Jack Ellis:
In regards to Kamalashilas's nine stages ie. Tibetan map/Culadasa's 10 stages, how do they compare with the 8 jhanas?
The nine stages or ten stages are just another template to reach the same goal as
dhyana meditation, which is to be able to reach the purified, stable, stilled, established, brightness of mind necessary in order to practice contemplation on the teachings (i.e., the four noble truths, the three characteristics, the five aggregates, and the crowning jewel of dependent co-arising). When the mind is no longer having to deal with distractions and is thus purified, bright and calm, it is able to concentrate solely upon its object with unworldly clarity. It can
notice (realize) and verify the truth of the Dhamma much quicker.
Culadasa explains this pretty much in the same way I mean here when he says:
The four milestone achievements:
1. Uninterrupted continuity of attention to the meditation object — Uninterrupted continuity of attention marks the first stage of development of Skilled Concentration. The meditator is no longer a novice, prone to mind-wandering and falling asleep.
2. Sustained single-pointed attention to the meditation object, with exclusive focus — Sustained single-pointed attention constitutes the mastery of Skilled Concentration.
3. Effortless stability of the attention, also known as mental pliancy, the compliant mind — The achievement of effortlessly sustained single-pointed attention marks the first stage of development of the Concentration of an Adept
4. Stability of attention and mindful awareness are fully developed, accompanied by meditative joy, tranquility and
equanimity, qualities which persist between meditation sessions — This is the Concentration of an Adept.
Therefore the end goal is the same.
Jack Ellis:
My long term goal is attaining Shamatha and I was wondering if experiencing the 4 jhanas would help achieve this? The obvious answer to me would be yes but in Culadasa's guide mentioned above he mentions:
One exception to this is that stage 5 can be skipped altogether, which as I have already explained,is a serious error leading to concentration with dullness. If this happens, the meditator may experience a shallow facsimile of the later stages, but is truly at a dead end as far as attaining the real fruits of meditation
practice.
Is he by any chance eluding to the Jhanas here when he says 'shallow facsimile of the later stages' ? The answer to your first question above is: of course they will. It appears that you are still struggling in your mind to define what
samatha is. It simply refers to a calm and concentrated mind. Nothing more, nothing less. The first four
dhyanas aim to bring the mind into this same calm and concentrated state when one reaches the fourth
dhyana.
The answer to your second question is: no. He is not referring to
dhyana meditation as being a "shallow facsimile of the later stages." If you go back and read what Stage Five is, he states that it involves "full-minded awareness." This is just another way of saying "full mindfulness." He states: "The fifth stage is characterized by freedom from strong dullness, and
by the ability to easily keep the subtle distractions that continue to be present from becoming gross distractions that will overwhelm the attention to the meditation object."
He is endeavoring to emphasize the importance of having
established mindfulness before, during, and after the formal sitting session. That can be a tall order to achieve for someone just beginning to practice; so don't expect to achieve it without some effort. When that "full-minded awareness" becomes established, the mind will not slip back into a dull or trance-like state, which is something you want to avoid like the plague. Such a state is the exact opposite of a clear, bright, pliant, and self-aware state of mental clarity. A mind that is dull can be manipulated (just as a hypnotist will manipulate his subject's mind when under hypnosis, because the trance mind is in this same dull awareness mode; this trance-like state can be a pleasant state to be in, but it is not conducive to insight meditation, because the mind in that state will accept any kind of nonsense as true rather than objectively recognizing what is true). This will not happen when the mind is purified, bright, and established on its object. It will see that object with objective clarity and insight! This is what Gotama (and hence, the
elaboration of Kamalashila and Culadasa) is aiming at. A mind that is bright, unblemished, unified and established in mindfulness (and hence ready for a more pointed concentration upon an object of observation).
Jack Ellis:
And as a side note I'm making a guess that attaining hard 4th Jhana with ease is not the same as achieving Shamatha unless the quote below can be said for 4th Jhana also:
It possesses the same characteristics of mental and physical pliancy as the preceding stages, combined with an almost imperturbable peacefulness and calm, joy and happiness, and profound equanimity.... - But as practice continues, they persist for longer and longer periods after each meditation session ends, until before too long they become the normal condition for the meditator.
Then your guess would be wrong. By now you should be aware that attaining a "hard 4th Jhana with ease" is
exactly the same as achieving "shamatha." Do you understand what the word "elaboration" means in the comment above (as well as in Culadasa's opening paragraph description in his
Progressive Stages of Meditation in Plain English? His explanations are not changing the parameters of the practice; only adding more detail in order to further clarify (elaborate upon) the concepts for the reader.