The traditional spirituality of the Hawaiians is full of high truths. As I was practicing my Tai Chi this morning the concept of makia came to mind. Makia refers to the principle that “energy flows where attention goes”. And there I was doing Tai Chi while part of my mind was thinking on the future (i.e. what makia means and writing a post about it). My goal is to keep myself in the present, because the present is all we actually have. Despite the fine workings of science, we do not have any evidence that there is a past or a future.
Yesterday, as I was at work doing massage in a room called makia, I found my mind was drawn to thoughts of the future. I was planning a six week retreat for this summer. That thinking was very pleasant, but I wanted to be totally in the moment. The moment was actually not as pleasant. Unpleasant judgements about my client and their body were arising. For some people the distraction would have been a welcome blessing, but I have a commitment to not avoid or evade the unpleasant arisings in my life. They are all part of what is. I wanted energy to be flowing for my client, not into the void called “future”.
Keeping makia in mind, I brought my focus back to my hands and occupied my mind with ho’oponopono. I did not force the judgements away, but simply let them arise. I know that they are not me. I am not the judge any more than I am the witness.
Read more about Hawaiian spiritual principles in my earlier post.
wow Teacher-this post leaves me with some questions. I understand the value of living in the present, yet I have scars, physical, mental, emotional and therefore for me spiritual as well, from what seems to be the past. Did these things not happen? I believe that things which we feel happened to us in our past may motivate us to explore different life paths today. Is this not true? I remember walking by the lake with you in MY past, and asking you if you believed in God. Instead of the Yes or No answer I expected, you said “define God” So now, I must ask you to define ‘Past’.
Google (my teacher) says: the past is the time or a period of time before the moment of speaking or writing. That definition seems fair. However, it still stand true that there is no evidence of it. Time is a made up construct. If your memories are proof of the past, I would refute that it is possible that you exist in this moment with those “made-up” memories. This is like the argument that the fossil record is proof that God does not exist. As if God could not have created the world this morning complete with a fossil record and Dorena with childhood trauma memories.
But I do not think it matters too much if time exists or not (See the Answers are Within – On Believing chapter). The important question is how to we heal our scars and stop letting them limit us? Or how do we simple be with our scars and limitations?