After those four jhānas, we have xxx or immaterial jhanas.
Should it be arūpa-samāpatti or arūpa-jhāna?
Thank you in advance. 
They aren’t referred to as jhānas in the suttas. But they are often called such. Maybe that’s a commentarial thing? It really depends on what the author wants to call them.
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Thank you so much
I remember reading the four arupas are “entered differently” than the first four absorbtions. I am myself clueless as to just what that means.
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A good monk tells us the following:
Formless Attainments
After those four jhānas, we have arūpasamāpatti or formless attainments. These formless states are where the mind itself is starting to vanish.
Your body is already gone by the fourth jhāna, but now your mind is vanishing. Even in the second jhāna, you realise that part of your sense of self called ‘will’ is gone. In the arūpasamāpatti, what happens is that your sense of knowing also starts to vanish.
You go stage by stage, until you’re in the fourth arūpasamāpatti —neither perception nor non-perception. What on earth does that mean? Are we aware or are we not?
The point is: our sense of knowing has almost stopped. From this far end, you’re not knowing anything at all. Everything which is perceived or experienced ceases. The mind stops though it will start again afterwards. But it stops for a while. Now you know that the mind can’t be yours. You know that this world isn’t you. I can explain that to you, and psychologists can do experiments to prove that, but when you experience it for yourself, it’s something totally different.
These are experiences which give you the data to get real insight into the nature of reality.
…
Please note that this is an edited version of his speech, not verbatim.
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According to SN/SA suttas, all the nine progressive stages of meditation (i.e. the 4 rūpas, 4 arūpas, and the cessation of perception-and-feeling ‘saññā-vedayita-nirodha’) are the results of mental projection (saṅkhārā).
Only the ‘cessation of desire-hatred-delusion’ is based on true insight of the real world (i.e. ‘right view’):
Is arupa-loka actually the imaginative world of the mind? - Discussion - Discuss & Discover
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Wondering if anyone else can explain what is meant by ‘entered differently’ too
I would have thought it was just an extra step on the same process that got someone to the level before it.
Joubert saying: “To live without the body!” qutie well describes difference between sensory experience and arupa attainments. You are certain that you are, and your convincion of being is usually in this or that way associated with the body. Now, in immaterial attainments the body vanishes from the field of consciousness and yet, you still have the attitude “I am”. So it is very helpful for abandoning self-identification with the body.
So while you are right, arupa attainments are just extra steps in the same process, there seems to be qualitative difference between the state where senses still work, and the state free from sensory perceptions. That’s way arupa attainments are sometimes called “unshakable”. In other words these states are much more pleasant than the states where one is aware of the body.
There is some ambiguity about the fourth jhana, but this is a different story…
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First 4 Jhanas are called Jhanas. There is awareness in all those 4 Jhanas. Mind is one pointed. Prithi is gone in the 3rd jhana while Sukha is remaining. In the 4th Jhana Sukkha is gone and replaced by Upekkha- equanimity. Yet through out there is one pointedness. And all those Jhanas takes a a mental form called the Nimitta. I have no experience to talk of the 4th Jhana.
In the next four the Buddha calls them Attainments and not Jhanas. May be, may be because they are not based on the Nimitta- form. They are called the formless Arupa attainments. One lets go of the form and sets his mind on the infinite space/ consciousness/ emptiness up to the 7th Attainment respectively. Then comes to the 8th Neither perception or non perception. There the mind is unable to catch the perception as a perception and yet he sees a perception. It is the most subtle state next to Nibbāna. And that is why the Buddha says his 2 teachers are living in that Brahma world are unable to realise Nibbāna. Because to realise Nibbāna one must experience the complete Cessation of all perceptions. In the absence of a solid perception, they are unable to relaise Nibbāna. Thats why the 9th attainment is called Nibbāna, Cessation of perception and feeling. Sanna vedehita Nirodha samapathi.
All Jhanas are peaceful abidings. They have let gone of the five senses, gone beyond the sense pleasures. That’s why they’re peaceful. Entered differently means its not with the Nimitta the form, he lets go of the Nimitta and focuses his mind on Space. Then leaves the space and focuses on consciousness, leaves that and focuses on emptiness, hence it is entered differently.
At every statge there is perfect awareness. The physical body does not go anywhere but one does not perceive a body as the totall awareness of the mind is the form- Nimitta upto the 4th jhana and then the mind is logged on with those Arupa states until the 8th attainment.
Buddha went above the 8th attainment to the 9th which is Nibbāna, because he found the first 8 are unsatisfactory and liable to fall, because they are dependently arisen…9th which is sañña vedehita nirodha is where the mind has released all saññas to Nibbāna. This is the fruit of Nibbana. If one is an Anagami he can at will go into the Phala Samapathi, which is the state of Nibbāna. Sovan, Sakadagami may be able to do this if he has the Jhanas and the four attainments.
