請觀音經疏闡義鈔 4.11

4.11

In the sūtra, "fruits and ground-melons" (果蓏): the Shuowen says, "What grows on trees is called guo (fruit); what grows on the ground is called luo (ground-melon)." Ying Shao states: "The fruit of trees is called guo; the fruit of herbs is called luo." Zhang Yan states: "Those with stones are called guo; those without stones are called luo." In the sūtra, from "loss and destruction" downward, it shows the aspects of calamity and retribution. In the sūtra, "welcomed back to their native land": losing wife and children and losing wealth and property were due to the downfall of their country; now that they are welcomed back, the other matters are naturally regained. In the sūtra, "kumbhāṇḍa" (鳩槃茶): here translated as "jar," or translated as "winter melon," because their private parts resemble a jar or the like; they are malevolent bewitching spirits. In the sūtra, "towering" (巍巍): an expression for high and grand; the Analects states, "Towering was the manner in which Shun and Yu held the empire!" In the sūtra, "asura": a means "non-", and sura means "deva"; they are "non-devas." Moreover, sura means "handsome"; they lack handsomeness. Regarding "from this world," and so forth, it is based on the demarcation of the sūtra. From "Ānanda, you should know" onward, it now points directly to the text on gains and losses, hence it says "from this world," and so on. "Loss" means losing evil, which is the meaning of "warding off." "Gain" means gaining good, which is the meaning of "maintaining."