“Each and every master, regardless of the era or the place, heard the call and attained harmony with heaven and earth.”
Morihei Ueshiba
The Okuden level of the system of Reiki teaches symbols and mantras. The second symbol and mantra is called, in modern teachings, the emotional mental symbol. However, within the traditional teachings of Mikao Usui the characteristic of this symbol and mantra is harmony.
Harmony is a quality used in all traditional Japanese spiritual teachings to remind the practitioner to practice harmony with herself and the universe.
“The master of harmony alone understands life, and he who lacks it is foolish in spite of all other knowledge that he might have acquired”.
Hazrat Inayat Khan
Attaining harmony within yourself and the universe is one of the key elements within Mikao Usui’s teachings. The first step within Okuden is to meditate for a long period of time, 6 months, 1 year or 2 years on the first symbol and mantra to embody the quality of earth energy. When we have stabilised that within our own being we can take the next step and focus on the second symbol and mantra for a prolonged period of time. Traditionally, the second symbol and mantra is associated with heavenly energy and is connected to Amida Buddha. Amida Buddha is often pictured descending on a cloud from heaven to help all sentient beings.
In many modern teachings the symbols and mantras are externalized and only used for hands-on healing sessions with others. However in Mikao Usui’s time, these tools were meant to be meditated upon and embodied by the practitioner. We can see this also by looking at the traditional name for Reiki Level II, Okuden. Okuden translates as hidden or inner teachings; this is pointing out to our own hidden, inner True Self/Reiki. To rediscover our True Self we need to internalize these tools.
“It is the attainment of harmony which is called heaven.”
Hazrat Inayat Khan
It is only when we are in harmony with heaven and earth energy that we start to achieve glimpses of our True Self/Reiki. This is why all the true masters of old pointed this out.
http://www.ihreiki.com/blog/article/121/
Based in Holland, Frans Stiene teaches in North America, Europe, UK, Australia and Asia.
Frans is also the author of Reiki Insights, it is the continuation of his previous book The Inner Heart of Reiki, taking your personal practice and understanding of the system of Reiki yet another step deeper.
Comments 5
Hi All,
Within the system of Reiki there is also a meditation called Seishin Toitsu.
What is interesting is that Toitsu also means harmony.
So Usui-san was putting meditations within his system which all do the same thing.
SHK is nothing different then Seishin Toitsu.
This is a nice article about Seishin Toitsu
http://www.takase.com/Library/Articles/Seishin-Toitsu.htm
Love
Frans
Thanks, Frans, and thanks for the link and great quotes! Without “attaining harmony with heaven and earth,” how could we hope to embody the Precepts? Without embodying the Precepts, how could we hope to attain harmony? And yet, attaining harmony is the simplest thing. All we have to do is let the self, the ego, drop away, and harmony is everywhere around us, because the “I” that separates us from the rest of creation is suddenly gone and we can finally see.
Hi Elly,
Yes all of Mikao Usui’s teachings is about letting go of the “I”.
Both the precepts and heaven and earth go hand in hand.
Usui-san created a wonderful teaching style and practice.
Frans, A definition of harmony is “An orderly or pleasing combination of elements in a whole.” Seen as such, it seems evident that to experience the whole, one has to first experience the “orderly or pleasing combination of elements” that are an essential aspect of the “whole”. Seems to be the essence of what these masters are telling us.
Hi Sundar,
All the real master say the same thing and they all focus on meditation to embody this harmony.
The word healing comes from the word whole, so to heal means to make whole, to be in harmony.
Love
Frans