Abstract:

The article discusses the Old Turkic religious vocabulary and its association with belief systems such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, and Islam. It highlights the role of Uyghurs in embracing Buddhism and creating an extensive body of literature through translation. The Uyghur monks played a crucial role in translating Buddhist concepts into Turkish, carefully selecting terms that corresponded to source languages like Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan. This effort was not limited to Buddhism but also extended to conveying Islamic religious terms using Buddhist terminologies. A central concept in Buddhist teachings is saṃsāra, which refers to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth within the Indian philosophical framework. The article discusses the Sanskrit term niḥsaraṇa, which signifies ‘escape from saṃsāra’. This term carries various meanings in Sanskrit, such as ‘departure, death, path, solution, and ultimate happiness.’ In the Old Uyghur religious vocabulary, the corresponding term for niḥsaraṇa is ünüš (yol), which directly translates to ‘path’ in Old Turkic. This term is distinctively used within the Buddhist context of the Old Turkic religious vocabulary and is found in various combinations within Buddhist Uyghur texts. The article aims to analyze the thematic interpretations of this expression aligned with Buddhist philosophical systems. It seeks to elucidate how the term is used within Buddhist Uyghur texts, shedding light on its significance within the context of those writings.

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