The 4th sharing of my celebration in Hawaii!
What a great day we all had together sharing points of interest of Hawayo Takata's past in Hilo, Hawaii. I have a long time history in visiting Takatas home, the Buddhist temple where she worshiped and where her ashes were kept for years. It was very special for me to share this history with my long time students.
We arrived in Hilo in the morning and went to where Takata had lived and had her clinic for years. It is a lovely old home and for the longest time it has remained a chiropractic clinic.
In Helen J. Haberly's book, Reiki Hawayo Takata's Story, Takata tells how she purchased this house. "In 1939 at the invitation of 2 teachers, Takata traveled by boat to Hilo for a short vacation. She was picked up by one of the teachers and drove into town to do an errand. When they entered the property, she noticed a sign that the property and land was for sale. When the owner, an old man was introduced to Takata, he heard she was from Honolulu and thought she had come to buy his house. He threw the cards he was playing into the air, rejoiced that she was buying his home. The teacher was embarrassed and did not know what to say. Mrs.Takata said she did not bring a down payment as she was not planning on buying property. He said,"who is talking about a down payment?" All he wanted was a monthly sum to provide him income."
"The 1 acre property was beautiful and had a well built 4 bedroom house with half basement separate maids quarters and a garage. As she looked around, with repairs and remodeling it would be large enough for a Reiki Center. She could bring her parents and other family members from Kauai. With her 2 daughters, she moved from Honolulu to Hilo. She remained there for a decade of treatments and teaching."
We were allowed to enter and go upstairs where there is a reiki clinic today. There is memorabilia in the corner with ads that Takata had placed and an old sign about her clinic.
We had an appointment to go to the Buddhist Temple where Mrs. Takata attended services.
It is a landmark building in Hilo. We meet with the priests and they join us in explaining the different parts of the temple. They guide us with instructions of offering incense. We each take our turns to offer the incense. Some are moved to tears in seeing our honoring of the practice. We sit in quiet and send distant treatments to several people.
I had asked Phyllis Furumoto to send me a reflection and sharing of the time when Mrs. Takata's Masters gathered in Hilo in 1982.
Phyllis shares: "The Hongwanji Temple in Hilo is a marking place for me as the Masters who gathered on the Big Island in 1982 went there to attend a memorial service for Hawayo Takata. They wished to honor and to remember her and her gift. The minister at that time spoke some words about her and her life. He said that she lead people through a dark forest with the light of Reiki. The light illuminated the path so people could find their way. Her life was dedicated to this purpose.
As you know Japanese people often speak poetically, it is the nature of the language, and there are deeper meanings that keep emerging. These words the minister spoke touch me deeply and I have been inspired and reassured by this image all these years. Especially during the last months of treatment when it seemed more could be happening. But there was always the illumination of the path as long as I looked forward. This was a great lesson for me. The past is our foundation and our future, our dreams. The present is our expression of living."
We finish the day at the Hilo open market and have a wonderful lunch in downtown Hilo. My twin, Hira Reid hooks up with a cute old lady selling ukuleles. They serenade me with a song, "You are my sunshine.
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