16(2), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020148 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 827
Abstract
The existence of Buddhist nuns (bhikṣuṇīs) in Kucha is documented in Chinese Buddhist literature and further validated by the fragments of the Bhikṣuṇīprātimokṣasūtra recovered from sites in the region. Through the analysis of archaeological remains, this paper explores whether it is [...] Read more.
The existence of Buddhist nuns (bhikṣuṇīs) in Kucha is documented in Chinese Buddhist literature and further validated by the fragments of the Bhikṣuṇīprātimokṣasūtra recovered from sites in the region. Through the analysis of archaeological remains, this paper explores whether it is possible to identify the nunneries where bhikṣuṇīs resided. While the emphasis is placed on the rock monasteries of Kucha, contemporary material from other areas of China will be examined to facilitate a better understanding of the role, form and functionality of these Kuchean nunneries. Through an examination of the location and degree of concealment within the sites, as well as pictorial representation, this paper provides a tentative identification of the nunnery sites in Kucha. By locating women within the archaeological record, this identification adds a crucial dimension to the already complex archaeological picture of Kucha. Although the role of women in Kucha has previously been overlooked, a clear acknowledgement of their presence and a focus on their location within the archaeological landscape will allow for a better understanding of the Buddhist remains in Kucha. Currently, differences among rock monasteries are interpreted only in terms of chronological or doctrinal variations. However, as this paper highlights, some of these variations are due to the gender of the site’s occupant, essentially whether the site was a monastery or a nunnery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on Old Uyghur Buddhism and Buddhist Scriptures)
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16 pages, 8972 KiB  
Article
On the Old Uyghur Fragments of the Bāvari Narrative Housed in the Berlin Turfan Collection
by Ayşe Kılıç Cengiz
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121524 - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1061
Abstract
The ancient oasis of Turfan, located on the Northern Silk Road, was a centre for interactions between the East and the West and witnessed numerous cultural, religious, and linguistic changes throughout history. A large number of texts were composed, translated, copied, and published [...] Read more.
The ancient oasis of Turfan, located on the Northern Silk Road, was a centre for interactions between the East and the West and witnessed numerous cultural, religious, and linguistic changes throughout history. A large number of texts were composed, translated, copied, and published there. One of the outcomes of these efforts is the Old Uyghur Buddhist narrative literature, parts of which have remained almost completely preserved, while a significant portion has survived as single fragments or small pieces of a fragment. For some of these texts, definitive conclusions about their original content or which work they belong to have yet to be reached. The Old Uyghur Bāvari narrative discussed in this study bears parallels, particularly in terms of themes, settings, and characters, with sections of the Pārāyaṇasūtra—known for its resemblance to the final chapter of the Sutta Nipāta, i.e., the Pārāyanavagga—as well as parts of the Maitreyasamitināṭaka and Xianyujing. This study first introduces this narrative formed by the Old Uyghur fragments preserved in the Turfan Collection of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. Then, the text is transcribed and translated. Finally, the similarities and differences with other parallel narratives are analysed and presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on Old Uyghur Buddhism and Buddhist Scriptures)
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11 pages, 2488 KiB  
Article
An Old Uighur balividhi Fragment Unearthed from the Northern Grottoes of Dūnhuáng
by Aydar Mirkamal and Xiaonan Li
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1484; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121484 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 958
Abstract
Photographs of the recto side of the manuscript fragment B121:38 in Old Uighur, which was excavated from the northern section of the Dūnhuáng Mògāo Caves, were published in the second volume of The Northern Grottoes of Mògāo Caves. Because the verso side, [...] Read more.
Photographs of the recto side of the manuscript fragment B121:38 in Old Uighur, which was excavated from the northern section of the Dūnhuáng Mògāo Caves, were published in the second volume of The Northern Grottoes of Mògāo Caves. Because the verso side, which contains essential information, remains unpublished—despite the publication of the recto—the manuscript’s typology cannot be fully comprehended, and it has consequently not garnered substantial scholarly attention. Through site investigation, transcription, English translation, detailed annotation, and comparative analysis with parallel Tibetan texts, B121:38 is confirmed to be a balividhi fragment of Tantric Buddhist literature. This fragment comprises three parts: praise for the five ḍākas, a transference of merits, and a mantra. The findings provide compelling evidence of the prominence of Tibetan Tantrism among Old Uighurs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on Old Uyghur Buddhism and Buddhist Scriptures)
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33 pages, 22027 KiB  
Article
Pratītyasamutpāda, the Doctrine of Dependent Origination in Old Uyghur Buddhism: A Study of Printed Texts
by Abdurishid Yakup
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1432; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121432 - 26 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1418
Abstract
Pratītyasamutpāda, the doctrine of dependent origination, has a long history in Old Uyghur Buddhism. It was first articulated in the Early Old Uyghur Buddhist texts and is evident in the terminology of Maitrisimit and the Daśakarmapathāvadāna-mālā. The dependent origination is systematically [...] Read more.
Pratītyasamutpāda, the doctrine of dependent origination, has a long history in Old Uyghur Buddhism. It was first articulated in the Early Old Uyghur Buddhist texts and is evident in the terminology of Maitrisimit and the Daśakarmapathāvadāna-mālā. The dependent origination is systematically illustrated in at least three Pratītyasamutpāda texts, one text with Brāhmī elements, and the other two in Dunhuang and Turfan prints. The latter two are discussed in detail in this paper. The Dunhuang print provides the most comprehensive demonstration of the Old Uyghur understanding of dependent origination. The structure of the text is largely consistent with the corresponding passages in the Abhidharmamahāvibhāṣaśāstra and other Abhidharma texts. The text offers a more comprehensive account than the Chinese text. The Turfan prints, which consist of four fragments, are derived from two distinct prints. Print U 4170 is an Abhidharma text, and it has parallels in the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya. It seems plausible to suggest that the print bearing the abbreviated titles Pratyitasamutpad in Old Uyghur and Buladi 布剌帝 in Chinese may have been translated from a Chinese text sharing the same or a similar Chinese name. However, as with the Dunhuang print, the Turfan prints may have been produced by the Old Uyghurs from some Abhidharma texts. The Dunhuang print and the Tufan prints are unique within the corpus of known Old Uyghur prints. These texts represent the first known printed examples of the Abhidharma tradition. Moreover, the illustration employed in the Dunhuang print is not known in other printed texts discovered in Dunhuang and Turfan, representing the first instance of such an illustration in printed form. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reviving Ancient Wisdom on the Northern Silk Road: Research on Old Uyghur Buddhism and Buddhist Scriptures)
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