ThePratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra (Sanskrit;traditional Chinese:般舟三昧經; ; pinyin:Bozhōu Sānmèi Jīng;Vietnamese: Kinh Bát Chu Tam Muội) is an earlyMahayana Buddhist scripture, which probably originated between the 1st century BCE and 2nd century CE in theGandhara area of northwesternIndia. The full title for this text isPratyutpannabuddha Saṃmukhāvasthita Samādhi Sūtra, which translates to, "Sūtra on the Samādhi for Encountering Face-to-Face the Buddhas of the Present".[1]
ThePratyutpanna is a particularly importantMahayana sutra in East AsianPure Land Buddhism andTiantai (Jp:Tendai) Buddhism, since it contains key teachings onBuddha contemplation and Buddha recollection (nianfo).[2] It is the main source for the Tiantai school's "constantly walking samadhi" practice (taught inZhiyi'sMohe Zhiguan), also known as the pratyutpanna-samādhi (the meditative absorption of direct encounter [of the Buddhas]). The sutra was commented on and relied upon by numerous Chinese Pure Land masters, likeHuiyuan,Shandao (613–681),Cimin Huiri, andFazhao.[2]
ThePratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra was first translated into Chinese by theKushan Buddhist monkLokaksema in 179 CE, at theHan capital ofLuoyang.[3] This translation is, together with thePrajnaparamita Sutra, one of the earliest historically datable texts of theMahayana tradition.
In 2018, the discovery of fragments of a birch bark manuscript in theGāndhārī language and written inKharoṣṭhī script[4] was announced by scholars Paul Harrison, Timothy Lenz, and Richard Salomon, who wrote regarding the dating of the manuscript:
In conclusion, the fragments of the PraS (Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra) clearly date from the middle period of Gāndhārī/Kharoṣṭhī documents, but as usual a more specific date cannot be proposed with any significant accuracy. The fragments could date from the first or second centuries CE, or possibly even from the first century BCE, since Gāndhārī manuscripts with similar characteristics have been dated by radiocarbon tests to BCE dates.[5]
The post-script of the same paper notes that as the article went to press, scholar Mark Allon brought to the authors' attention "another set of birch-bark fragments, possibly from the same scroll or set of scrolls, containing a large section of Chapter 9 of the PRaS",[6] which the authors state will be included in a follow-up article in the future.
ThePratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra contains the first known mentions of the BuddhaAmitābha and hisPure Land, said to be at the origin ofPure Land Buddhism inChina:[7]
Bodhisattvas hear about the Buddha Amitābha and call him to mind again and again in this land. Because of this calling to mind, they see the Buddha Amitābha. Having seen him they ask him what dharmas it takes to be born in the realm of the Buddha Amitābha. Then the Buddha Amitābha says to these bodhisattvas: "If you wish to come and be born in my realm, you must always call me to mind again and again, you must always keep this thought in mind without letting up, and thus you will succeed in coming to be born in my realm.
The full practice developed byZhiyi is 90 days long.[8][verification needed] Lay practitioners often take a much shorter time. Any practice that exceeds one day requires a bystander called a dharma protector (護法) to look after the practitioner. The exercise includes constant walking or praying to Amitabha, sometimes accompanying or helped by the bystander. The practitioner should avoid sitting, laying, resting or sleeping during the period of practice. The bystander would warn the practitioner if he or she engages in prolonged resting. Very few Buddhists practice this.Shi Yinguang (印光) suggested that people should practice the much easier recitation of name of the Buddhanianfo instead.[9][verification needed] But some buddhists have said that they feel healthier after the practice.[10][11][verification needed][12][verification needed][13][verification needed][14][verification needed]
