Two meanings are given for the word “ho‘oponopono” in the Hawaiian Dictionary by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert. The first definition includes “To put to rights, correct, revise, regulate, rectify,” and the second is “the old Hawaiian method of clearing the mind of a sick person by family discussion, examination, and prayer.”

The second, mental cleansing aspect of the word is the focus of “The Book of Ho‘oponopono: The Hawaiian Practice of Forgiveness and Healing” (Destiny Books, $14.95), originally published in French and co-authored by Luc Bodin, a physician specializing in holistic medicine; Nathalie Bodin Lamboy, a feng shui expert who has written several earlier books on hooponopono in French; and Jean Graciet, who specializes in the study of the meaning of symptoms and diseases and teaches workshops on hooponopono.

The book opens with a chapter, “Operating Instructions for Ho‘oponopono,” that emphasizes reciting aloud, alone or with another person, the phrases “I’m sorry, forgive me, thank you, I love you.”

This statement is widely known in the hospice care world and can be found in the 2005 “On Grief and Grieving” by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler, as well as in related literature.

Kubler-Ross and Kessler suggested that these words be spoken to a loved one who is dying, or after he or she has died, to help reconcile regret. “If there are things you wish you’d said, know that you can still say them in your heart to your loved one,” they write. “It’s never too late to say, ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me and I forgive you. I love you and I thank you.’ After that, what else is there to regret?”

It is regretful that there is no mention of this earlier influential book in regard to the hooponopono mantra suggested by Bodin, Lamboy and Graciet.

The authors explain that their understanding of hooponopono process comes from a modern kahuna lapaau or plant healer, Morrnah Simeona, who revised the method of her ancestors in order “to appeal to modern tastes” and created an individual practice in place of the original, community healing practice.

Simeona’s adaptation suggests that following a guide or priest (kahuna), as recommended in the traditional method, is unnecessary and that “individuals can personally grant themselves forgiveness, love, and peace on their own.”

Because the mantra helps us erase “erroneous memories,” we are allowed to become the masters of our fate and are therefore responsible for our experiences.

This would seem to follow the logic of Gandhi’s idea that if we could change ourselves, the tendencies in our world would also change — often misquoted as “Be the change you want to see.”

Going it alone sounds good, just as self-help books do, but in reality, as the Hawaiians who developed hooponopono knew, finding truth and reconciliation aren’t always that simple. Self-drawn standards can be slippery things.

There are also several brief discussions on such themes as “the empty state and the present moment,” the “indwelling divine” and “previous lives and karma.” The book’s cherry-picking from such sources as Buddhist and Christian contemplative practices, Hindu beliefs, neurolinguistic programming, aboriginal dreamtime, quantum physics and Islam create an eclectic — and somewhat shallow — spiritual tone.

A more appropriate title for this book might be “Ho‘oponopono for a New Age.”