Ho'oponopono

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ho oponopono (ho-o-pono-pono) is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation an
d forgiveness. Similar forgiveness practices were performed on islands throughou
t the South Pacific, including Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand. Traditionally ho opo
nopono is practiced by healing priests or kahuna lapa au among family members of a
person who is physically ill. Modern versions are performed within the family b
y a family elder, or by the individual alone.

Map of Hawaii
Contents [hide]
1 Polynesian antecedents
2 Traditional practice
3 Modern uses
3.1 Traditional applications
3.2 Freedom from Karma
3.3 Creating state of Zero
4 See also
5 Footnotes
6 References
[edit]Polynesian antecedents

Map of Oceania
In many Polynesian cultures, it was believed that a person s errors (called hara o
r hala) caused illness. Some believed error angered the gods, others that it att
racted malevolent gods, and still others believed the guilt caused by error made
one sick. In most cases, however, specific untie-error rites could be performed to
atone for such errors and thereby diminish one s accumulation of them. [1]
Among the islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, people believe that illness u
sually is caused by sexual misconduct or anger. If you are angry for two or three
days, sickness will come, said one local man.[2] The therapy that counters this
sickness is confession. The patient, or a family member, may confess. If no one
confesses an error, the patient may die. The Vanuatu people believe that secrecy
is what gives power to the illness. When the error is confessed, it no longer h
as power over the person.[3]
Like many other islanders, including Hawaiians, people of Tikopia in the Solomon
Islands, and on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, believe that the sins of the fat
her will fall upon the children. If a child is sick, the parents are suspected o
f quarreling or misconduct. In addition to sickness, social disorder could cause
sterility of land or other disasters.[4] Harmony could be restored only by conf
ession and apology.
In Pukapuka, it was customary to hold sort of a confessional over patients to de
termine an appropriate course of action in order to heal them.[5]
Similar traditions are found in Samoa,[6] Tahiti, [7] and among the Maori of New
Zealand.[8][9] [10]
[edit]Traditional practice

Overlooking Kalalau Valley from Koke'e State Park, where Nana Veary held retreat
s to teach ho oponopono

