When will Avalokiteśvara Return? Divine ‘Ghosting’ and the Culture of Mystical Non-Response in the Kuanši Im Pusar

Abstract

This study examines the strategy of invisibility attributed to Avalokiteśvara in the Old Uighur Kuanši Im Pusar text within the framework of “divine ghosting” and the “culture of mystical non-response.” The central aim of the research is to explain, on a conceptual level, why Avalokiteśvara’s acts of compassion are mostly narrated through invisibility, silence, or manifestations in other forms. To this end, the study brings together phenomenology, ethical philosophy, epistemology, and myth theory in a multi-layered analysis. The textual analysis highlights three theoretical axes. Jean-Luc Marion’s notion of the saturated phenomenon is employed to interpret Avalokiteśvara’s multiform and excessive manifestations, showing how hyper-presence paradoxically leads to invisibility. Emmanuel Levinas’s concept of the voice of the Other elucidates Avalokiteśvara’s role as an ethical subject who responds unconditionally to the cries of suffering beings. Jean-Luc Nancy’s perspective on the being-heard provides a framework for interpreting the sonic metaphors that articulate the bodhisattva’s presence in the text. The study also adapts the concept of ghosting from modern communication studies into the religious context. Avalokiteśvara never leaves any voice unanswered, yet by intervening in hidden forms he situates the believer in a continuous state of uncertainty. This dynamic reveals that divine silence is not absence but a pedagogical form of communication. In the context of Buddhist auditory epistemology (śruti), the text demonstrates that liberation is achieved through hearing, the repetition of the sacred name, and the acoustic shaping of memory. The mythological perspective reveals that the ontological void opened up by Buddha’s withdrawal is transformed into a continuously reorganised continuity of sacredness within the narrative through the figure of Avalokiteśvara. The findings indicate that Avalokiteśvara’s strategy of invisibility contributes not only to Buddhist soteriology but also to broader theological debates on how the sacred gains meaning through silence and non-response.

Keywords

• Eski Türk Dili (Orhun
• Uygur
• Karahanlı)

Files

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References

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Cite this publication

@article{alan2025when,
  author = {Alan, S{\"u}meyra},
  title = {{When will Avalokite{\'{s}}vara Return? Divine `Ghosting' and the Culture of Mystical Non-Response in the Kuan{\v{s}}i Im Pusar}},
  journal = {Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters},
  volume = {0},
  number = {Advanced Online},
  pages = {625--643},
  publisher = {Hacettepe {\"U}niversitesi},
  year = {2025},
  month = {9},
  issn = {1301-5737},
  url = {https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/avalokitesvara-ne-zaman-geri-donecek-kuansi-im-pusarda-tanrisal-ghosting-ve-mistik-cevapsizlik-kulturu},
  language = {tr},
  keywords = {Eski T{\"u}rk Dili (Orhun, Uygur, Karahanl{\i})},
  abstract = {This study examines the strategy of invisibility attributed to Avalokite{\'{s}}vara in the Old Uighur Kuan{\v{s}}i Im Pusar text within the framework of ``divine ghosting'' and the ``culture of mystical non-response.'' The central aim of the research is to explain, on a conceptual level, why Avalokite{\'{s}}vara's acts of compassion are mostly narrated through invisibility, silence, or manifestations in other forms. To this end, the study brings together phenomenology, ethical philosophy, epistemology, and myth theory in a multi-layered analysis. The textual analysis highlights three theoretical axes. Jean-Luc Marion's notion of the saturated phenomenon is employed to interpret Avalokite{\'{s}}vara's multiform and excessive manifestations, showing how hyper-presence paradoxically leads to invisibility. Emmanuel Levinas's concept of the voice of the Other elucidates Avalokite{\'{s}}vara's role as an ethical subject who responds unconditionally to the cries of suffering beings. Jean-Luc Nancy's perspective on the being-heard provides a framework for interpreting the sonic metaphors that articulate the bodhisattva's presence in the text. The study also adapts the concept of ghosting from modern communication studies into the religious context. Avalokite{\'{s}}vara never leaves any voice unanswered, yet by intervening in hidden forms he situates the believer in a continuous state of uncertainty. This dynamic reveals that divine silence is not absence but a pedagogical form of communication. In the context of Buddhist auditory epistemology ({\'{s}}ruti), the text demonstrates that liberation is achieved through hearing, the repetition of the sacred name, and the acoustic shaping of memory. The mythological perspective reveals that the ontological void opened up by Buddha's withdrawal is transformed into a continuously reorganised continuity of sacredness within the narrative through the figure of Avalokite{\'{s}}vara. The findings indicate that Avalokite{\'{s}}vara's strategy of invisibility contributes not only to Buddhist soteriology but also to broader theological debates on how the sacred gains meaning through silence and non-response.},
  affiliation = {ERZURUM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY}
}

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Alan, Sümeyra
TI  - When will Avalokiteśvara Return? Divine ‘Ghosting’ and the Culture of Mystical Non-Response in the Kuanši Im Pusar
T2  - Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters
VL  - 0
IS  - Advanced Online
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/10/
SP  - 625
EP  - 643
PB  - Hacettepe Üniversitesi
SN  - 1301-5737
UR  - https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/avalokitesvara-ne-zaman-geri-donecek-kuansi-im-pusarda-tanrisal-ghosting-ve-mistik-cevapsizlik-kulturu
AB  - This study examines the strategy of invisibility attributed to Avalokiteśvara in the Old Uighur Kuanši Im Pusar text within the framework of “divine ghosting” and the “culture of mystical non-response.” The central aim of the research is to explain, on a conceptual level, why Avalokiteśvara’s acts of compassion are mostly narrated through invisibility, silence, or manifestations in other forms. To this end, the study brings together phenomenology, ethical philosophy, epistemology, and myth theory in a multi-layered analysis. The textual analysis highlights three theoretical axes. Jean-Luc Marion’s notion of the saturated phenomenon is employed to interpret Avalokiteśvara’s multiform and excessive manifestations, showing how hyper-presence paradoxically leads to invisibility. Emmanuel Levinas’s concept of the voice of the Other elucidates Avalokiteśvara’s role as an ethical subject who responds unconditionally to the cries of suffering beings. Jean-Luc Nancy’s perspective on the being-heard provides a framework for interpreting the sonic metaphors that articulate the bodhisattva’s presence in the text. The study also adapts the concept of ghosting from modern communication studies into the religious context. Avalokiteśvara never leaves any voice unanswered, yet by intervening in hidden forms he situates the believer in a continuous state of uncertainty. This dynamic reveals that divine silence is not absence but a pedagogical form of communication. In the context of Buddhist auditory epistemology (śruti), the text demonstrates that liberation is achieved through hearing, the repetition of the sacred name, and the acoustic shaping of memory. The mythological perspective reveals that the ontological void opened up by Buddha’s withdrawal is transformed into a continuously reorganised continuity of sacredness within the narrative through the figure of Avalokiteśvara. The findings indicate that Avalokiteśvara’s strategy of invisibility contributes not only to Buddhist soteriology but also to broader theological debates on how the sacred gains meaning through silence and non-response.
KW  - Eski Türk Dili (Orhun
KW  - Uygur
KW  - Karahanlı)
LA  - tr
AD  - ERZURUM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
ER  -