Is Sayadaw U Tejaniya's meditation style distinctive

Essentially, for Sayadaw U Tejaniya's meditation style, both, but the distinction lies in the priority of the observation.

While most meditation styles emphasize the object (what you are seeing/feeling), Sayadaw U Tejaniya emphasizes the observing mind (the one doing the seeing/feeling). His practice is distinctive because it treats the quality of the mind as the most important factor in the meditation.

Here is how those two concepts work together in his style:

1. Using the Mind as the Object (Cittanupassana)

In this method, you aren't just watching your breath or your feet; you are watching the mental states themselves. You observe:

Thoughts: Noticing that the mind is thinking without getting lost in the story.
Feelings: Noticing emotions like boredom, excitement, or peace.
Defilements: Specifically checking for greed (wanting a certain result), aversion (disliking an experience), or delusion (not knowing what is happening).

2. Observing the Observing Mind (The "Background" Awareness)

This is the most famous hallmark of his teaching. He often asks the question: "Is the mind aware?" Instead of just looking at an object, you "turn the light around" to see if the awareness itself is present. You check the attitude of the observer. For example:

If you are watching a painful sensation, you don't just watch the pain; you watch the mind that is watching the pain.
You ask: "Is the watching mind tense? Is it trying to make the pain go away?"

Why this distinction matters

In many other traditions, if you lose your object (the breath), you have "failed" that moment of meditation. In Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s style, nothing is a distraction.

If a loud noise happens, the noise is the object.
If you get angry at the noise, the anger is the object.
If you notice yourself getting angry, the awareness of the anger is what you focus on.

The goal isn't to have a "quiet" mind, but a wise mind that understands whatever is happening is just a natural process. As he often says: "The object is not important; the observing mind is of real importance."