阿彌陀經疏 1.148

1.148

經曰：「黃金為地」，次釋第四檀金飾地也，即形貌圓淨。故《佛地論》云：無量壽佛所遊行地，處處莊嚴希有。按諸經多以金為地體，諸寶間錯而中表映徹，故《觀經》稱瑠璃地。又彼經云：地下有八楞金柱，雜寶交飾光明赫奕，其地猶如日宮懸處虛空，其寶地柔軟下脚即凹、舉足便起，又彼國土無須彌山及諸山等。《無量壽經》云：佛言：「彼四天王、忉利依空而住。」

The sūtra says: "Yellow gold forms its ground." Next, this explains the fourth: refined gold adorning the ground, which is the perfect purity of physical appearance. Therefore, the *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra* states: the places traversed by Amitāyus Buddha are adorned everywhere and rare. We observe that the various sūtras mostly take gold as the substance of the ground, with various jewels interspersed so that the inside and outside reflect through clearly; hence the *Contemplation Sūtra* calls it 'lapis lazuli ground'. Moreover, that sūtra states: beneath the ground are eight-cornered golden pillars adorned with mixed jewels, radiating brilliant light; the ground is suspended in empty space like the sun palace; that jewel ground is soft, sinking down when a foot is placed on it and rising back up when the foot is lifted; furthermore, that country has no Mount Sumeru or other mountains. The *Sūtra of Immeasurable Life* states that the Buddha said: "The Four Heavenly Kings and Trāyastriṃśa devas there abide supported by empty space."