For me, the terms ‘emptiness concentration’, ‘conditionless concentration’ & ‘desireless concentration’ are mistranslations that may give the reader the impression there are different types of concentration.
I would translate these terms as: ‘concentration on emptiness’, ‘concentration on conditionless’ & ‘concentration on desireless’.
Therefore, at the highest level of practise, the concentration used to concentrate on these things is jhana. This makes jhana necessary for arahantship.
These three are found in MN 43 as three types of liberation, namely, ākiñcaññā cetovimutti, suññatā cetovimutti & animittā ceto vimutti.
concentration on emptiness, I shall give rise to signlessness (animitta), nothingness,
SA 80
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…the nothingness mind-release, the emptiness mind-release, the theme-less-mind-release
Regarding the question if jhana is required for stream enterer or only until the anāgāmi stage …I’ve found an answer from Ajahn Brahmali on the subject "Jhanas and the fruits of the Path", his answer is quite clear and very beneficial for someone at the beginning of the path such as myself.
“However, in my view, it is unnecessary to decide whether jhāna is absolutely required for stream-entry. The practice for becoming a stream-enterer is the eightforld path. If you keep practicing this path, you will eventually become a stream-enterer. If that beakthrough happens before you get to the jhānas (the last factor of the path), then great; but if it doesn’t, you should simply continue practicing the path, including the jhānas, until the breakthrough happens. What is certainly wrong is to deliberately avoid the jhānas because one thinks they are not required. If you do, then there is a very good chance you will block yourself from attaining stream-entry.”
There are many examples of 1st time hearers of Buddha-Dhamma attaining stream-entry (SN 56.11; MN 56; etc). Obviously, the listeners were not in jhana, particularly Upali in MN 56, who had just concluded a (defeat in) debate with the Buddha.
I’d mention that, irrespective of the relationship between jhanas and stream entry ( and the fact that newbies to the Buddha’s Dhamma were invested with stream entry…is this some puffing being done by later disciples/redactors of the Suttas?) , the jhanas, it seems to me in theory, are heavily dependent on the quality of the practice with the first 7 Path factors. In other words, if we short sell jhanas in our practice, by implication we might also short sell the commitment to the first 7 factors, and begin to delude ourselves that the Path can be pursued with less than the full vigor and commitment to all of the integrated graduated Path factors that the Eightfold Path defines. Otherwise, Samma Samadhi might have just been the first factor; cultivate it, or maybe bypass it and move on to Right View. But, as we all know, jhanas are the samma culmination of the Path, and, it seems to me, indispensable to a fully integrated and effective practice (toward stream entry).
To me, the essay offered in a previous post by Bhikkhu Bodhi presents a very conclusive & difficult to refute argument about how jhana is not relevant to stream-entry. Also, SN 13.1 explains how much suffering is extinguished with stream-entry while AN 4.123 points out the potential suffering when jhana is developed with wrong view, i.e., jhana with egoism. Dhp 178 states:
Better than sole sovereignty over the earth, better than going to heaven, better even than lordship over all the worlds is the supramundane Fruition of Stream Entrance.
Sole dominion over the earth, going to heaven, lordship over all worlds: the fruit of stream-entry excels them.
Ajahn Brahm’s book seems to discuss at length using ‘letting go’ (‘vossagga’) as the foundation for developing jhana (similar to SN 48.10 or the final section of MN 118). I imagine if this is done, some insight into ‘not-self’ or ‘selflessness’ is likely occur before jhana. I imagine if the 7 path factors or supports (MN 117) come together with requisite quality, stream-entry is likely to occur before jhana. MN 117 does call it ‘noble right concentration’.
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