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| A Brief Reiki History |
A Brief Reiki History
Mikao Usui Sensei Usually called Dr. Usui in the West, was apparently a bit of a renaissance man
having held many jobs and studied very broadly he is thought to have Studied Buddhist, Taoist and
Chinese Christianity Shinto and intensively in active search of methods of spiritual healing and after
much study received the Reiki energies at the end of a 21 day fast and meditation on Mount Kurama.
Usui Sensei received Reiki through spiritual realization (satori) and apparently later added the use
of symbols as a tool for those who were not ready to access Reiki by direct intention . The symbols
used in advanced Reiki levels were Japanese written characters with esoteric meanings with which
Usui Sensei would probably have already been familiar,
these esoteric meanings fit the use of the Reiki energy for specific purposes and the symbols
themselves were never secret but were rather obscure.
There are no symbols used in most Reiki one levels. They are introduced during the second degree
training. There are many stories about Usui Sensei's discovery of the power and use of the Reiki
energy the most common belief being that he had found information about the use of healing energy
in ancient texts and during his meditation on Mt Kurama was seeking the attunement to enable him
to use the Reiki.
Among the stories, Dr. Usui is said to have practiced Reiki healing in the slums of Kyoto For many
years. He is said to have become angry that many of the beggars he healed preferred to be beggars
instead of getting jobs. He decided that there must be an exchange of value in order for the healing to
be valued. (There is no way to determine whether this is a fact or just a legend).
Mikao Usui Sensei Usually called Dr. Usui in the West, was apparently a bit of a renaissance man
having held many jobs and studied very broadly he is thought to have Studied Buddhist, Taoist and
Chinese Christianity Shinto and intensively in active search of methods of spiritual healing and after
much study received the Reiki energies at the end of a 21 day fast and meditation on Mount Kurama.
Usui Sensei received Reiki through spiritual realization (satori) and apparently later added the use
of symbols as a tool for those who were not ready to access Reiki by direct intention . The symbols
used in advanced Reiki levels were Japanese written characters with esoteric meanings with which
Usui Sensei would probably have already been familiar,
these esoteric meanings fit the use of the Reiki energy for specific purposes and the symbols
themselves were never secret but were rather obscure.
There are no symbols used in most Reiki one levels. They are introduced during the second degree
training. There are many stories about Usui Sensei's discovery of the power and use of the Reiki
energy the most common belief being that he had found information about the use of healing energy
in ancient texts and during his meditation on Mt Kurama was seeking the attunement to enable him
to use the Reiki.
Among the stories, Dr. Usui is said to have practiced Reiki healing in the slums of Kyoto For many
years. He is said to have become angry that many of the beggars he healed preferred to be beggars
instead of getting jobs. He decided that there must be an exchange of value in order for the healing to
be valued. (There is no way to determine whether this is a fact or just a legend).
The definition of exchange of value that has been used in the West has been rather more narrowly
defined than that used traditionally in Japanese Spiritual and ethical systems. This is the story has
been used in part to justify in part the very high charges for Reiki Services and attunements by some
practitioners. This story is more likely to have been intended to indicate that you can neither force
healing nor define what it means to others. This set of stories and requirements does not seem to be
common among those who teach Reiki in Japan. Dr. Usui taught several Doctors his Reiki Healing.
There are still groups of practitioners in Japan who still teach Dr Usui's Methods. One of the people
Dr Usui taught was Dr. Hayashi, who set up a clinic and adapted Hand Positions and much of the
formal system including the Three Degrees of the version of Reiki most often taught in the west.
This is the version which has come to be known in the U.S.A. As Usui Reiki or the Usui universal
life energy healing system. Dr. Hayashi seems to have emphasized the physical healing aspect of
Reiki and developed a more medical oriented set of Reiki practices discarding most of the spiritual
development meditations Dr. Usui is said to have taught .
Dr. Hayashi was the director of one of at least 40 Reiki clinics that existed in Japan prior to World
War 2 . He was not Dr Usui's sole chosen Successor and the Title of Grand Master was never used in
Japan for any Reiki Teacher . He is the person who attuned Mrs. Hawayo Takata.
Mrs. Hawayo Takata, A widow from Hawaii, had come to Japan to inform Her Parents of the Death
of a relative and fell ill. She came to Dr. Hayashi's Clinic after hearing a voice tell her that an
operation was not necessary as she waited for surgery for a chronic condition. Her condition
responded and was healed at the clinic Mrs. Takata was able to get Dr. Hayashi to give her the Reiki
attunements for levels one and two before she returned to Hawaii. Dr. Hayashi later came to Hawaii
and attuned Mrs. Takata to The Master Level. Mrs. Takata opened a clinic in Hilo and charged
$10000.00 for the Reiki
Master Attunement . She apparently felt that Americans would only value Reiki if it was very
expensive. This very expensive training was intended to be a long apprenticeship in which the
student attended and gave many supervised treatments and assisted at many of the teachers classes
rather than the shorter and less expensive training than is common now.
