[Lal]

I will take a look for a reference for “vipassana pubbanga samatha” later. If anyone else has references, please post them.

However, the following facts are important:

1. One cannot attain magga phala without vipassana. 
2. “Samatha only” can only lead to anariya jhana. That is what ancient yogis like Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta did. You get to be born in a Brahma realm but always come back and start over.
3. The cultivation of the path can be via “vipassana pubbanga samatha”, “samatha pubbanga vipassana”, or “samatha yuganandha vipassana.” Here, “pubbanga” means “first” and “yuganandha” means “together.” Any of the three can be used.
4. Satipatthana belongs to the “samatha yuganandha vipassana” category, i.e., both samatha and vipassana grow together; see, for example, “Mahāsaḷāyatanika Sutta (MN 149)“.

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Tobias G