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 can’t be reduced to 8 independent pieces. I could talk about this sutta for a long time, I’ll 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 you’ve memorized are the weapons used for protection of the fortress, and the four jhanas correspond to:
“katamesaṃ catunnaṃ jhānānaṃ ābhicetasikānaṃ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṃ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī?
(Thanissaro Trans.)“And which are the four jhānas—heightened mental states that provide a pleasant abiding in the here & now—that he can obtain at will, without difficulty, without trouble?
seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño paccantime nagare bahuṃ tiṇakaṭṭhodakaṃ sannicitaṃ hoti abbhantarānaṃ ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya bāhirānaṃ paṭighātāya. evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako vivicceva kāmehi … pe … paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya okkamanāya nibbānassa.
“Just 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 jhāna—rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation—for his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
“seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño paccantime nagare bahuṃ sāliyavakaṃ sannicitaṃ hoti abbhantarānaṃ ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya bāhirānaṃ paṭighātāya. evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako vitakkavicārānaṃ vūpasamā … pe … dutiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya okkamanāya nibbānassa.
“Just 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 jhāna—rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation—internal assurance—for his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
“seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño paccantime nagare bahuṃ tilamuggamāsāparaṇṇaṃ sannicitaṃ hoti abbhantarānaṃ ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya bāhirānaṃ paṭighātāya. evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako pītiyā ca virāgā … pe … tatiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya okkamanāya nibbānassa.
“Just 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 jhāna—of which the noble ones declare, ‘Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding’—for his own delight, convenience, & comfort, and to alight on unbinding.
“seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño paccantime nagare bahuṃ bhesajjaṃ sannicitaṃ hoti, seyyathidaṃ — sappi navanītaṃ telaṃ madhu phāṇitaṃ loṇaṃ abbhantarānaṃ ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya bāhirānaṃ paṭighātāya. evamevaṃ kho bhikkhave, ariyasāvako sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṃ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṃ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṃ catutthaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati attano ratiyā aparitassāya phāsuvihārāya okkamanāya nibbānassa. imesaṃ catunnaṃ jhānānaṃ ābhicetasikānaṃ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṃ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.
“Just as a royal frontier fortress has large stores of tonics—ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, molasses, & salt—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 abandoning of pleasure & pain, as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress, enters & remains in the fourth jhāna—purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain—for 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. You’re 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, can’t hear sound, can’t 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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