There is thus only non-existence, which again is neither eternal nor destructible, and the world is but a dream and a maya; the two kinds of negation (nirodha) are akas’a (space) and nirvana; things which are neither existent nor non-existent are only imagined to be existent by fools.

This view apparently comes into conflict with the doctrine of this school, that the reality is called the tathagatagarbha (the womb of all that is merged in thatness) and all the phenomenal appearances of the clusters (skandhas), elements (dhatus), and fields of sense operation (ayatanas) only serve to veil it with impurities, and this would bring it nearer to the assumption of a universal soul as the reality.  But the La@nkavatara attempts to explain away this conflict by suggesting that the reference to the tathagatagarbha as the reality is only a sort of false bait to attract those who are afraid of listening to the nairatmya (non-soul doctrine) [Footnote ref 1].

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[Footnote 1:  La@nkavatarasutra, p. 80.

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The Bodhisattvas may attain their highest by the fourfold knowledge of (1) svacittad@rs’hyabhavana, (2) utpadasthitibha@ngavivarjjanata, (3) bahyabhavabhavopalak@sa@nata and (4) svapratyaryyajnanadhigamabhinnalak@sa@nata.  The first means that all things are but creations of the imagination of one’s mind.  The second means that as things have no essence there is no origination, existence or destruction.  The third means that one should know the distinctive sense in which all external things are said either to be existent or non-existent, for their existence is merely like the mirage which is produced by the beginningless desire (vasana) of creating and perceiving the manifold.  This brings us to the fourth one, which means the right comprehension of the nature of all things.

The four dhyanas spoken of in the Lankavatara seem to be different from those which have been described in connection with the Theravada Buddhism.  These dhyanas are called (1) balopacarika, (2) arthapravichaya, (3) tathatalambana and (4) tathagata.  The first one is said to be that practised by the s’ravakas and the pratyekabuddhas.  It consists in concentrating upon the doctrine that there is no soul (pudgalanairatmya), and that everything is transitory, miserable and impure.  When considering all things in this way from beginning to end the sage advances on till all conceptual knowing ceases (asa@mjnanirodhat); we have what is called the valopacarika dhyana (the meditation for beginners).

The second is the advanced state where not only there is full consciousness that there is no self, but there is also the comprehension that neither these nor the doctrines of other heretics may be said to exist, and that there is none of the dharmas that appears.  This is called the arthapravicayadhyana, for the sage concentrates here on the subject of thoroughly seeking out (pravichaya) the nature of all things (artha).