Is satipaṭṭhāna the only way?
Another fundamental mistake among many who practice Buddhist meditation today is to ignore the Supernormal Eightfold Way altogether and instead practice satipaṭṭhāna. They believe that the path to emancipation is satipaṭṭhāna. This, however, is due to a mistaken translation of the Pali statement in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: “ekayano ayan bhikkhave maggo.” This Pali statement is translated to mean, “satipaṭṭhāna is the only way to Nibbāna (Nirvana).” As a result, people have begun to practice satipaṭṭhāna only, with no reference to the Supernormal Eightfold Way (ariya aṭṭhangika magga).
When the mistaken practitioner is questioned, “why have you ignored the Supernormal Eightfold Way? The answer commonly given is, “the Supernormal Eightfold Way is only a thought moment (cittakkhaṇa),” which arises at the moment of enlightenment, when the magga citta is immediately followed by the phala citta. That magga citta is the Supernormal Eightfold Way, and phala citta is Full comprehension (Paññā). In other words, the Supernormal Eightfold Way (ariya aṭṭhangika magga) has mistakenly become a mere thought moment (cittakkhaṇa). The Supernormal Eightfold Way has also become the final part of the practice of satipaṭṭhāna, instead of the satipaṭṭhāna being the final part of the Supernormal Eightfold Way. This mistaken interpretation of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta could be the reason for the failure of most serious meditators today, to attain Arahatship or the final Awakening.