續一切經音義 4.64

4.64

芭蕉 (for the first character, [bā], fanqie 霸麻 [p- + -a = pa/bā]. For the second character, pronounced 即消 [jiāo]. Wang's commentary on the Chuci says: “The name of a fragrant herb. It grows in Jiaozhi; its leaves resemble mats, and when boiled and soaked they can be spun into cloth. It is an unsolid plant: from outside to inside it has no core substance whatsoever. Therefore it is often cited as a metaphor in the sūtras. The Vimalakīrti-sūtra says: ‘This body is like a plantain tree, with no solidity within’; this is it.)