Hi RightView,
I am familiar with the basics of the progress of insight you have posted but some of these authors (Ingram, Mahasi, U Pandita) explain them in great detail. I understand from what I have read that knowing the experiences you can expect or are experiencing during meditation is helpful for the practitioner in his journey to Nibbana, to chart progress know what to expect next, and to validate to him or her that they are on the right path. Therefore, just as much as studying the suttas I want to know the ins and outs of the stages of meditation.
The author I mentioned, Ingram is one who says he has done something extreme by making the stages of insight very explicit in extreme detail, and he himself refers to Mahasi's Manual of Insight as a further reference for someone who has done the same as he himself (this book just came out last year and I have read some of it but not all). Something most Western dhamma books have not done for whatever reason.
...If you read Bhante G's Mindfulness in Plain English or some other meditation guides you might get the idea that the practice is very linear... that is, just keep practicing the same way for X years and you will attain Nibbana. However, it is apparent that the stages of progress are vastly different than each other, so it's good to know the "maps" as he calls them.
I think you are right about the four foundations of mindfulness to be practiced. I have some experience with anapanasati (as explained by Bhante G.) and to a lesser extent the Mahasi & U Pandita methods. I idealize to practice walking meditation outdoors maybe the home life as described in the suttas is a path of dust (as opposed to monastery the "open air", so can the outside be open air as well), your attention is scattered, but I don't want to ordain.
There are good Dhamma books about practicing a certain technique as primary and doing the rest of them in a secondary manner. I just want to know the stages of insight before I begin practice. I am too eager to practice to wait to finish study of the suttas to meditate, I will hopefully study mindfulness and have a more or less formal practice but as another poster said in this thread, daily life mindfulness (robertk said) while doing hobbies, work, etc, is possible. Personally I just need to try to let my speech stray from mindful speech as I have a tendency to indulge idle chatter during the day with friends and so on. The paramis are good as well. Also for me, to try to move away from idleness and towards diligence somewhat.
Thank you,
Andrew