The Spiritual Origins Of Reiki
By reclaiming the spiritual origins of Reiki, we can see it offers so much more than just healing and balance.
Artwork©Oleg Petuhov/123rf
In 1922 a Japanese man named Mikao Usui climbed a mountain with the intention to attain enlightenment or die trying. Little did he know that the three weeks he spent fasting atop Mount Kurama, a scenic mountain outside of Kyoto, would change his life and the lives of more than 1.5 million people alive today. After weeks of ascetic practice, Usui experienced what he described as a “transmission of light;” he was touched by a miraculous force that he called the dai reiki — the “Great Reiki” — of the universe. The result of his spiritual awakening on the mountaintop was the birth of a spiritual practice called Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō, or The Usui Reiki Healing Method for Improving Heart-Mind and Body. Today, millions of practitioners worldwide know Usui’s system simply as Reiki.
Mikao Usui (1865-1926) lived a humble life. He tried his hand at many careers, ranging from prison counselor to entrepreneur to journalist to public servant. Usui found little success with the material world, and even less lasting happiness. As a result, he turned his focus towards the spiritual realm, and applied himself to the study of many topics, including Shinto (the native religion of Japan), Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. There is evidence to suggest that he studied the magical and ritual arts unique to Japan, as well as those of neighboring China. After years of seeking, a teacher suggested that the best way to prepare for enlightenment was to be prepared for death, and this is what led him to Mount Kurama.
What Exactly Is Reiki?
Many people who are aware of Reiki have probably been told that the term translates as “universal life-force energy.” However, this translation bears little resemblance to the original meaning of the Japanese characters. A more accurate, though somewhat literal meaning of Reiki is “soul energy” or “miraculous energy.”
Reiki itself is an energy that has been recognized for upwards of 5,000 years. The earliest occurrence of the term is in ancient China, first discovered among the characters carved on oracular inscriptions. It describes a mysterious force or spiritual energy. Reiki is the ki of the soul; it is the animating force that organizes all things in the universe (perhaps leading to the Western translation as “universal life-force energy”). It is intelligent, in that it needs no conscious direction, and it is effective for all healing applications because it works on the causal level of imbalance. Reiki is an energy that is everywhere, and in all things, but it is so subtle that we do not generally perceive it.
After Usui had his awakening on Mt. Kurama, he named his system of healing and spiritual development Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō. The word Reiki is the energy, while Reiki Ryōhō is the system that uses this miraculous power.
Characteristics Of Reiki Ryōhō
Usui Reiki Ryōhō is characterized by several core elements that are universal to all systems and lineages of Reiki practice. These six key elements are:
- Initiation
- Five precepts
- Treatment
- Progressive degrees
- Symbols (and mantras)
- Personal Development
These six core elements may be expressed differently by each form of Usui Reiki Ryōhō, but they are fundamentally similar and are derived from a common source.
INITIATION, also called an attunement, empowerment, or transformation, grants new practitioners their initial experience of Reiki. The initiation is called reiju in Japanese, and it means “to grant [to/from] soul.” The initiation is a sacred ceremony that clears the energy pathways within the practitioner’s body, like a chimney sweep clears the chimney, so that Reiki can flow with ease. Once conferred, the initiation is permanent; you are a Reiki practitioner for life after completing first-degree training and initiation.
THE FIVE PRECEPTS, or five principles, are the inner heart of the system of Reiki. This brief text is translated from Japanese, and it is distilled from Usui’s years of spiritual practice. The five precepts serve as the moral compass and spiritual directives for Reiki practitioners. Briefly summarized, the precepts are:
Today Only:
Anger not
Worry not
Practice gratitude
Work diligently
Show kindness
The third common element of all Reiki systems is TREATMENT. Although not every style of practice follows the same protocols during the healing session, they virtually all hinge on laying-on-of-hands. Reiki is administered with a gentle touch; it naturally flows from the hands and feet, as well as from the eyes and with the breath. Practitioners of Reiki Ryōhō do not take on the energy of their clients because the healing is a one-way flow of energy. Treatments do not deplete the energy of practitioners, as Reiki is received from the universe for use during treatment.
The structure of learning Reiki Ryōhō is built on PROGRESSIVE DEGREES. Traditionally, Reiki is taught in three degrees, called shoden, okuden, and shinpiden in Japanese. Practitioners’ development shifts from primarily physically oriented in the first degree, later adding new skill sets for treating clients at a distance and healing on deeper levels in the second degree. The third degree prepares students to become teachers, often called Reiki Masters in the west and shihan, meaning “instructor,” in the East. Some styles of Reiki now have more than three degrees, either by breaking down the original three levels into smaller pieces, or by adding new techniques to the system.
