Shamanistic Remains in Buddhist Old Uighur Texts: A Philological Study on Traces of Religious Syncretism
67th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Gotemba 2025
This study aims to analyze the shamanistic elements observed in Old Uighur Buddhist texts written between the 10th and 14th centuries using the methods of comparative philology and history of religions. These texts, mainly Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, contain not only Buddhist elements of Indo-Tibetan origin but also shamanistic motifs belonging to indigenous belief systems in Central Asia (Turkic, Mongolian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian). In this context, it is seen that beliefs and practices such as communication with the spirit world, warding off evil spirits, attributing diseases to spiritual causes, and sanctifying natural elements (fire, water, mountains, trees, etc.) were adapted into Buddhist terminology and ritual system.
In this study, certain lexical elements and ritual expressions thought to be related to shamanism in Old Uighur texts will be systematically identified, and their functions in historical and cultural contexts will be analyzed. The relevant concepts and practices will be evaluated together with comparative sources, primarily Chinese, Tibetan, and Indian Buddhist literature; thus, it will be revealed to what extent Turkic cultural elements have been preserved, transformed, or re-functioned within Buddhist narratives and practices.
As a result, it is argued that Uighur Buddhism does not have a monolithic doctrinal structure; on the contrary, it exhibits a multi-layered and syncretic religious formation that was shaped in interaction with shamanistic traditions. These findings aim to provide a new perspective on analyzing the cultural continuity and transformation dynamics of Old Uighur religious texts.