Sure. I must warn, however, that these are subtle points. It is no easy matter to have a truly informed opinion on this.
Let’s start with the passage in question from AN 3.63. Ven. Bodhi does indeed render this as “when I am in such a state”, which seems to imply that the walking is happening while one is in jhāna. The problem, as so often, is that translation is an imprecise business. To be clear about the actual implication, we really need to go back to the Pali. We also need to cross-reference to other passages that have a bearing on this matter. But first of all, let’s see how Bhante Sujato renders the same phrase:
When I’m practicing like this, if I walk meditation, at that time I walk like the gods.
So ce ahaṃ, brāhmaṇa, evaṃbhūto caṅkamāmi, dibbo me eso tasmiṃ samaye caṅkamo hoti.
Here there is a significant shift in meaning. Whereas Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation suggests the two are happening simultaneously, Bhante Sujato’s rendering is more open-ended. It suggests that during the general period one is practising the jhānas, the experience of walking, etc., will be divine. In other words, the point may be that the jhāna and the walking happen in close proximity to each other, not simultaneously. So which interpretation is right?
The critical Pali word here is evaṃbhūto, evaṃ + bhūto. The meaning of evaṃ is straightforward. Any dictionary will tell you that it means “thus”, “in this way”, etc., and that it normally refers back to something expressed earlier. Bhūto is the past participle of the bhavati, “to be”, and as such it means “been”. So the literal meaning is “been thus”. Now this does suggest something that happened in the past and that is no longer the case, bolstering Bhante Sujato’s rendering. But again we need to be careful. The broad usage of the flexible verb “to be” - and this as true for Pali as it is for English - means the range of idiomatic usage is significant. Bhūto often has the meaning “become”, in which case we get “become thus” for evaṃbhūto, which is perhaps closer to Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation. We are not left with an unambiguous meaning.
Let’s go a bit further afield. At MN 122 we find a parallel construction where the meaning is far clearer:
It’s when a mendicant, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption … They focus on the imperturbable … While a mendicant is practicing such meditation, if their mind inclines to walking, they walk … While a mendicant is practicing such meditation, if their mind inclines to talking … While a mendicant is practicing such meditation, if their mind inclines to thinking …
Idhānanda, bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi … paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati … dutiyaṃ jhānaṃ … tatiyaṃ jhānaṃ catutthaṃ jhānaṃ … upasampajja viharati so āneñjaṃ manasi karoti … Tassa ce, ānanda, bhikkhuno iminā vihārena viharato caṅkamāya cittaṃ namati, so caṅkamati … Tassa ce, ānanda, bhikkhuno iminā vihārena viharato kathāya cittaṃ namati … Tassa ce, ānanda, bhikkhuno iminā vihārena viharato vitakkāya cittaṃ namati …
Here the situation is very similar to what we find at AN 3.63, except the meditation is even deeper. After the four jhānas, the meditator goes on to other meditations, including the immaterial attainments, here signified by “the imperturbable”. Again, the sutta describes a meditator who is walking “while practising” such meditation. But this time it goes further: not only is the meditator walking, they are even talking and thinking, vitakka. Now we know from the standard jhāna formulas that all vitakka ceases in the second jhāna. We know from other suttas that all speech ceases before jhāna. It follows from this that “while a mendicant is practicing such meditation” cannot mean that the meditation and the activity described is happening at the same time. It must be more elliptic, meaning something like “around the same time”, or “within the same time period”.
If this is true for MN 122, then it is also likely to be true for AN 3.63, where the exact meaning is even less clear.
The above shows how careful we need to be in interpreting the suttas. It takes broad knowledge and careful investigation. Sometimes relying on the commentaries is not a bad idea. We should be absolutely clear that a commentary is wrong before we reject its interpretation. The ancient monastics were learned and wise, usually more so than most modern commentators. It is all too easy to overestimate our own understanding at the expense of commentaries that have largely withstood the test of time.
And just to be clear, here is the commentarial interpretation of AN 3.63:
… samāpattito vuṭṭhāya caṅkamantassāpi caṅkamo dibbacaṅkamoyeva.
… the walking is a divine walking for one who is walking after arising from the attainment.