Mahalo

Gratitude (an attitude of Grace).

In Hawai'i, Mahalo is tied to the 'aina (land/source) offering the most basic of thanks, to life itself. Mahalo for its food (ai), its fresh water (wai) , and for the air we breath (ha). A heart-felt sense of daily gratitude for the things most take for granted is part of the Aloha spirit. The spirit of Grace.

Absence of mahalo is a sign of disconnect. Inability to feel or show gratitude for all things "provided" is a sure sign your "self-identity" has expanded to a dangerous size. We endanger our health, happiness, relationships and longevity when the intellect-generated ego pinches off our awareness of inter- connection. The more disconnected we are from the "aina" the more powerful our ego. The more powerful our ego, the more disconnected we become. This is our struggle.

Mahalo offers a daily opportunity to "deflate" that aspect of our personality that creates our false sense of reality. The very act of showing gratitude to another (or to the 'aina) empowers our original-self to return to a place of dominance in our sense of "me." Having a sense of "unified community" is our natural state, free from conflict... free from resistance.

In Ho'oponopono, the act of setting matters to right, the role of mahalo is to bring the ritual to a close. Offered as a "pule" or prayer, mahalo is shared and given by both parties as an act of unification. In unity, resentment and guilt are impossible. Thus mahalo brings our relationships into accord and allows us to experience our essence thru unconditional love for others.

In our study of the DZ arts, we mahalo our kupuna (preceding generations) in our bow to the Shomen. We mahalo our kumu (instructor) in our bow to Sensei. We mahalo our training partner in our bow to begin. We mahalo our halau (dojo) in our bow on to the mat etc. Our gratitude and reverence for each aspect of our training is yet another aspect of training. Prof. Okazaki wrote "The boughs that bare the most hang the lowest." The more advanced we become in our understanding of the truth the more humble we become. The more humble we become the more gratitude we have for all things provided.

The more we mahalo, the more we access our ultimate being. Lokahi (unified) with our land, our environment and each other. The more we mahalo the more we evolve?

 Pupukahi i holomua.

Unite to move forward.

If giving is getting, we should all give a little more. Let's start with gratitude. Mahalo for your time. Mahalo for your attention. Mahalo for your friendship.