Mrs. Takata was apparently required to work at Dr Hayashi's Clinic for over a year in order to
receive the attunements and training and that, along with the expense of her journey to Japan may
have been taken into consideration when she set her fees. Some of her clients and students seem to
have been rather well off and the fees may not have been at all difficult for them to pay. By Mrs.
Takata's death in 1980 she had reportedly attuned 22 Reiki Masters. Since her death Many teachers
have lowered the price greatly and many different schools or Reiki variants have evolved Reiki is
becoming much more widely known and used throughout the world.
Dr Usui was never a Christian Minister or the President of a Christian School In Japan. That
particular version of the Reiki History was probably created by Mrs. Takata or one of her associates
in order to give Reiki more appeal to people in the United States. shortly before World War 2. Other
common versions of Dr. Usui's life include reports or stories of his being a Buddhist, a Shinto
Mystic, a medical or natrapathic type Doctor and a Government official or clerk, book keeper .His
memorial stone is at a temple in Tokyo and has an inscription about his skill as a healer and help
during the great Tokyo Earthquake. The details of the history of Reiki seem destined to remain
somewhat uncertain.
defined than that used traditionally in Japanese Spiritual and ethical systems. This is the story has
been used in part to justify in part the very high charges for Reiki Services and attunements by some
practitioners. This story is more likely to have been intended to indicate that you can neither force
healing nor define what it means to others. This set of stories and requirements does not seem to be
common among those who teach Reiki in Japan. Dr. Usui taught several Doctors his Reiki Healing.
There are still groups of practitioners in Japan who still teach Dr Usui's Methods. One of the people
Dr Usui taught was Dr. Hayashi, who set up a clinic and adapted Hand Positions and much of the
formal system including the Three Degrees of the version of Reiki most often taught in the west.
This is the version which has come to be known in the U.S.A. As Usui Reiki or the Usui universal
life energy healing system. Dr. Hayashi seems to have emphasized the physical healing aspect of
Reiki and developed a more medical oriented set of Reiki practices discarding most of the spiritual
development meditations Dr. Usui is said to have taught .
Dr. Hayashi was the director of one of at least 40 Reiki clinics that existed in Japan prior to World
War 2 . He was not Dr Usui's sole chosen Successor and the Title of Grand Master was never used in
Japan for any Reiki Teacher . He is the person who attuned Mrs. Hawayo Takata.
Mrs. Hawayo Takata, A widow from Hawaii, had come to Japan to inform Her Parents of the Death
of a relative and fell ill. She came to Dr. Hayashi's Clinic after hearing a voice tell her that an
operation was not necessary as she waited for surgery for a chronic condition. Her condition
responded and was healed at the clinic Mrs. Takata was able to get Dr. Hayashi to give her the Reiki
attunements for levels one and two before she returned to Hawaii. Dr. Hayashi later came to Hawaii
and attuned Mrs. Takata to The Master Level. Mrs. Takata opened a clinic in Hilo and charged
$10000.00 for the Reiki
Master Attunement . She apparently felt that Americans would only value Reiki if it was very
expensive. This very expensive training was intended to be a long apprenticeship in which the
student attended and gave many supervised treatments and assisted at many of the teachers classes
rather than the shorter and less expensive training than is common now.
Mrs. Takata was apparently required to work at Dr Hayashi's Clinic for over a year in order to
receive the attunements and training and that, along with the expense of her journey to Japan may
have been taken into consideration when she set her fees. Some of her clients and students seem to
have been rather well off and the fees may not have been at all difficult for them to pay. By Mrs.
Takata's death in 1980 she had reportedly attuned 22 Reiki Masters. Since her death Many teachers
have lowered the price greatly and many different schools or Reiki variants have evolved Reiki is
becoming much more widely known and used throughout the world.
Dr Usui was never a Christian Minister or the President of a Christian School In Japan. That
particular version of the Reiki History was probably created by Mrs. Takata or one of her associates
in order to give Reiki more appeal to people in the United States. shortly before World War 2. Other
common versions of Dr. Usui's life include reports or stories of his being a Buddhist, a Shinto
Mystic, a medical or natrapathic type Doctor and a Government official or clerk, book keeper .His
memorial stone is at a temple in Tokyo and has an inscription about his skill as a healer and help
during the great Tokyo Earthquake. The details of the history of Reiki seem destined to remain
somewhat uncertain.
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