盂蘭盆

Commonly thought to have been derived from Sanskrit उल्लम्बन (ullambana, “hanging upside down”), a word that was sparsely, if at all, attested (Ashikaga, 1951).

Alternatively, Junjirō Takakusu (apud Ashikaga, 1951) propounded that the origin was in fact Pali ullumbana, a colloquial corruption of Pali ullumpana (“raising up; saving; helping”), and that the etymology was mistakenly attributed to Sanskrit.

The second sense is a result of rebracketing of the word as 盂蘭 + 盆 (“basin”).

盂蘭盆

1. (Buddhism) helping hungry ghosts who are suffering by offering them food
2. basin for holding offerings to the deceased

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “盂蘭盆” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].

From Middle Chinese 盂蘭盆 (hju lan bwon) or 盂蘭盆會 (hju lan bwon hwaj^H) (compare modern Mandarin 盂蘭盆／盂兰盆 (yúlánpén) or 盂蘭盆會／盂兰盆会 (yúlánpénhuì)), a transcription of Pali ullumpana (“raising, helping”), present participle of Pali verb ullumpati (“to raise up, to help”).

A number of Japanese dictionaries state that this term derives from Sanskrit उल्लम्बन (ullambana), purportedly meaning “hanging upside-down” in reference to the souls of the dead being tortured in hell by being strung up by their feet.[1][2][3][4] However, the Sanskrit word was sparsely, if at all, attested (Ashikaga, 1951); in addition, it would be the present participle of verb उल्लम्ब् (ullamb, “to hang”, intransitive), with no inherent “upside-down” meaning.[5][6]

Moreover, neither the purported meaning of “hanging upside-down” nor the verifiable meaning of “hanging” match the semantics very well, given that the urabon ceremonies are about helping the dead, closer in meaning to the “helping” sense of the Pali verb.[7] This suggests that explanations of the dead hanging upside-down in hell are more likely to be folk etymologies based on a mistaken connection to the Sanskrit verb, rather than a more direct semantic link to the Pali. Alternatively, Junjirō Takakusu (apud Ashikaga, 1951) propounded that the origin was in fact Pali ullumbana, a colloquial corruption of Pali ullumpana (“raising up; saving; helping”), and that the etymology was mistakenly attributed to Sanskrit.

• (Tokyo) うらぼん [ùrábóń] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• (Tokyo) うら​ぼん [ùráꜜbòǹ] (Nakadaka – [2])[2]
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝɾa̠bõ̞ɴ]

盂(う)蘭(ら)盆(ぼん) • (urabon) 

1. a Buddhist observance honoring the spirits of ancestors

More commonly referred to as お盆 (Obon) or 盆 (Bon).