I got the impression that, yes, the Jedi method is more dogma than necessity. I seem to remember that the Jedi method involved fashioning a crystal (the lightsaber’s key component) with simple, personal tools (a method where meditation, and a steady hand, would be beneficial - one error in crafting the crystal, and it’s useless), while the Sith would use more industrial methods (mass-production?). Perfect natural crystals are very rare, apparently.