A lei made from the fruit of the hala or pandanus tree. A hala lei was given at
the completion of ho oponopono in the tradition of kahuna Makaweliweli of Moloka i
Ho oponopono is defined in the Hawaiian Dictionary[11] as mental cleansing: family co
nferences in which relationships were set right through prayer, discussion, conf
ession, repentance, and mutual restitution and forgiveness. Literally, ho o is the
equivalent to the English to . It creates a verb from the noun pono, which is defin
ed as
goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper procedure, ex
cellence, well-being, prosperity, welfare, benefit, true condition or nature, du
ty; moral, fitting, proper, righteous, right, upright, just, virtuous, fair, ben
eficial, successful, in perfect order, accurate, correct, eased, relieved; shoul
d, ought, must, necessary.
Ponopono is defined as to put to rights; to put in order or shape, correct, revis
e, adjust, amend, regulate, arrange, rectify, tidy up, make orderly or neat.
Preeminent Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui wrote that it was a practice in An
cient Hawaii[12] and this is supported by oral histories from contemporary Hawai
ian elders.[13] Pukui first recorded her experiences and observations from her c
hildhood (born 1895) in her 1958 book.[14] Author Max Freedom Long, who lived in
Hawai i from 1917 to about 1926, documented traditional ho oponopono as used by Haw
aiian families in his 1936 book.[15]
Although the word ho oponopono was not used, early Hawaiian historians documented a
belief that illness was caused by breaking kapu, or spiritual laws, and that the
illness could not be cured until the sufferer atoned for this transgression, of
ten with the assistance of a praying priest (kahuna pule) or healing priest (kah
una lapa au). Forgiveness was sought from the gods[16] [17] or from the person wit
h whom there was a dispute.[18]
Pukui described it as a practice of extended family members meeting to make right
broken family relations. Some families met daily or weekly, to prevent problems
from erupting.[19] Others met when a person became ill, believing that illness w
as caused by the stress of anger, guilt, recriminations and lack of forgiveness.
[20] Kupuna Nana Veary wrote that when any of the children in her family fell il
l, her grandmother would ask ask the parents, "What have you done?" They believe
d that healing could come only with complete forgiveness of the whole family.[21
]
Ho oponopono corrects, restores and maintains good relationships among family memb
ers and with their gods or God by getting to the causes and sources of trouble.
Usually the most senior member of the family conducts it. He or she gathers the
family together. If the family is unable to work through a problem, they turn to
a respected outsider.
The process begins with prayer. A statement of the problem is made, and the tran
sgression discussed. Family members are expected to work problems through and co
operate, not hold fast to the fault. One or more periods of silence may be taken f
or reflection on the entanglement of emotions and injuries. Everyone s feelings ar
e acknowledged. Then confession, repentance and forgiveness take place. Everyone
releases (kala) each other, letting go. They cut off the past ( oki), and togethe
r they close the event with a ceremonial feast, called pani, which often include
d eating limu kala or kala seaweed, symbolic of the release.[22]
In a form used by the family of kahuna Makaweliweli of the island of Moloka i, the
completion of ho oponopono is represented by giving the person forgiven a lei (Ha
waii) made from the fruit of the hala tree.[23]
Aunty Malia Craver, who worked with the Queen Lili uokalani Children's Centers (QLCC
) for more than 30 years, taught courses in traditional ho oponopono. On August 30
, 2000, she spoke about it to the United Nations.[24]
[edit]Modern uses
[edit]Traditional applications
In the late 20th century, courts in Hawai i began to order juvenile and adult offe
nders to work with an elder who would conduct ho oponopono for their families, as
a form of alternative dispute resolution. The ho oponopono is conducted in the tra
ditional way, without court interference, with a practitioner picked by the fami
ly from a list of court-approved providers.[25]
Some native practitioners provide ho oponopono to clients who otherwise might seek
family counseling.[26]
[edit]Freedom from Karma
The site of the partially restored remains of the village of Koai e in the Lapakah
i State Historical Park of the island of Hawaii, North Kohala district. Beginnin
g in the early 20th century, this village has been a center for lapa au
In 1976 Morrnah Simeona, regarded as a healing priest or kahuna lapa au, adapted t
he traditional ho oponopono of family mutual forgiveness to the social realities o
f the modern day. For this she extended it both to a general problem solving pro
cess outside the family and to a psycho-spiritual self-help rather than group pr
ocess.
Simeona s version is influenced by her Christian (Protestant and Catholic) educati
on and her philosophical studies about India, China and Edgar Cayce. Like Hawaii
an tradition she emphasizes prayer. Unlike Hawaiian tradition, she describes pro
blems as the effects of negative Karma, saying that you have to experience by you
rself what you have done to others, and you are the creator of your life circumst
ances. Any wrong doing is memorized within oneself and mirrored in every entity
and object which was present when the cause happened. As the Law of Cause and Ef
fect predominates in all of life and lifetimes, the purpose of her version is ma
inly to release unhappy, negative experiences in past Reincarnations, and to reso
