It is a very good question, Venerable Brahmali, and it is often, in my opinion, not satisfactorily answered by those say Jhāna can occur with the senses still intact. There are a few possible answers given:
- These states are just irrelevant and not mentioned in the Suttas
- These states are in fact “dangerous” (I find this one a little implausible)
- These states correspond to the 8 liberations/8 domains of mastery
- These states are sort of an alternate route to the formless realms, where perception of the body is dropped earlier than it would be through the jhana route (similar to #3 above). Or, they are sort of a mix between the formless and formJhānas.
- Jhāna has two different dimensions: a “Jhāna factor” dimension, and a “concentration dimension”. So these states are just highly concentrated types of Jhāna, but other states where the senses are still present, albeit in the background, can still qualify as Jhāna.
- These states are in fact Jhāna, and everything else is a lesser attainment.
I tend to lean towards 5 or 6.
Alternatively, the below
“Pāmojjaṁ pana, bhante, kimatthiyaṁ kimānisaṁsan”ti?
“Rapture …” “Pāmojjaṁ kho, ānanda, pītatthaṁ pītānisaṁsan”ti.
“But what is the purpose and benefit of rapture?” “Pīti pana, bhante, kimatthiyā kimānisaṁsā”ti?
“Tranquility …” “Pīti kho, ānanda, passaddhatthā passaddhānisaṁsā”ti.
“But what is the purpose and benefit of tranquility?” “Passaddhi pana, bhante, kimatthiyā kimānisaṁsā”ti?
“Bliss …” “Passaddhi kho, ānanda, sukhatthā sukhānisaṁsā”ti.
“But what is the purpose and benefit of bliss?” “Sukhaṁ pana, bhante, kimatthiyaṁ kimānisaṁsan”ti?
“Concentration …” “Sukhaṁ kho, ānanda, samādhatthaṁ samādhānisaṁsan”ti.
“But what is the purpose and benefit of concentration?” “Samādhi pana, bhante, kimatthiyo kimānisaṁso”ti?
“Truly knowing and seeing …” “Samādhi kho, ānanda, yathābhūtañāṇadassanattho yathābhūtañāṇadassanānisaṁso”ti.
“But what is the purpose and benefit of truly knowing and seeing?” “Yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ pana, bhante, kimatthiyaṁ kimānisaṁsan”ti?
“Disillusionment and dispassion …” “Yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ kho, ānanda, nibbidāvirāgatthaṁ nibbidāvirāgānisaṁsan”ti.
“But what is the purpose and benefit of disillusionment and dispassion?” “Nibbidāvirāgo pana, bhante, kimatthiyo kimānisaṁso”ti?
“Knowledge and vision of freedom is the purpose and benefit of disillusionment and dispassion. “Nibbidāvirāgo kho, ānanda, vimuttiñāṇadassanattho vimuttiñāṇadassanānisaṁso.
could easily be read as a description of the 1st-4th Jhānas followed by knowledge & vision/ truly knowing and seeing, with the final reference to concentration meaning the 4 Jhāna. This would tie in nicely with the fact that the 4th Jhāna is often described as the culmination of concentration, and from that standpoint one can end the defilments, attain the supernormal knowledges, etc.
“Monks, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of elation and depression, a monk attains and remains in the fourth Jhāna, which is neither painful nor pleasant and has purity of mindfulness and equanimity. He sits suffusing this very body with a completely pure and clean mind; there is nowhere in his entire body that is not suffused with his completely pure and clean mind. Monks, it is like a man who sits with his entire body covered with a white cloth, including his head; there is nowhere on his body that is not covered by the white cloth. Monks, in the same way, a monk sits suffusing this very body with a completely pure and clean mind; there is nowhere in his entire body that is not suffused with his completely pure and clean mind.
“When the mind is concentrated in this way – completely pure, completely clean, flawless, without defilement, malleable, workable, stable, and imperturbable…
Maybe best not to derail this thread though. There is another thread about this question right now: Question On Sammā Samādhi (One samādhi, blue samādhi, we samādhi, who’s samādhi?)