The Ten Fetters: #6 and 7, Craving Form & Formless Meditation States
Not really what they sound like. Fetters 6-10 are uprooted only with full awakening, so these are all extremely subtle hindrances. Garden variety craving for things like sensual pleasures have already been let go with the previous fetters, so these two point to how even when we have let go of so much in our lives, we can still be addicted to the pleasure of deep meditation.
These two fetters refer to the jhāna states that are embodied (1-4), and disembodied (5-8) or formless (arūpa). Don't take this the wrong way. The Buddha is absolutely not saying that samādhi is to be avoided. It is for sure to be cultivated, and even clung to up until this final moment on the path. Don't let go of your meditation too soon, basically. You need it to get this far, but you don't need it to take the final step. This is really what the "leave the raft behind once you've crossed the river" simile is about. A lot of contemporary practitioners focus hard on the Buddha saying to let go of everything, and use it to justify letting go of their discipline around practice. But all that leads to is stopping your progress.