lve and remove traumas from the memory banks . [27] Karmic bondages hinder the evolut
ion of mind, so that (karmic) cleansing is a requisite for the expansion of aware
ness. [28] Using her 14-step-process would dissolve those bondages.[29] She did no
t use mantras or conditioning exercises.
Her teachings include: there is a Divine Creator who takes care of altruistic pl
eas of Men; when the phrase And it is done is used after a prayer, it means Man s wor
k ends and God s begins. [30] Self-Identity signifies, e.g. during the ho oponopono, tha
t the 3 selves or aspects of consciousness are balanced and connected with the D
ivine Creator.[31] Different from egoistic prayers altruistic prayers like ho opono
pono, where you also pray for the release of other entities and objects, reach t
he Divine plane or Cosmos because of their high vibrations. From that plane the
Divine energy or mana would come, [32] which would transform the painful part of t
he memory of the wrong actions in all participants to Pure Light, on whatever pl
ane they are existing; all are set free. [33] Through this transmutation in the min
d the problems will lose their energy for physical effects, and healing or balan
cing is begun. In this sense, Simeona s mana is not the same as the traditional Po
lynesian understanding of Mana.
[edit]Creating state of Zero
After Simeona's passing in 1992, her former student and administrator Ihalekala
Hew Len, co-authored a book with Joe Vitale called Zero Limits[34] claiming to t
each Simeona's ho oponopono. Len makes no claim to be a kahuna. In contrast to Sim
eona's teachings, the book says that the main objective of ho oponopono is getting
to the state of Zero, where we would have zero limits. No memories. No identity. [
35] To reach this state, called 'Self-I-Dentity', one has to repeat constantly t
he mantra, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. [36] It is based on
the principle of 100% responsibility,[37] taking responsibility for everyone's
actions, not only for one's own. If one would take complete responsibility for o
ne's life, then everything one sees, hears, tastes, touches, or in any way exper
iences would be one's responsibility because it is in one's life.[38] The proble
m would not be with our external reality, it would be with ourselves. To change
our reality, we would have to change ourselves. Total Responsibility, according
to Hew Len, advocates that everything exists as a projection from inside the hum
an being.[39] As such, it is similar to the philosophy of solipsism, but differs
in that it doesn't deny the reality of the consciousness of others. Instead it
views all consciousness as part of the whole, so any error that a person clears
in their own consciousness is cleared for everyone. This idea of an individual h
aving the ability to benefit the whole indirectly can be seen in the theory of t
he Hundredth monkey effect.
[edit]See also
Forgiveness
Pono
[edit]Footnotes
^ Oliver, p. 157
^ Parsons, p. 55
^ Parsons, p. 61
^ Parsons, p. 70
^ Parsons, p. 151
^ Parsons, p. 12
^ Parsons, p. 159
^ Parsons, p. 217
^ Buck, pp. 405-6
^ Handy, p. 242
^ Pukui, Elbert
^ Pukui, Haertig, Lee, p. 61-62, 67
^ Chai, p.47-50
^ Pukui, Handy, p. 184-5
^ Long (1936) p. 246-248; Long (1948), pp. 250-2, 279, 303. Though not everythin
g in these books is traditional Hawaiian, these particular sections are authenti
c descriptions of ho oponopono.
^ Kamakau, p. 95
^ Malo, p. 75 (English)
^ Titcomb
^ Chai, pp. 52-54
^ Pukui, Haertig, Lee, p. 60
^ Veary, p. 34
^ Pukui, Haertig, Lee p. 60-80
^ Lee, p. 49
^ http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/08/09/news/story9.html
^ Steuterman, p. 34
^ Shook
^ Simeona, p. 36
^ Simeona, p. 77
^ Simeona, pp. 45-61
^ Simeona, p. 51
^ Simeona, p. 31
^ Simeona, p. 25
^ Simeona, p. 17
^ Vitale, Len
^ Vitale, Len, p. 31
^ Vitale, Len, p. 32
^ Vitale, Len, p. 41
^ Vitale, Len, p. 22
^ Vitale, Len, p. 24
[edit]References
Buck, Peter Te Rangi Hiroa, The Coming of the Maori, Wellington, Whitcombe and T
ombs (1950)
Chai, Makana Risser, Na Mo olelo Lomilomi: The Traditions of Hawaiian Massage & He
aling, Bishop Museum Press (2005) ISBN 978-1-58178-046-8
Handy, E.S.Craighill Polynesian Religion, Kraus Reprint & Periodicals (1971)
Kamakau, Samuel, Ka Po e Kahiko (The People of Old), Bishop Museum Press (1992)
Lee, Pali Jae, Ho'opono, I M Publishing (2008)
Long, Max Freedom, Recovering the Ancient Magic, (1936) (reprinted Huna Press, 1
978)
Long, Max Freedom, The Secret Science Behind Miracles, (1948) (reprinted De Vors
s and Co., 1983)
Malo, Davida, (Chun, trans) Ka Mo olelo Hawaii: Hawaiian Traditions, First Peoples
Productions
Oliver, Douglas, Polynesia in Early Historic Times, Bess Press (2002) ISBN 978-1
-57306-125-4
Parsons, Claire F., Healing Practices in the South Pacific, Institute for Polyne
sian Studies (1995) ISBN 978-0-939154-56-2
Pukui, Mary Kawena and Elbert, Samuel H., University of Hawaii (1986) ISBN 978-0
-8248-0703-0
Pukui, Mary Kawena, Haertig, E.W. and Lee, Catherine, Nana i ke Kumu: Look to th
e Source, Vol 1, Hui Hanai (1983) ISBN 978-0-916630-13-3
Pukui, Mary Kawena, E.S. Craighill Handy, The Polynesian Family System in Ka u, Ha
waii, 1958, Mutual Pub Co, (Hawaii 2006) ISBN 978-1-56647-812-0
Shook, Victoria E. Ho oponopono: Contemporary Uses of a Hawaiian Problem Solving P
rocess, University of Hawaii Press (1986) ISBN 978-0-8248-1047-4
Simeona, Morrnah, Self-Identity through Ho oponopono, Basic 1, Pacifica Seminars (
1990)
Steuterman, Kim Rogers, Sacred Harmony, Hawaii Magazine (Jan/Feb 2004)
Titcomb (1948) Kava in Hawaii, Journal of Polynesian Society, 57:105-171, 144
Veary, Nana, Change We Must: My Spiritual Journey, Institute of Zen Studies, Hon
olulu (1989) ISBN 978-1-877982-071
Vitale, Joe, Hew Len Ph.D., Zero Limits, Wiley (2007)