Hridaya Meditation is a spiritual path in Itself. It is a way of revealing our fundamental essence, the Supreme Self, Atman, or the Spiritual Heart, as it is called in many traditions.

From a technical point of view, it consists of 3 aspects:

1. The awareness of the Heart Center (in the chest area)

2. The awareness of short pauses after inhalation and exhalation

3. Self-Enquiry (asking the question “Who am I?“)

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The Finger That Points to the Moon

There is a very beautiful metaphor from the Zen tradition, “The finger that points to the Moon,” which describes the relationship between the technical elements of practice and the Ineffable. It suggests that we should never remain focused on the finger, but always look in the direction it points.

In a similar way, these three attitudes are just like “fingers” that point to the “Moon” of Supreme Consciousness. They are just pointers or doors to the Vastness of our Being. Therefore, these attitudes don’t have a value in and of themselves, but only in connection with what they might reveal.

For example, we can focus on the chest area and this can definitely, in time, bring an increased level of concentration, mental clarity, and awareness of our emotions. But all these are limited to the domain of our personality. When we understand that the Heart Center is just a pointer, we open ourselves to a new “domain,” described in the Islamic hadith as “Heaven and Earth do not contain me, but I am contained in the heart of my devotee,” or in Jesus’ affirmation “The Kingdom of God is inside you.”

In this way, the Heart Center is not just a “point of concentration,” but brings a taste of Infinity. Similarly, both of the other two attitudes, the awareness of the pauses in the breathing cycle and the question “Who am I?”, can lead us to that domain that transcends the limits of individuality.

Therefore Hridaya Meditation, while using these tools, finally goes beyond them—becoming a natural way of celebrating the freedom and joy of our Real Being.