佛說盂蘭盆經疏 2.4

2.4

This sūtra has three translations in all: 1. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Jin, Master Zhu Fahu (Dharmarakṣa) translated it, calling it the *Ullambana Sūtra*. 2. During the reign of Emperor Hui, Master Faju translated it, calling it the *Sūtra on Pouring at the End of the Retreat (Guanla jing)*, which corresponds to the passage here stating 'provide food of a hundred flavors and the five kinds of fruits, vessels for drawing and pouring, fragrant oil, lamps, and candles,' and so forth. 3. In the old separate catalogs, yet another master translated it as the *Sūtra on Repaying Kindness (Bao'en jing)*, establishing the name according to the practice performed. That which is explained now is the first translation.

Tripiṭaka Master Yijing said: 'Issued from my mouth, it eases their minds; because the teaching accords with the capacities [of beings], it is called "Spoken by the Buddha."' *Ullan* is a word of the Western Regions, rendered here as 'hanging upside down.' *Pen* (basin) is the sound of the Eastern Xia (China), and refers to the vessel of rescue. If following the local vernacular, it should be called 'the basin for rescuing from hanging upside down.' This arose because the soul of the Venerable One's mother was sunk in the dark paths; repeatedly hungry and thirsty, her life was like hanging upside down, and even with the awe-inspiring spiritual power of a holy son, there was no way to save her from the mire and ashes. The Buddha commanded that a basin be arranged with a hundred flavors as an offering to the Three Honored Ones, relying on the grace and light of the great assembly to rescue her from the distress of hanging upside down. The sūtra's name is established from this meaning.

As for 'sūtra' (*jing*), its correct name is 'thread' (*sūtra*), and its meaning is 'concordant thread' (*qijing*). A thread can string flowers; a warp thread can hold the woof; this means that the signified meaning resembles the woof and resembles flowers, and the signifying text can hold and string them together. Now, in accordance with the canonical records of this land, it is designated as a *jing*. Borrowing the meaning to aid the designation, the character *qi* ('concordant') is further added. This explanation conforms to the meaning of 'penetrating and stringing together' among the two meanings in the *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra*, and the meaning of 'binding garlands' among the five meanings in the *Saṃyuktābhidharma-hṛdaya-śāstra*.