Throughout the Satipatthana, there are so many variations and ideas offered that to do them all in one sitting would take over a 1000 hours ...

In my opinion, the importance of this, is that it can fulfill the basic requirements of a creative -(fully sensitive to the flows in your own mind and feeling) - moving mindfulness meditation, ... rather than an attempt at single minded static concentration which improves will-power but I doubt leads anywhere ultimately except to boredom.

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The Three Depths

This Passage on the 3 depths which can be applied to our mindfullness - repeats at the end of every section except the 4 noble truths - So, this text repeats the same wording ca. 20 times.

NynaponikaThera:
"Thus he dwells practising body (element, quality, feeling, etc.,) - contemplation on the body internally, or externally, or both internally and externally. He dwells contemplating origination-factors in the body, or he dwells contemplating dissolution-factors in the body, or he dwells contemplating both origination- and dissolution-factors in the body. Or his mindfulness that "there is a body" is established in him to the extent necessary for knowledge and mindfulness. Independant he dwells clinging to nothing in the world."

so the 3 depths are

internally and externally (eg. myself and others)
origination and dissolution
that we recognise it is there.

This third may appear too simple ... however I believe it is a very common sense and useful formular for either beginners or when we are in too much hurry to identify the exact quality of eg. the muscles - the digestive system - the feelings - then, one is simply mindful that "there is a feeling" "there are muscles" ... We simply dont have a 1,000 hours a day to find nirvana in every facet of existence ... Sometimes we must simply be mindful that "there is a ....." and then move on with our mindfulness to other areas.

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I feel sure this is so simple - however traditionally and experts always give another interpretation for this 3rd depth
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Thanissaro Bhikkhu

" 'Or his mindfulness that 'There is a body (feeling, mind, mental quality)' is maintained [simply] to the extent of knowledge & recollection. And he remains independent, unsustained by (not clinging to) anything in the world.'
note: This stage corresponds to a mode of perception that the Buddha in MN 121 terms "entry into emptiness":
Thus he regards it [this mode of perception] as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: "there is this." "

U Jotika & U Dhamminda
"To summarize, he is firmly mindful of the fact that only the body exists (not a soul, a self or I). That mindfulness is just for gaining insight (vipassana) and mindfulness progressively."

Nyanaponika Thera - commentary
That is to say; only bodily processes exist, without a soul, self, or abiding substance.

Nyanasatta Thera - commentary
That is, only impersonal bodily processes exist, without a self, soul, spirit or abiding essence or substance.

............

I disagree ... The section on the 3 depths repeats ca. 20 times - I cannot believe that Buddha was so boring - I think well possible that he repeated each depth idea a few times - randomly - and what could be more obvious for the ardent listener than to try to organise these ideas by bundling them together - the first two are similar in abstract depth ... In my opinion all the previous interpretations I have seen are attempts to make the 3rd. depth fit with the other two ... and simply, it doesnt, ... this , which is now the third, ... is for beginners ... or when we are in a hurry and wish to move on with our mindfulness to other variations .... and as such it is very useful and I would even say an essential part of a moving living minfulness meditation ...

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