The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra (Sanskrit; ; Vietnamese: Kinh Bát Chu Tam Muội) is an early Mahayana Buddhist scripture, which probably originated between the 1st century BCE and 2nd century CE in the Gandhara area of northwestern India. The full title for this text is Pratyutpannabuddha Saṃmukhāvasthita Samādhi Sūtra, which translates to, "Sūtra on the Samādhi for Encountering Face-to-Face the Buddhas of the Present".
The Pratyutpanna is a particularly important Mahayana sutra in East Asian Pure Land Buddhism and Tiantai (Jp: Tendai) Buddhism, since it contains key teachings on Buddha contemplation and Buddha recollection (nianfo). It is the main source for the Tiantai school's "constantly walking samadhi" practice (taught in Zhiyi's Mohe 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, like Huiyuan, Shandao (613–681), Cimin Huiri, and Fazhao.
History The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra was first translated into Chinese by the Kushan Buddhist monk Lokaksema in 179 CE, at the Han capital of Luoyang.Shinko Mochizuki, Leo M. Pruden, Trans.; Pure Land Buddhism in China: A Doctrinal History, Chapter 2: The Earliest Period; Chapter 3: Hui-yuan of Mt.Lu; and Chapter 4: The Translation of Texts – Spurious Scriptures. In: Pacific World Journal, Third Series Number 3, Fall 2001, p. 241 PDF This translation is, together with the Prajnaparamita Sutra, one of the earliest historically datable texts of the Mahayana tradition.
In 2018, the discovery of fragments of a birch bark manuscript in the Gāndhārī language and written in Kharoṣṭhī scriptFragments of a Gāndhārī Manuscript of the Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra: (Studies in Gāndhārī Manuscripts 1) Harrison, Paul; Lenz, Timothy; Salomon, Richard. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, v.41 (2018), 117–143 was announced by scholars Paul Harrison, Timothy Lenz, and Richard Salomon, who wrote regarding the dating of the manuscript:
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",Fragments of a Gāndhārī Manuscript of the Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra: (Studies in Gāndhārī Manuscripts 1) Harrison, Paul; Lenz, Timothy; Salomon, Richard. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, v. 41 (2018), p. 139 which the authors state will be included in a follow-up article in the future.
Contents The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra contains the first known mentions of the Buddha Amitābha and his Pure Land, said to be at the origin of Pure Land Buddhism in China:Harrison, Paul. McRae, John. The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra and the Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra. 1998. pp. 2–3, 19
Pratyutpanna samadhi
The full practice developed by Zhiyi is 90 days long. 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 Buddha nianfo instead.般舟三昧非今人可行 But some buddhists have said that they feel healthier after the practice.般舟法门 常慧法師閉關念佛感應錄拜佛對健康的好處拜佛要訣般舟三昧及现代行法系列资料--向往、爱乐般舟行法的同修，一起来学习、实践和守护这个法门 The sutra passage describing this samādhi also contains one of the earliest occurrences of the statement "this [group of] three worlds is mind only." According to Bayer (2025), sleep deprivation, which is common in various Indian nocturnal rituals, may have contributed to an altered perception of reality.
See also The Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life The Contemplation Sutra Buddhist texts
References
Bibliography Harrison, Paul; McRae, John, trans. (1998). The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sutra and the Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sutra, Berkeley, Calif.: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. Harrison, PM (1979). The Pratyutpanna-buddha-sammukhavasthita-samadhi-sutra: an annotated English translation of the Tibetan version with several appendices, thesis, Australian National University Harrison, Paul (1978). Buddhanusmriti in the Pratyutpanna-Buddha-Sammukhavasthita-Samadhi-Sutra, Journal of Indian Philosophy 6 (1), 35–57 Harrison, Paul (1990). The Samādhi of Direct Encounter with the Buddhas of the Present: An Annotated English Translation of the Tibetan Version of the Pratyutpanna-Buddha-Saṃmukhāvasthita-Samādhi-Sūtra with Several Appendices Relating to the History of the Text, Studia Philologica Buddhica 5. Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies Bayer, Achim (2025). On the Relation between 'Single-Minded Concentration' and 'The Three Worlds are Mind Only' in the Pratyutpanna-samādhi-sūtra (English abstract of Japanese Article). Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies 73.3., p. 1356.
External links
Partial translation – Translation by Rev. Hisao Inagaki Complete translation – English Translation from the Chinese Canon