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Spirit
of Aloha | Articles
| Under the Hula Moon | September/October 2007
Under
the Hula Moon
By: JOCELYN FUJII
Rock of Ages
PHOTO: MICHAEL ASH / SACREDELEMENTS.COM
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Hawai‘i has its share of sacred places, places imbued with natural beauty and a power that transcends words. Some are visible and known, others hidden and protected by the very forces that created them.
One such place, called Prayer Rock, is at Kanaio, 3,200 feet up the slopes of Haleakalā, the massive mountain on Maui. To get there you take a long and rugged drive over unpaved road, and then a steep and demanding walk. You then arrive at a rock—a large one. Old Hawaiians, feeling its powerful presence, called it Pöhaku-nāhāhā, meaning “singing rock.” From its summit, the expansive view far below encompasses the ‘Ahihi-Kïn‘au Natural Area Reserve and, in the distance, Molokini Islet, the island of Kaho‘olawe, and the Kealaikahiki Channel, the voyager’s “road to Tahiti.”
Not long ago, when Maui was abuzz with the presence of the Dalai Lama, Jeff Munoz, founder of Prayer Rock Foundation, welcomed three friends and me to Prayer Rock. Below it, he first showed us a stupa, the traditional Buddhist shrine and the second “Englightenment Stupa” to be constructed and consecrated in the Western world. The stupa, containing relics and blessings of the 16th Karmapa, was consecrated by the first Kalu Rinpoche in 1982. (Both are revered Buddhist figures.) Adjacent to the stupa sits a Tibetan Buddhist temple of stone and weathered wood, a hermitage for visiting lamas, and a small stone caretaker’s cottage. Equally memorable is the nearby “Chatterbox Café,” a cozy wooden structure where countless cups of chai have been brewed and served, and where we huddled over steaming cups of tea on that misty day.
Behind the temple, blessed by Hawaiian kahuna and Tibetan lamas, a native Hawaiian arboretum contains precious endemic plants: red ‘ilima, ‘iliahi (sandalwood), lama (native ebony), maile lauli‘i, kulu‘ï and ‘ākia. The starts for these plants were provided by Rene Sylva, described by The Maui News as “one of Maui’s most dedicated naturalists” and a “seer of native botany.”
“Prayer Rock is a pilgrimage place,” says Munoz, who has cared for the temple for 27 years. “It’s not for everyone, but for the hearty pilgrims who can make the walk with great respect.” He has seen people carry newborn babies to Prayer Rock, and ashes of the dead. “One man walked to the rock three times—at age 89, 90 and 91,” he recalled. Yoga groups, schoolchildren, nature groups and senior citizens, all from diverse backgrounds, have journeyed to Prayer Rock for the sacred experience.
Through the decades, what was once a dry, treeless and lantana-infested area has blossomed into an oasis. For years at a time, in a life of devotion and asceticism, Munoz lived alternately in a tent, a tepee and the Chatterbox Café. He moved rocks, cleared the land, watered, planted and built. Recognizing his devotion and sincerity, local paniolo (cowboys), neighbors and the eldest son of the late Daddy Bray (Munoz’s friend and mentor, a well-known Hawaiian kahuna), all gave their blessings to his efforts.
Today, Munoz is executive director of the nonprofit, nonreligious Prayer Rock Foundation (www.prayerrockfoundation.org), established to ensure the continued maintenance and care of this special place. “It’s something to inspire people and help them make a change in their lives,” says Munoz.
With its remote location and challenging access, most people will never make it to Prayer Rock. If you’re like me, you’ll be happy just to know that such a place exists. As foundation board member and vice president Richard Alpert, also known as Ram Dass, guru and author, puts it, Prayer Rock is a place that “will open your heart and calm your mind.”
 
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