Huna Article
Huna International
Harmony
by Jim Brinkley
Even without religious training or influence I have always known that
there was a spiritual side to life. As a young man, I sought out a number of
religions in an attempt to access it. I was unsuccessful. Much later I
discovered the Huna wisdom, or perhaps it found me. It has profoundly
changed my life for the better and I enjoy sharing it with others. However,
Huna is not the only path to spiritual enlightenment. There are many. I have
the utmost regard for anyone who strives to make spiritual wisdom a part of
his or her life, regardless of the path they choose. Many spiritual masters
have pointed out that if you want to know if a spiritual teaching is on the right
track, look for similar wisdom in other philosophies.
One of the most important spiritual concepts for me personally is that
of harmony. In Hawaiian, harmony is lokahi ("to obtain oneness"), which
means harmony in the sense of agreement. But for me the word pono more
appropriately expresses the kind of harmony I have sought since becoming a
student of Huna. Pono is often translated as "righteousness" as in the state
motto of Hawaii: "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono o Hawaii." However,
other translations given by Pukui and Elbert¹ include "true condition or
nature," "correct or proper procedure," "morality," and "in perfect order."
These come closer to my conception of harmony, which involves treating
every living thing with respect and dignity, realizing that it has an important
place in the scheme of things, and recognizing its right to live to its utmost
potential. Since in the Huna philosophy everything is alive, these attitudes
extend to everything.
In the past, Aloha International has referred to some of its Huna
courses as Hawaiian Shaman Training. Graduates of the training have been
called adventurer shamans to distinguish them from the warrior shaman
tradition. I prefer to think of myself as a harmonizer shaman because
harmony seems to be both the goal and the result of the Huna wisdom and
techniques.
Huna teaches that everything is real but that there are different types
or aspects of reality. Everything is separate. This is the physical reality of
things. Everything is connected. This is the emotional reality of feelings.
Everything is a reflection. This is the mental reality of thoughts. Everything
is one. This is the spiritual reality of unity.
Although I do not participate in any organized religion, I have for many
years subscribed to "Daily Word," a small monthly magazine published by
the Unity School of Christianity. It contains a brief inspirational reading for
each day of the month. I enjoy it because so much of what it contains is
reflective of Huna wisdom. Over the past several months, there have been
several messages that have spoken to the various aspects of reality as
outlined in the Kahili Huna tradition. I would like to share quotations from
four of these readings, which appear to reinforce this aspect of Huna
teaching.
"I choose to live simply, peacefully, and fully." Everything is separate,
but this little article emphasized that one can maintain harmony even in the
face of the complicated physical universe in which we live, enjoying our
physical blessings without being consumed or driven by them. Harmony is
appreciating and expecting all the simple blessings that are here for us to
receive in abundance daily.
"There is no such thing as a divine solution that benefits me at the
expense of someone else." Everything (and everyone) is connected.
Harmony is achieving a goal in a way that benefits all. If fear, anger, or greed
is allowed to be my guide others will be hurt, so I enlist love as my guide.
"Whatever beliefs I am holding, life seems to bring about those
results." Everything is a reflection. All that exists in the physical universe
exists first in thought. Our dreams are a reflection of our lives but our lives
are also a reflection of our dreams. So one way to change your life is to
change your dreams. Harmony is being aware of, ready for, and in sync with
all the messages and opportunities life has to offer and fully realizing that the
world is what we think it is.
"There is one body and one Spirit." Everything is one. We are all part
of a unified whole. We are all brothers and sisters. We are all soul mates.
Any injury done to one is done to all. Conversely, any act of kindness
benefits all.
In Hawaiian, reduplication is often used for emphasis. Thus ponopono
means "in order, arranged, cared for" and ho'oponopono, the powerful
system of Hawaiian spiritual counseling, literally means "to put to rights." It
seems to me that when we each recognize our rightful place as a "child of
God" or as an integral part of the whole, and when we recognize the same for
every other, we have started on the path to spiritual awareness: the path to
harmony.
1. Pukui, M.K. and Elbert, S.H., Hawaiian Dictionary, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1986.
Copyright Huna International 2003
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