Reiki Origins

To discover the history of the system of Reiki is it necessary to firstly turn our attention to the Founder, Mikao Usui. Although he developed the system of Reiki in the early 20th Century, its roots are based upon much older spiritual beliefs dating back many thousands of years, such as Tendai Buddhism and Japanese Shinto practices.There are very few documented historical facts regarding Usui and his teaching methods apart from what is carved on the memorial stone erected by some of his students, one year after his passing, at the gravesite of the Pure Land Buddhist Saihoji Temple in Tokyo in 1927.

Usui was born on 15th August, 1865 in the village of Taniai- Mura in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, Kyoto, Japan. According to the information drawn from his memorial stone, Usui’s family was descended from the Chiba clan and Tsunetane Chiba, a famous samurai from the 8th century, was an ancestor.  

Usui was born a Buddhist and as a child studied in a Tendai monastery. He continued to study Buddhism his entire life and it is thought his early teachings were adapted from a form of Esoteric Buddhism known as Shugendo which originated in Japan around the late 8th Century. This esoteric form of Buddhism was a mixture of ancient religious beliefs and austerity practices centred on the Sacred Mountains in Japan such as Mount Katsuragi, Mount Hiei and Mount Kurama.
Practitioners or Shugenja, would enter the holy spiritual regions of the mountains and perform practices such as meditation, fasting and standing under ice cold waterfalls whilst reciting words of power which were meant to help the individual build up a store of spiritual energy which they could then use to channel in any required direction. It is easy to see from here the connection between these practices and certain techniques which are taught at Okuden or 2nd Degree Usui Reiki level, during which the student is introduced to Mantras or Jumon which aid them in accessing specific qualities of energy such as Earth, Heaven or the balance between, which is regarded as human spiritual energy.
Another interesting aspect of Usui Reiki is the introduction of the symbols (also taught at 2nd Degree Level). It is believed that whilst living in a monastery, Usui came across some ancient Sanskrit symbols in a manuscript which contained very little detail or explanation of what they meant. As he was able to read some Sanskrit (many Buddhist texts in those days were only available in the original language) he was able to discern that they had some kind of connection with healing.  
It is understood that Usui began teaching his students as early as 1915, according to Suzuki San (a Tendai Nun and Cousin of Usui’s wife). Starting with the precepts, meditations and mantras. During this period, he was also becoming well know as a healer although initially his teaching were based more on spiritual development rather than hands on healing techniques.
He developed a form of reiju or spiritual blessing for his students which was to become the forerunner of what is now referred to as an attunement.
In 1922, perhaps inspired by his desire to understand the meaning behind the ancient Sanskrit symbols, he had discovered some years earlier, Usui climbed Mount Kurama, which lies 12 kilometres north of Kyoto. It is said he spent 21 days secluded on the mountain, meditating near the top at Osugi Gongen, the site of a great sacred tree said to be an incarnation of the god Maoson. During his practice of austerity training and spiritual contemplation (without food or water) and as carved on his memorial stone;
“Suddenly on the 21st day, 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 this on his own body and members of his family also, it brought an immediate result on them” 
From this, he realised the value of sharing the knowledge he had gained widely to as many people as possible, rather than keeping it to himself and so moved his family to Tokyo in April 1922 and established an institute, The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Society of the Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method), which still practices in Japan today, where his Reiki cure was instructed openly to members of the public and treatment was also given to those in need. 
In 1925, Usui moved to Nakano, just outside of Tokyo and continued his work. He travelled widely throughout Japan both treating and teaching students. It is said he had over 2000 students during his lifetime, more than1000 Shoden (1st degree), 30-50 Okuden (2nd Degree) and 17 teacher or Shinpiden Students.
In teaching his students, he produced a manual or Hikkei (a version of which is still used today in traditional reiki teaching) which detailed the reiki precepts, meditations and some of Emperor Meiji’s waka or poetry that he taught to students to be used during meditative practice. It also contains a comprehensive guide of various ailments that can be successfully treated by Tenohira or palm healing, such as relief of headaches, chronic pain, arthritis, depression, anxiety, emotional upsets, in fact almost any physical, mental, emotional or spiritual condition can benefit from this subtle form of healing.
During his last trip, which brought him from Hiroshima to Fukuyama, he suffered a fatal stroke and passed away at the age of 62 in 1926.
Although their Sensei had passed on, his students continued on his work in honour of their beloved founder helping to spread the art of Reiki not only throughout Japan but also through one of his students Mrs Takata, to the outside world where it flourishes today.
I will leave you with a last quote from his memorial stone which states; 
“Usui Sensei emphasized that this is surely a secret process to bring good fortune and a miraculous medicine to remedy all kinds of diseases.
 Every time you sit quietly and join your hands to pray and chant morning and evening, you can develop a pure and sound mind, and there is just an essence in making the most of your daily life. This is the reason that the reiki cure can spread very easily over anybody”

 

Jason Howsam - Certified Reiki Practitioner Tel: 0787 262 3178 Email: jason@mountainpathreiki.co.uk