Shingqo Sheli Tutung
Shingqo Sheli Tutung or Šéŋko Šeli Tutuŋ, also known by his Chinese name Master Shengguang was an Uyghur scholar, translator and poet lived in 11th-12th centuries.
Identity
Born in Beshbalik, he was a Buddhist. He is mostly regarded as an Uyghur, but Takao Moriyasu argued that he could be Chinese as well. Klaus Röhrborn believed that he was not only a translator, but a Chinese head of a group of Uyghur translators who worked on Buddhist texts. He was also described as a poet since he translated original Chinese poems creatively, without limiting himself with literal translation. He is also described as well-versed in kāvya style.
Works
He is mostly known for his translation of Golden Light Sutra from Chinese to Old Uyghur, which he dubbed Altun Yaruq. A copy of this was found by Russian turkologist Sergey Malov in a Buddhist stupa used by Yugurs in Wenshugou village in Sunan, which was made in 1687 by Bilge Taluy Shashi. Yet another copy of it was found by Friedrich Müller during his Turfan expedition. He was proficient in Sankskrit and Tocharian. He is also known as a translator of the biography of Xuanzang. In 2000, Kahar Barat published an annotated English edition of parts of this translation. He could be a follower of Vijñānavāda, a Buddhist philosophy embraced by Xuanzang himself. He is also credited with translation of "Eight Heaven Sutra" from Chinese to Uyghur which he named Säkiz Yükmäk Yaruq. An extensive work dedicated to this translation has been authored by Juten Oda.