Ho'oponopono Books: What to Read, From the Hawaiian Tradition to Zero Limits
A plain guide to the main books on Ho'oponopono: which ones describe the traditional Hawaiian family practice, which ones describe the modern self-cleaning version, and where to start.
If you search for a book on Ho'oponopono, you'll find two very different kinds of writing under the same name. Some books describe traditional Ho'oponopono, a Hawaiian family process for resolving conflict. Others describe Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono (SITH), the modern, individual practice built around four short phrases that Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len taught and that Joe Vitale wrote about in Zero Limits.
Both are worth reading, but they answer different questions. This guide sorts the main books by what they actually cover, so you can pick the right one for what you want to learn.
The short answer
- To understand the Hawaiian tradition: Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source) by Mary Kawena Pukui, E. W. Haertig and Catherine A. Lee, and E. Victoria Shook's Ho'oponopono: Contemporary Uses of a Hawaiian Problem-Solving Process.
- To learn the four-phrase practice most people mean today: Zero Limits by Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, then its follow-up, At Zero.
- To go deeper into Dr. Hew Len's own teaching: the Blue Ice conversation series by Dr. Hew Len and Kamaile Rafaelovich.
- To simply start practicing today: you don't need a book. The four phrases take a minute to learn.
Books on traditional Ho'oponopono
Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source)
Nānā I Ke Kumu is a source book on Hawaiian cultural practices and beliefs, written by Mary Kawena Pukui with E. W. Haertig and Catherine A. Lee. Volume 1 was published in 1972 and Volume 2 in 1979, through Hui Hānai in Honolulu, an auxiliary of the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center (now Lili'uokalani Trust). A third volume followed in 2020.
Pukui was one of the most respected Hawaiian scholars of the twentieth century, and these books are the usual source cited for descriptions of traditional Ho'oponopono. In that tradition, Ho'oponopono is a family process, usually guided by a respected elder, for setting things right: restoring and maintaining good relationships within the family, and between the family and the spiritual world.
Read it if you want to understand where the word and the practice come from, in their Hawaiian cultural setting. It is a cultural reference work, not a self-help book.
Ho'oponopono: Contemporary Uses of a Hawaiian Problem-Solving Process
E. Victoria Shook's book was published in 1985 for the East-West Center by the University of Hawaii Press. It looks at how the traditional family process has been adapted for modern settings, through a set of case studies that include social work with Hawaiian families.
Read it if you're interested in Ho'oponopono as a structured conflict-resolution process between people, and how it has been used in practice.
For a side-by-side explanation of how the traditional process differs from the modern one, see our guide to traditional Ho'oponopono vs. Self-Identity Ho'oponopono.
Books on the modern, four-phrase practice
Zero Limits (Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len)
Zero Limits (Wiley, 2007) is the book that brought Ho'oponopono to a worldwide self-help audience. Joe Vitale tells how he heard the story of Dr. Hew Len's work at the Hawaii State Hospital and tracked him down. The book introduces the idea of taking 100% responsibility for what shows up in your life, and the four phrases: I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.
Read it if you want the book most people mean when they talk about Ho'oponopono today. For an overview before you buy, read our Zero Limits summary.
At Zero (Joe Vitale)
At Zero is Joe Vitale's follow-up to Zero Limits, published by Wiley (released in late 2013; library catalogs date it 2014). It expands on the practice and on the idea of "zero," the state the cleaning is meant to return you to.
Read it if you've read Zero Limits and want to keep going with the same teaching.
The Blue Ice series (Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len and Kamaile Rafaelovich)
Blue Ice is a series of books in Dr. Hew Len's own words, built from recorded conversations between him and his co-author, Kamaile Rafaelovich, about Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono. Book 1 is subtitled The Relationship with the Self, Book 2 Memories and Relationships, and later books in the series continue the conversations.
Read it if you want Dr. Hew Len's teaching directly rather than through someone else's retelling. It assumes you already know the basics.
To learn more about the man behind these books, see our biography of Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. For the teacher he learned from, see our profile of Morrnah Simeona. For the framework the modern practice is built on, see Self-Identity Ho'oponopono (SITH).
Which book should you read first?
It depends on what you're after:
- To understand the Hawaiian tradition: start with Nānā I Ke Kumu.
- To see how the traditional process is used between people today: Shook's Ho'oponopono.
- To learn the four-phrase practice: Zero Limits.
- To continue after Zero Limits: At Zero.
- To hear Dr. Hew Len's teaching in his own words: Blue Ice, Book 1.
A note on the two traditions
Books about traditional Ho'oponopono and books about the modern practice share a name, but they describe different things. Traditional Ho'oponopono is a group process between family members. The modern practice is something you do alone, inside yourself, with no one else involved. Neither replaces the other, and it helps to know which one a book is talking about before you read it.
You don't need a book to start
Books are a good way to go deeper. But the core of the modern practice is short enough to begin today: notice what's bothering you, and say the four phrases inward, slowly, without needing to believe anything first. If you're new to them, start with the four phrases of Ho'oponopono.
Our free guide walks you through a simple daily Ho'oponopono routine you can start right away.
