on with AN 4:123, has given rise to the belief that the development of goodwill as an immeasurable state can lead only to the first jhṅna, and that the next two immeasurable states—compassion and empathetic joy—can lead, respectively, only to the second and third jhṅnas. However, as AN 8:70 shows, all four immeasurable states can lead all the way to the fourth jhṅna. The difference between that discourse and this lies in how the person practicing these states relates to them. In that sutta, the person deliberately uses the state as a basis for developing all the jhṅnas. In this sutta, the person simply enjoys the state and remains in it. See also: MN 97; SN 46:54; AN 4:178 - --> - - - -