Within Burmese Theravāda monasteries, meditation training tends to revolve around a small set of core methods that are woven together into a coherent path. Foremost among these is vipassanā, or insight meditation, especially in the Mahāsi lineage, where practitioners attend closely to the rising and falling of the abdomen and “note” bodily sensations, feelings, thoughts, and mental states. Other vipassanā systems, such as those associated with Mogok or Pa-Auk, likewise direct attention to the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and selfless nature of phenomena, though they differ in emphasis and structure. Across these approaches, the heart of the training is a direct, moment-to-moment observation of experience so that the three characteristics of existence become unmistakably clear.

Alongside insight practice, samatha, or concentration meditation, is widely cultivated as a stabilizing foundation. Mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati), whether at the nostrils, upper lip, or abdomen, is commonly used to collect and unify the mind, sometimes developed very deeply before turning to analytical insight. Certain monasteries also maintain kasina practices, in which attention is fixed on simple visual objects or light to strengthen one-pointedness. Loving-kindness meditation (mettā) is frequently included here as a concentration object as well, systematically cultivating goodwill toward oneself and all beings.

These sitting practices are usually framed within the broader discipline of mindfulness as articulated in the four foundations (satipaṭṭhāna): body, feelings, mind, and mental objects. Walking meditation serves as a practical extension of this framework, training mindfulness in movement by attending carefully to each step and bodily sensation. In many monasteries, periods of walking and sitting are alternated, allowing mindfulness to permeate both stillness and activity. The overall pattern is that concentration practices support the arising of clear insight, while insight practices, in turn, illuminate the nature of body and mind in every posture.