Aloha from Kauai

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to introduce myself. I have haunted this site for many years, and enjoyed the many forums and topics of information covered on ATS.

My interests range widely, and I have found much useful information over the years here.

It is now my time to give back to the community both here at ATS and beyond.

I look forward to contributing in any way I can.

With that said, I though that your "Deny Ignorance" motto was pretty good with one flaw, it assumes that the individual is cognizant in their judgment of what is the truth, "without the filters or lenses of ego that mar the true color or meaning of reality".

The quote is taken from my eBook and website, which I will post when appropriate and have received the OK from ATS.

Thanks for being here ATS.

Namaste
M

reply to post by Being


Hello Being,
welcome here.

I forgot to post this at the end of my introduction thread, so here it is. It is a quote by Guatama Buddha, kind of his version of "Deny Ignorance"

“Do not believe in something because it is reported. Do not believe in something because it has been practiced by generations or becomes a tradition or part of a culture. Do not believe in something because a scripture says it is so. Do not believe in something believing a god has inspired it. Do not believe in something a teacher tells you to. Do not believe in something because the authorities say it is so. Do not believe in hearsay, rumor, speculative opinion, public opinion, or mere acceptance to logic and inference alone. Help yourself, accept as completely true only that which is praised by the wise and which you test for yourself and know to be good for yourself and others.”
Gautama Buddha

Though the times have changed, the meaning and spirit remains the same.

Namaste
M

Tena ra koe e te whanaunga no te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.

Nga mihi mahana ki a koe mai i te whenua ataahua o Aotearoa!


Acknowledgements to you, a relation from the Pacific.

Warm greetings to you from the beautiful land of New Zealand!


Welcome to ATS...looking forward to reading your posts.




Mauriora / Wellness.

Welcome to ATS as a full fledged member.

I will be looking forward to your posts, its always nice to see another kama'aina on the boards. (From Waianae here, but in the mainland now)

If you have been lurking for a while, you probably have a lot of good stuff saved up for us, so get on it.

Howzit Hawaiian.

Nice to see a fellow islander on da boards.

Chee hee!

Welcome to ATS. The topics here are great, and could always use some more Hawaiian kine vibes.

Aloha,

Sol

Welcome.

And if you pick up that ol Hawaiian disease, Lak a nuki, a good lei will revive.

reply to post by Being


Welcome Being to ATS. I see you possess compassion to help out here and there and that is a good sign to me. Nice to see you here and catch you in the boards....

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome, here in Hawaii we call it Aloha.

Most think of Aloha as hello or goodbye, but there is a deeper meaning that not many know. For those of us who grew up here, it is second nature and needs no explaination.

For those that didn't, Aloha carries the recognition of the other person as family, as a friend who you haven't seen in a long time. If you can folloow this line of thought, the heart of it will be apparent.

I look forward to be-ing an active contributor at ATS.

Namaste
m

reply to post by Being


Yes yes. There is the mainland way of saying Aloha...

But yes, us from the island know how to correctly say AloHA. Emphasis on the "ha" part, the breath of life.

Hawaii is a magical place.

-Sol

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah



My native language, NZ Maori, has similarities.

We say 'Aroha'...pronounced Aro-Ha.

Aroha is often translated into English to mean 'Love'...but is of course far deeper and richer than a single word.

'Ha' also means *breath* and indeed in reference to *the breath of life*
The life-giving breath, the invigoration of the mind, spirit, body...everything.

'Aro' as so many different meaning...it can mean 'front on', the front, the face of something.

On some levels Aro-ha can mean 'The face/front of the breath of life'.

Aroha is not so much a *word* as it is a *sense*, a *feeling*.
For instance...going with that 'the face/front of the breath of life'...think of Aroha has the feeling you get when a gentle warming breeze first touches your face...when it just softly rolls over you body and you feel the peace and serenity within it...


...in some ways thats Aroha...that sense of serenity, peace, warmth, comfort, all those things that you experience...just like that gentle warming breeze on your skin.

alien, that is awesome. I love how island environments all kind of share that island "vibe." You can truly feel it while on an island...

ahhh. Nice to learn a new word too!

Aroha!!!

-Sol

Thanks for the great reply alien. Aloha is also translated as love, but like everyone has commented on, these words are but doors to deeper experiences of meaning and being.

"HA" roots go further that just the breath of life, for it is also refering to that which is ultimately breathing, the devine spark within all. It is that connection that we all share, with each other and the world around us.

Which brings us back to aloha, and the context of family. It is the embracing and recognition of our connection to each other.

Both the languages of Hawaiian and Maori reflect a spiritual understanding of reality, which always goes much deeper than any english translation.

As to the translation of "Aro", one is said to see the truth or reality of its being, in this case, the devine within.

So at it's deepest levels, both Aloha and Aroha recognizes and embraces all that each of us represent.

Aloha
Aroha
Namaste
m

What a feel good introduction thread.

It is amazing to have you here in ATS. After 20 posts, I would love to talk to you more through the U2U feature.

-Sol