Reiki history

 Reiki History

Reiki is essentially broken down into two parts: “Rei” and “Ki”. Rei represents- Universal, Spirit, mystery and gift. And Ki represents Energy, life force, talent and feeling. These two parts combined form the word or ‘Kanji’, which represents universal life force energy. So Reiki is a union with the ‘Universal Spirit’ and your life force energy and in many respects describes what actually occurs when someone is practicing Reiki.
Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki described the word Reiki as Rei, representing Divine healing energy and Ki, representing life force energy, both of the individual and of the universe.
Reiki kanji
Rei – Has 24 strokes to the kanji, and consists of 3 parts. The top part represents the descent of rain, or in this case the descent of Universal Healing energy. The middle part represents three open mouths, and bottom represents the recipient of this rain or the worthy aspirant receiving the universal healing energies. If we examine a modern day Japanese dictionary, Rei is defined as: (1) Spirit, the spiritual aspect of the human being as contrasted to the physical. (2) Divine, luminous, charismatic, supernatural, mysterious. (3) The luminosity of the spirit, the luminosity of a God or Sage. (4) Inconceivable spiritual ability; charismatic power; charisma; wonderful, a wonder. (5) A rainmaker, a diviner; a person or being with spiritual or supernatural powers. (6) A shaman. (7) Goodness; good, excellent, efficacious. (8) Clever, nimble, sharp. (9) Life. (10) A living being, a human being. (11) A supernatural (mythical) beast or being; a fairy, an elf. (12) Pure, undefined, unpolluted. (13) Bright, clear.
Ki – Has 10 strokes to the kanji and consists of the symbols of breath with rice. (Rice in Japan is sometimes used as a synonym for people). Ki, then in this case represents “energy” of beings.
If we were to describe Reiki with its spiritual meaning, the characters form the following picture: Upon the earth stands a human being, with arms raised to the heavens. From the heavens rain descends, bringing the healingenergies of the Universe and bestowing this blessing upon the being. This being is now a conduit or channel, bestowing the life giving energy to all humanity.
In this way, the kanji of Reiki reveals much about our relationship to Reiki. It is a picture, which tells of our union between our own energy and the energy of the universe.
Mikao Usui Sensei
Mikao Usui, or Usui Sensei as he is called by his students in Japan, was born August 15, 1865 in the village of Taniai in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, which is located near present day Nagoya, Japan.It is thought that he entered a Tendai Buddhist school on or near Mt. Kurama (“horse saddle mountain”) at age four. He also studied kiko, the Japanese version of qigong, which is a health and healing discipline based on the development and use of life energy. The young Usui found that these healing methods required the practitioner to build up and then deplete his own life energy when giving treatments. He wondered if it were possible to do healing work without depleting one’s own energy.Usui Sensei had an avid interest in learning and worked hard at his studies. He traveled to further his education. His curriculum included medicine, psychology, and religion as well as the art of divination, which Asians have long considered to be a worthy skill.Some think that he was from a wealthy family, as in Japan only the wealthy could afford to send their children to school although others think this was not the case. Eventually he became the secretary to Shinpei Goto, head of the department of health and welfare who later became the Mayor of Tokyo. The connections Usui Sensei made at this job helped him to become a successful businessman. Usui Sensei was also a member of the Rei Jyutu Ka, a metaphysical group dedicated to developing psychic abilities.In spite of his real ability, however, he was not always successful in life. Although he was compelled to lead an unfortunate and poor life so often, he strove much more than before to harden his body and mind without flinching from the difficulties.

One day, Usui-Sensei climbed Mt. Kurama, where he began to do penance while fasting. Suddenly on the twenty first day from the start, he felt a great REIKI over his head, and at the same time as he was spiritually awakened he acquired the REIKI cure.When he tried it on his own body and members’ of his family also, it brought an immediate result on them. Usui Sensei developed his healing system through experimentation and by using skills and information based on his previous study of religious practices, philosophy, and spiritual disciplines. He called his system of healing Usui Reiki Ryoho (Usui Reiki Healing Method).

In April 1922, he moved to Tokyo and started a healing society that he named Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Method Society). He also opened a Reiki clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, Tokyo. There he taught classes and gave treatments.
The lowest degree of his training was called Shoden (First Degree) and was divided into four levels: Loku-Tou, Go-Tou, Yon-Tou, and San-Tou. (Note that when Mrs. Takata taught this level, which in the West we refer to as Reiki Level I, she combined all four levels into one. This is most likely why she did four attunements for Level I.) The next degree was called Okuden (Inner Teaching) and had two levels: Okuden-Zen-ki (first part), and Okuden-Koe-ki (second part). The next degree was calledShinpiden (Mystery Teaching), which is what we call master level. The Shinpiden level includes, Shihan-Kaku (assistant teacher) and Shihan (venerable teacher). He trained 21 students to the teachers level (Shinpiden).
Some of his foremost students, (not all teachers) who received the teachings, are:
Wanam Kanichi ,Taketomi, Tenon-in, Toshihiro Eguchi, Kaiji Tomita, Chujiro Hayashi, Juzaburo UshidaSonoo, Tsuboi Masayuki, Okada Kozo Ogawa, Yoshiharu Watanabe, Harue Nagana.
Reiki presepts in Japanese
“Usui-Sensei’s natural character was gentle and prudent, and he did not keep up appearances. His body was big and sturdy, and his face was always beaming with a smile. But when he faced the difficulties he went ahead with a definite will and yet persevered well, keeping extremely careful. He was a man of versatile talents and also a book lover, knowing well in the wide range from history, biography, medical science, canons of Christianity and Buddhism and psychology up to magic of fairyland, art of curse, science of divination and physiognomy. In my opinion, it is evident to everybody that Usui-Sensei’s cultivation & training were based on his career of art and science, and the cultivation & training became a clue to create the REIKI cure.
Reviewing the fact, I understand what the REIKI cure is aiming at is not only to heal the diseases but also to correct the mind by virtue of a God-sent spiritual ability, keep the body healthy and enjoy a welfare of life[…] As a result of our pupils’ recent meeting and discussion, we decided to erect a stone monument at the graveyard in his family temple so that we may bring his virtuous deed to light and transmit it to posterity; so, I was requested to arrange an epitaph for the monument. As I was much impressed by his great meritorious deed and also struck by our pupils’ warm hearts of making much of the bond between master and pupil, I dared not refuse the request, but described the outline.
Therefore, I do expect heartily that people in the future generations would not forget to look up at the monument in open-eyed wonder.“
— February, 1927.Written by Juzaburo Usuhida, Usui’s student.
 Written and edited by Anastasio.
Special thanks and more information www.reikitraining.com.au/