一切經音義 34.278

34.278

盂蘭盆（此言訛也正言烏藍婆拏此譯云倒懸案西國法至於眾僧自恣之日云先亡有罪家復絕嗣亦無人饗祭則於鬼趣之中受倒懸之苦佛令於三寶田中俱具奉施佛僧祐資彼先亡以救先亡倒懸飢餓之苦舊云盂蘭盆是貯食之器者此言誤也）。

盂蘭盆 (This is an erroneous pronunciation; correctly pronounced it is wulanpana [ullambana]. Here translated as 'hanging upside down'. According to the customs of the Western regions, when the day of the saṃgha's pravāraṇā arrives, it is said that if deceased ancestors have transgressions and the family's lineage has also ended, with no one to offer sacrificial offerings to them, they will suffer the agony of hanging upside down in the realm of ghosts. The Buddha instructed people to make complete and reverent offerings to the field of the Three Jewels—to the Buddha and the saṃgha—so as to aid those deceased ancestors, rescuing them from the suffering of hunger and being hung upside down. The older claim that yulanpen refers to a vessel for storing food is mistaken).