Daniel M. Ingram:
Thus, I say, get stream entry at all costs, and then play with jhana as much as you wish, and it is easier after stream entry, as one can go the other way and convert vipassana jhana to samatha.
I thought I understood Daniel's statement above until I read a passage from MCTB:
"I spent the first five years of my practice giving only a moderate amount of attention to the samatha jhanas and I now realize that this was probably in error."
The chapter in MCTB, "Concentration v. Insight", seems to be more supportive of the usefulness of the jhanas for attaining enlightenment than the post above does.
Clarification?
I practiced "dry insight" for several years (about 8) with very limited results. I'm now working to develop the jhanas (in conjunction with insight) for the purpose of developing insight. Any further thoughts on the merits of this approach?