Dr. Mikao Usui

THE HISTORY OF REIKI

          Dr. Mikao Usui was a Christian minister in Japan, though he was Japanese. He was the head of a Christian Boys school in Japan. One day, some of the students asked him if he believed in the miracles which Jesus did, such as healing. Being a Christian minister, he answered, "YES!"

          They asked him if he knew how Jesus had done this. "No," he replied.

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

          It was suggested that he study Buddhist writings since the Buddha had also healed. This took more years studying at a monastery in the Orient. Nowhere could he find the answers. In Japan, he toured many temples, asking for the 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 monastery, he found some ancient Sanskrit writings from India (or perhaps Tibet). [Diane Stein's research suggests he found the sutras to involve 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 monastery 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 at that place he gathered 21 stones with which to count the days. Each day, he would throw away a stone, and in this way, he counted his time on the mountain. On the 20th day, nothing had come as yet, and he threw away the last stone, proclaiming, "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 toward him. His first instinct was to get out of the way, but then he realized that this might just be what he was asking for and waiting for, so he allowed the light to hit him right on his 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 that he had studied, but had been unable to understand. Now, as he looked at the colors again, there and then he realized a total understanding.

          After returning from this experience, he headed back down the mountain and was, from that moment on, able to heal. During that exact day, he healed a broken toenail, his own starvation, an ailing tooth which had previously caused him pain, and the Abbots sickness which had been keeping him bedridden. These are known as the first four miracles of Reiki healing.

          He wanted to use these abilities to help others, and he spent the next seven years in the beggars section of Tokyo healing the poor and sick people there. He sent these people to a priest to assist in 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 why they had returned, they complained that life outside beggar town 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 had previously known.

          This event threw Dr. Usui into a quandary and he returned to the monastery. From this, he realized that he hadn't taught them gratitude along with the healing. He realized that he had focused on the physical ailments without dealing with the spiritual matters. The people did not understand the value of the gift he gave them.

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

          Dr. Usui is said to have taught over 2,000 students, but under 20 senior students. Perhaps the most significant is Dr. Hayashi. Hayashi was thought to be one of Usui's last students, and was fortunate to continue in Usui's clinic after the Founder's death. The Hayashi line of teaching through Mrs.  Hawayo Takata has become the most prolific in the world. The development of this line of teaching is well documented in the many books on Reiki.

The Reiki Affirmation as a Certified Healer

Just for today, I will not worry..

Just for today, I will not be angry.

Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.

Just for today, I will do my work honestly.

Just for today, I will be kind to my neighbor and all living things.

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