This study focuses on the textual transmission of the Pratyutpanna-samādhi Sūtra translated by Lokakṣema during the Later Han dynasty. It addresses the limitations of previous scholarship, which has largely concentrated on two major textual lines from the Jaejo Goryeo and Song-Yuan-Ming canons. This paper introduces and examines three lesser-studied versions: the Song Version recorded in the Jiaozheng Bie Lu, the Jin Version preserved in the Zhaocheng Jin Zang, and the Chojo Version from the Chojo Goryeo Canon. Through
comparative analysis of these versions and reference to the genealogical development and printing history of the Chinese Buddhist canon, this paper reassesses Paul Harrison’s 1990 hypothesis concerning the distinction and fusion between Version A (the original translation by Lokakṣema) and Version B (a later redaction). Three key findings emerge from this study: (1) The first four chapters of the Song and Jin versions appear in prose form, suggesting closer alignment with Lokakṣema’s original translation; (2) The textual evolution of the Pratyutpanna-samādhi Sūtra likely reflects a prolonged process of editorial revision, with a general developmental trajectory of: Song → Jin → Eastern, Northern & Jaejo → Chojo → Song-Yuan-Ming; (3) Harrison’s proposed “Redaction A” may never have existed as a discrete text. The structural inconsistency between the first three and a half chapters and the remainder of the Jaejo version suggests the possibility of an intermediate version that had not yet undergone complete revision. Overall, by bringing to light three previously overlooked versions and re-evaluating earlier assumptions, this paper offers a new perspective on the textual history of the Pratyutpanna-samādhi Sūtra and helps to fill a significant gap in current scholarship.
Keywords:
Lokakṣema, Pratyutpanna-samādhi Sūtra, textual versions, Jiaozheng Bie Lu, Zhaocheng Jin Zang