On Methods

(This) method was taught and made famous by the Mahāsi Sayādaw, so they call it the Mahāsi method, rather than simply Satipaṭṭhāna or Dhātumanasikāra or Catudhātuvavatthāna, but it's also often called Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā, or simply Vipassanā meditation.

The Buddha taught many different meditation methods to suit different personalities and temperaments. We should select only some parts of what he taught and practice that. When you make a curry, you don't just chuck in everything you have in the kitchen. You select the ingredients and proportions carefully, and cook them according to a recipe or a well tested method. Then you have a good chance that the result will at least be edible, if not delicious.

The right method of meditation that works for you is like a good recipe that you find delicious and nutritious. You have to keep adjusting it to find the right method. This is why a skilled instructor is very valuable. He or she can see defects in your practice that you cannot see yourself....

There are as many different methods as there are teachers. Even within the same Mahāsi tradition, the way that Chanmyay Sayādaw taught is different to the way that Sayādaw U Paṇḍita taught, and their disciples like U Aggacitta or Phra Yuttadhammo.

Many instructions will be identical, or very similar, but they each have their own styles and emphasise different things. Bhikkhu Bodhidharma at the Satipanya centre, also teaches the Mahāsi method, but no doubt he has his own approach, as do I. ~ Bhikkhu Pesala