THE SYMBOLS and their associated mantras are first introduced in okuden, the second-degree teachings. They enable practitioners to increase the efficacy of their treatments, direct healing towards psychological disharmony, and treat clients long-distance. Although there are only three traditional symbols, most branches of Western-style Reiki Ryōhō also make use of a fourth, which is taught in the third-degree and used for the initiation itself.
Finally, the last common element of Reiki is PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. For many of us, we come to Reiki seeking the ability to treat body, mind, or spirit. For others, we are interested in deepening our spiritual practice by using the tools like the symbols or the five precepts. No matter what draws us to Reiki, with diligent practice, we find that we are more fulfilled and have greater peace. Reiki practice often inspires us to heal and grow, blossoming into our full potential.
Reiki’s Ties To Japanese Spirituality
To really appreciate the intricacies of Usui Reiki Ryōhō, it is necessary to examine the culture from which it was born. Japanese worldviews provide a unique perspective thanks to the nation’s long history. Key themes in Japanese spirituality include maintaining balance and harmony, continuous personal development, upholding duty and respect for family and other circles, and an innate sense of responsibility for all life. The result is an assortment of religious ideologies that seek to maintain the natural order and help one to live in the flow of the universe.
The two major religious practices are Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto, Japan’s native religion, evolved from shamanic and animistic practices of ancient Japan. Shinto emphasizes harmony with nature, and it seeks to elevate the soul beyond the temporary human condition back to its origin among the gods. Buddhism, on the other hand, was imported from China, via Korea, approximately 1,500 years ago. The founder of Reiki practiced both of these religions, which is typical of Japanese people, and they left their mark on Reiki Ryōhō.
Japan’s spiritual climate was the perfect place for Reiki to sprout. Its perennial mix of ancient traditions and modern philosophies existing in perfect harmony enabled the healing potential, as well as the spiritual message of Reiki, to reach thousands of people. By the time Usui died in 1926, he had already taught his system of Reiki to more than 2,000 people. The following decade, Reiki would be carried into Hawaii, and later to North America and the rest of the world.
Although Reiki Ryōhō is non-religious, there are themes present in its theory and practices that can be traced to Japanese spirituality. When Reiki was brought to the Western world, it was sanitized of its Japanese roots. This was, in part, a survival mechanism, as the United States and Japan faced one another in the arena of war in the 1940s, and Japanese-Americans were rounded up into internment camps. Reiki would have looked too conspicuous had it been practiced in exactly the same manner as it had in Japan in previous decades.
As the spiritual roots of Reiki were forgotten or distorted to match a Western worldview, the focus of Usui Reiki Ryōhō (then called Usui Shiki Ryōhō, meaning “Usui-style Healing Method”) shifted almost entirely towards healing and away from attaining enlightenment. Today, many researchers, writers, and Reiki instructors are hard at work to reclaim those spiritual messages and symbols from the early days of Reiki.
By learning and instituting the original meditations and hands-on healing treatments in use in Japan in the early days of Reiki, we as Western practitioners are able to deepen our connection to the energy of Reiki itself. Superficially, the original exercises taught in Usui Reiki Ryōhō are directed at increasing our ability to receive and channel Reiki for ourselves and our clients. Looking into the etymology of their names, there are clues that point to their true goal: preparing us for enlightenment by cultivating inner peace.
In a similar fashion, the symbols and mantras used in Reiki are derived from Japanese spirituality. There are vestiges of Shinto, Buddhism, and even Taoism teeming below the surface of their forms, names, and therapeutic applications. By uncovering where these symbols come from and how they were initially used, we can see that the system of Reiki offers so much more than just healing and balance.
The research on Reiki continues to unfold, paving the way for more practitioners to deepen their practice. By reclaiming the spiritual origins of the system of Reiki, we can honor our shared spiritual lineage and ensure that Reiki continues to lead us towards wholeness.
Excerpted with the permission of the author from Foundations of Reiki Ryoho, A Manual of Shoden and Okuden by Nicholas Pearson (Healing Arts Press, 2018).
Nicholas Pearson is a teacher and practitioner of Usui Reiki Ryoho. He began his Reiki journey in 2006 and has trained in both traditional Japanese and Western forms of Reiki practice. His seminal Reiki book, Foundations of Reiki Ryoho: A Manual of Shoden and Okuden, is available in English and Italian. Visit Nicholas’ website The Luminous Pearl or register for his April Reiki training at Circles of Wisdom in Methuen, MA.
