Dr. Mikao Usui

Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life.

The Ethical Principles of Reiki

Just for today, do not worry.
Just for today, do not anger.
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders.
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to everything.

Dr. Mikao Usui

Reiki is a Japanese word meaning "Universal Life-Force-Energy". The "Ki" part is the same word as Chi or Qi, the Chinese word for the energy which underlies everything. Reiki is a system for channeling that energy to someone for the purpose of healing. It was discovered by Dr. Usui in the late 1800's, in Japan.

Dr. Mikao Usui: Dr. Usui was the head of a Boys School in Japan. One day some of the students asked him if he believed in the miracles which Jesus did (healing, etc). He answered "Yes". They asked if he knew how Jesus had done this, "No" he said.

With this he resolved to find the way in which Jesus had healed. This immediately set him on a journey of many years. Studying first at Christian schools in the US, for where else to learn of Jesus, but with no results. In the Christian schools the method was not known.

It was suggested he study Buddhist writings since the Buddha had also healed. This took more years studying at a monastary in the Orient. Nowhere could he find the answers. In Japan he toured many temples asking for knowledge of how the Buddha had healed. At each one the priests said they were more concerned with spiritual than physical well being. In one small monastary he found some ancient Sanskrit writings from India (or perhaps Tibet). [Diane Stein's research suggests he found the sutras to invoke the Medicine Buddha, the invoking of this Buddha is a common practice in Tibetan Buddhism] After a few more years of study, he felt he had come to an understanding and that to go further required in depth meditation. He declared to the monks of this monastary his intention to fast and meditate for 21 days at a nearby mountain and that if he did not come back they should come and get his body.

He went to the mountain and gathered 21 stones with which to count the days. Each day he would throw away a stone and in this way count the time. On the 20th day nothing had come as yet and he threw away the last stone saying "Well, this is it, either I get the answer tonight or I do not". In the night on the horizon he could see a ball of light coming towards him. The first instinct was to get out of the way, but he realized this might just be what he was waiting for, so allowed it to hit him right in the forehead. As it struck him he was taken on a journey and shown bubbles of all the colors of the rainbow in which were the symbols of Reiki, the very same symbols in the Tibetan writings he was studying but had been unable to understand. Now as he looked at them again, there was total understanding.

After returning from this experience he began back down the mountain and was, from this moment on, able to heal. This first day alone he healed a broken toe-nail, his own starvation, an ailing tooth and the Abbots sickness which was keeping him bedridden. These are known as the first four miracles.

He wanted to use these abilities to help others, he spent the next seven years in the beggars section of Tokyo healing the poor and sick people there, sending them to a priest to assist finding them employment, and elevating them out of poverty. After the seven years he noticed familiar faces, those of people whom he'd healed long ago who were back again. Asking them, they complained that life outside beggartown was too hard and that it was much simpler to beg for a living. They had thrown away the gift of health, as if it had no value, to return to the supposed comfort of the life they knew.

This threw Usui into a quandry and he returned to the monastery. From this he realized he hadn't taught gratitude along with the healing. That he'd focussed on the physical ailments without dealing with the spiritual matters. The people did not understand the value of the gift he gave them.

Dr. Usui returned to the monastary for furth reflection and planning. After some time in the monastery he developed precepts. In this new plan he traveled around the countryside from village to village. In each one he stood in a public place during the day holding aloft a lit torch. When people told him he didn't need a torch in daylight, he answered was he was looking for the few who are interested in improving themselves. In this way he traveled around teaching and healing, working both with the spiritual healing as well as physical healing.

How It's Done

In its simplest form using Reiki is simply the practitioner placing their hands on the recipient with the intent of bringing healing, and willing for Reiki energy to flow.

There is a set of hand positions traditionally taught which give good coverage over the recipients entire body. It is not necessary to follow those positions, they are merely taught as a starting position from which the practitioner can learn. If there is a specific area of concern the practitioner can keep his/her hands right there for as long as necessary.

Remote Healings

Since there is no time and space to limit spirit, Reiki can operate without regard to limitations of space (at least). A level II Reiki practitioner can bring healing to a recipient regardless of distance.

In doing remote healings the recipient is to be objectified somehow, and the symbol drawn in the vicinity of the object representing the recipient. By objectified I mean that it is easier for the conscious mind to deal with objects than abstract things. Therefore when doing a remote healing it is easier on the healer to visualize sending the energy to something than otherwise.

There are many ways of visualizing or objectifying the recipient. For instance the healer might intend that their knee is the same as the intended recipient, which will create the necessary connection. Or they might draw in the air a shape to represent the recipient. Or use a teddy bear, pillow, or some other physical object as a stand in. The only limit is the healers imagination. For the healers intent is primary in bring forth the Reiki energy.