In addition to AN 6.29 which I quoted relevant passsages above, these 2 suttas are particularly good at giving you an idea of the comprehensive utility of jhana and samadhi.
AN 4.41 : 4 developments of samadhi
AN 7.63 the fortress
Not only do the similes in this sutta give a great picture of how all factors of the noble eightfold path work together, if you study it carefully you see how intertwined the factors are, how they canāt be reduced to 8 independent pieces. I could talk about this sutta for a long time, Iāll just stick to jhanas for now. To give a quick picture, right effort is the army, mindfulness is the gatekeeper for the fortress, piece of dhamma that youāve memorized are the weapons used for protection of the fortress, and the four jhanas correspond to:
ākatamesaį¹ catunnaį¹ jhÄnÄnaį¹ ÄbhicetasikÄnaį¹ diį¹į¹hadhammasukhavihÄrÄnaį¹ nikÄmalÄbhÄ« hoti akicchalÄbhÄ« akasiralÄbhÄ«?
(Thanissaro Trans.)āAnd which are the four jhÄnasāheightened mental states that provide a pleasant abiding in the here & nowāthat he can obtain at will, without difficulty, without trouble?
seyyathÄpi, bhikkhave, raƱƱo paccantime nagare bahuį¹ tiį¹akaį¹į¹hodakaį¹ sannicitaį¹ hoti abbhantarÄnaį¹ ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya bÄhirÄnaį¹ paį¹ighÄtÄya. evamevaį¹ kho, bhikkhave, ariyasÄvako vivicceva kÄmehi ā¦ pe ā¦ paį¹hamaį¹ jhÄnaį¹ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya okkamanÄya nibbÄnassa.
āJust as a royal frontier fortress has large stores of grass, timber & water for the delight, convenience, & comfort of those within, and to ward off those without; in the same way the disciple of the noble ones, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters & remains in the first jhÄnaārapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluationāfor his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
āseyyathÄpi, bhikkhave, raƱƱo paccantime nagare bahuį¹ sÄliyavakaį¹ sannicitaį¹ hoti abbhantarÄnaį¹ ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya bÄhirÄnaį¹ paį¹ighÄtÄya. evamevaį¹ kho, bhikkhave, ariyasÄvako vitakkavicÄrÄnaį¹ vÅ«pasamÄ ā¦ pe ā¦ dutiyaį¹ jhÄnaį¹ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya okkamanÄya nibbÄnassa.
āJust as a royal frontier fortress has large stores of rice & barley for the delight, convenience, & comfort of those within, and to ward off those without; in the same way the disciple of the noble ones, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, enters & remains in the second jhÄnaārapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluationāinternal assuranceāfor his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
āseyyathÄpi, bhikkhave, raƱƱo paccantime nagare bahuį¹ tilamuggamÄsÄparaį¹į¹aį¹ sannicitaį¹ hoti abbhantarÄnaį¹ ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya bÄhirÄnaį¹ paį¹ighÄtÄya. evamevaį¹ kho, bhikkhave, ariyasÄvako pÄ«tiyÄ ca virÄgÄ ā¦ pe ā¦ tatiyaį¹ jhÄnaį¹ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya okkamanÄya nibbÄnassa.
āJust as a royal frontier fortress has large stores of sesame, green gram, & other beans for the delight, convenience, & comfort of those within, and to ward off those without; in the same way the disciple of the noble ones, with the fading of rapture, remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhÄnaāof which the noble ones declare, āEquanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abidingāāfor his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
āseyyathÄpi, bhikkhave, raƱƱo paccantime nagare bahuį¹ bhesajjaį¹ sannicitaį¹ hoti, seyyathidaį¹ ā sappi navanÄ«taį¹ telaį¹ madhu phÄį¹itaį¹ loį¹aį¹ abbhantarÄnaį¹ ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya bÄhirÄnaį¹ paį¹ighÄtÄya. evamevaį¹ kho bhikkhave, ariyasÄvako sukhassa ca pahÄnÄ dukkhassa ca pahÄnÄ pubbeva somanassadomanassÄnaį¹ atthaį¹
gamÄ adukkhamasukhaį¹ upekkhÄsatipÄrisuddhiį¹ catutthaį¹ jhÄnaį¹ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyÄ aparitassÄya phÄsuvihÄrÄya okkamanÄya nibbÄnassa. imesaį¹ catunnaį¹ jhÄnÄnaį¹ ÄbhicetasikÄnaį¹ diį¹į¹hadhammasukhavihÄrÄnaį¹ nikÄmalÄbhÄ« hoti akicchalÄbhÄ« akasiralÄbhÄ«.
āJust as a royal frontier fortress has large stores of tonicsāghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, molasses, & saltāfor the delight, convenience, & comfort of those within, and to ward off those without; in the same way the disciple of the noble ones, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain, as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress, enters & remains in the fourth jhÄnaāpurity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor paināfor his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
Pay close attention to the first jhana. All four jhanas are used toward the aim of nibbana. But with fourth jhana being ghee and butter, 2nd jhana being rice, first jhana being water and firewood and grass, the first jhana in particular contain absolute necessities of survival. Youāre not going to survive long without firewood, drinking water, grass (to feed your horses presumably).
Now consider how you understand the nature of first jhana. If you think Vism. and Ajahn Brahm are right about first jhana (body disappears, canāt hear sound, canāt think, etc), compared to a straightforward reading and an understanding of the EBT jhanas.
If the Buddha had meant for first jhana to be that difficult to attain, how is that fortress going to recruit and keep any inhabitants alive? How long can you live without drinking water?
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