It is always good to remember if there is a mind there is a sañña tagged always.
Hope above helps.
With Metta
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Thanks Knigarian. I think the more I read the more confused I get lol.
So many people disagree on key concepts like jhanas, Nibbana, attainments, etc, that I’m just taking it with a grain of salt now, … but 2 entries was a new one - so I’m still asking 
Thank you. Thank you.
Now…
So this is what distinguishes jhana from attainment meditations as two sets of meditation.
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Thank you very much.
In the Thai language, monks still use the word ‘arupa jhana’, but I thought I should check it out first. After @Snowbird replied, I got a very good and very correct start to search and found Bhante Sutato’s note on these states.
Your detailed explanation is extra info for me to understand it better.
May I ask some more?
But these four attainments are not required to ‘see the dhamma’, are they?
Is that implying no awareness in 5,6,7 ?
I’m just thinking how could someone differentiate between 5,6,7 if they are not aware in any of them? How would they know 5 from 8.
I’m not expecting an answer btw. I’m just trying to rationalise an understanding out loud
No, not at all to see the Dhamma and attain to Sovan Phala.
What is required is the correct practice of the Satipatthana.
See Anguttara 4, or Majjhima Nikaya Sutta 10.
Good question you’re asking yourself.
There is awareness all the way through in this Dhamma and it is the key point in understanding the Dhamma and also through all the Jhanas and to all attainments.
Yes, of course they will know in all attainments…
In the 4 attainments, eg. Infinite space, they are fully aware of the infinite space. They need this constant awareness to maintain to maintain that Attainment. If not they loose it.
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Of course I had in mind āneñja which is usually translated as imperturbable. The term unshakable (akuppa) is usually reserved for the final liberation
That’s rather inevitable. Suttas recommend to have a good friend who can correct our ideas, but to find such friend isn’t easy. There are many reasons for that, on the first place one should not trust one’s own ideas too munch
Unfortunately not many follow the basic rule:
—Once I believe I have mastered a truth, the argument which interests me is not the one which confirms it but the one which refutes it.
Nicolas Gomez Davila
Metta
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There is awareness in the 4 Jhanas and in the 4 Arupa attainments. Awareness is the key factor which keep each of them at their respective level. If awareness is lost you lose them.
The two words Sati Sampajanna means mindfulness and awareness, and these two words correctly practiced will lead to the end.
Hope this is helpful
With Metta
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Arupa samapathi- attainment no. 5,6,7,8
Jhanas are 1,2 3,4
With Metta
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It should be Arupa Samapathi…
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Update on the short info on the arupa states. You can read the whole book in a few days’ time (I hope). Or, you can read the big book ‘Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond’. 
…
When you experience that first jhāna, it’s a certain type of bliss. In the second jhāna, you go deeper in, and the bliss of the second jhāna is the bliss of perfect stillness. It is called samādhija pītisukha, or happiness born of stillness. That’s where your ‘will’ vanishes. You can’t move; there is nothing to do the moving. You’re incredibly stable. In the third jhāna, the quality of the bliss called pīti, which is the rough aspect of the bliss, vanishes. You now have a better form of bliss.
When you get into one of those jhānas, you may think, “Wow! This is it! There’s nothing higher than this.” But there are other kinds of bliss to come. It’s like climbing what you think is the biggest mountain in the world, but once you’re at the top of it, you can see there’s another one that’s even higher. When you go inside the second jhāna, you find the third jhāna right in the middle. And right in the middle of the third jhāna, you find the fourth. The lotus is opening up, petal by petal. It’s amazing what you find inside.
The fourth jhāna is contentment, but really, that description does not meet the bliss of such stillness. It is a more refined bliss. It’s the fulfilment and the perfection of mindfulness: satipārisuddhi. This mindfulness is the best mindfulness you can ever experience.
Formless Attainments
After those four jhānas, we have arūpasamāpatti, or formless attainments, right in the middle of the fourth jhāna. These formless states are where your mind starts to vanish.
Your body is already gone by the first jhāna, but now your mind is vanishing. In the second jhāna, you realise that the part of your sense of self called ‘will’ is gone. In the arūpasamāpatti, your ‘knowing’ starts to vanish.
You go stage by stage until you’re in the fourth arūpasamāpatti —neither perception nor non-perception. What on earth does that mean? Are we aware or are we not?
The point is: your sense of knowing has almost stopped. From this point on, you’re not knowing anything at all. The mind is gone. Everything which is perceived or experienced ceases. The mind stops. It will start again afterwards, but it stops for a while.
Now you realise that the mind can’t be yours. You know that this world isn’t you. I can explain that to you, and psychologists and psychiatrists can do experiments to prove that, but when you experience it for yourself, it’s something totally different.
These are the experiences which give you the data to get real insight into the nature of things. It is scary but very pleasant. This is the joy, the bliss, and the delight in the whole process which draws you through.