These precepts are foundation of the System of Reiki:
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be Grateful
Be True to your Way and your Being
Show compassion to yourself and others
There are many teachings to be discovered within the precepts, and one of these is energy – Ki. The precepts point towards preserving our energy.
Do you get quickly tired or do you feel depleted after you get angry or feel worried? Do you feel drained after you are boasting, lying, or being unkind?
Most of us do. But why is this? When we get angry or worried we are expending our energy; we are draining it. This also happens when we are boasting about ourselves, when we keep lying about certain things, or when we are unkind all the time to ourselves and others. If we spend all our energy with these issues we have not much left to nourish our own being, let alone help others.
Let’s look at an example. Where is our mind when we are worried? It is in the past or the future because that is what we worry about. If our mind is in the past or the future where is our energy? Our energy is also in the past or the future because energy follows our mind. If our energy is in the past and the future we have no energy at this moment to sustain ourselves, thus we get quickly tired, stressed, and depleted.
The precepts therefore point towards nourishing and cultivating our own inner energy so that we can live a healthier and happier life. If we do not deplete our own inner energy we start to feel stronger, happier, healthier, and less tired.
This is also why we need to practice the system of Reiki when we are still healthy. If we wait until we get sick or depressed, our energy is already weakening, thus we do not have much energy to bring us back to a healthier state. But if we have a strong internal energy before we get sick or depressed we can fall back on the surplus to help us to heal quicker.
Now we can also see why Mikao Usui taught meditation practices like the joshin kokyu ho breathing method to be in a state of mind of concentration. If we are concentrating on our breath we will get less angry and worried, thus we are conserving our energy. Not only the precepts but also all the meditation practices within the system of Reiki are there to help us to sustain our own inner energy for our own well being.
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 10
Frans, indulging in fear / worry, anger, pride, greed, dishonesty and judgments / hatred … all of these leach energy from our life, and this is something we can all attest to, from personal experience. Until I read what you wrote though, I didn’t make the connection between the precepts and ki. So amazing to see the layers of wisdom in the precepts, and the more we clear the lenses of our perceptions and see the precepts, the more wisdom is seems to reveal. Thanks for igniting another ah-ha!
Hi Sundar,
Indeed the precepts are full of hidden layers, all we have to do is investigate them and one by one they will reveal themselves.
Yes we all know this, that anger, worry, etc. depletes us of our energy and yet often we do nothing about it. No wonder depression is now one of the biggest dis-eases.
Love
Frans
Hi, Frans,
Recently, I lost my footing on the stepping stones and wasted a lot of energy in the process of getting balanced and steady again. I was pretty angry about something. After employing a number of the Reiki practices – meditation on the precepts was especially helpful, I am back and ‘shiny’ new!
Susan
How did I not make this connection previously?!? Yes, Sundar, these negative emotions and thoughts are draining so it is apparent that the precepts give us the ability to stay grounded and keep the Ki flowing. They are the ingredients of a complete “meal” but when adding daily practice and sharing hands-on healing, only then do we enjoy the ““appetizers AND dessert” as well. I now understand how the precepts help to keep us healthy.
Hi Marnie,
yes the precepts keep us healthy, Like what you say about the appetizer and the dessert 😉
Enjoy!
Hi Susan,
We all fall and slip sometimes. But I am glad to hear that you feel shiny and new again.
Love
Frans
Hi Frans, i’m suprised that the precept “Kansha Shite” the expression from the gratitude that can be translate from the japanese by “Be Grateful” becomes Be Humble, and the precept “Gyoo O Hage me” (work on yourself, it’s the only work we have to do, do your best) becomes Be Honest. I have studied the precept in japanese with Don Alexander and the original kanji with a friend who knows japanese. The expression of the gratitude “Kansha Shite” is certainly the most powerful precept to transform our life, be grateful for all we have, be grateful for each “inconfortable” experience which has something to learn us, be grateful for everything… Gyoo O hage me teach us deeply to not judge us, to not enter in the culpability but to work to discover who we are trully are and to practise every day at this, to work on our anger and fear… Can you explain me why you transform this two precept in Be Humble and Be Honest ? Even i can feel a link between be humble and the gratitude, and be honest with work on yourself, it is not the original meaning from japanese, from the original kanji everything is clear and so deep. Sorry if i make somes mistakes by writing but english is not my mother’s tongue 🙂 Kansha shite 🙂
Hi Frederic,
You are right. However there are different versions.
I also like this one for example:
Do not bear anger for anger is an illusion
Do not be worried fear is a distraction
Be true to your way and your being
Show compassion to yourself and other
Because this is the centre of Buddhahood
Here is also a different one from Hiroshi Doi.
Just for today,
Do not be angry
Do not worry
Be thankful
Do what you are meant to do
Be kind to others
So many different versions.
Gyo can be translated as work but from a Japanese spiritual Gyo is so much more. In one way it means practice, but really a spiritual practice. Gyo is very much a esoteric expression within the Japanese mountain and Buddhist practices.
Just to give you an idea:
“The fundamental justification for doing gyō is nothing more and nothing less than that simple act of sharing.” – Ryōjun Shionuma
I like gratitude because it is a very Japanese teaching as well.
So I am just using different versions. I do not think that one is better then the other, just a different way of looking at the same thing.
The original kanji is just one version and no one really knows if that is Usui-san’s hand writing? In fact i do believe that Mikao Usui cave out slightly different precepts depending on his student.
Hope this helps.
Love
Frans
Thanks Frans, i agree with your words 🙂 i completely ok with the Gyo, exactly it is the spiritual work/practise.
For the last precept, hito ni shinsetsu ni, i like all version with includes “me and others”, because hito represents the human kind, that includes “me”, and we can’t be really kind with orther if we are not kind with ourselves 🙂
Thanks for the sharing Frans 🙂
Hi Frederic,
I agree with you about being kind to yourself and others. Many people have just translated it as others but I do not think that is correct at all. It is self and others because, as you say, one can not be without the other.
I will have a big chapter about al of this in my upcoming new book: The Inner Heart of Reiki – Rediscovering Your True Self.
By the way I will be teaching in Paris this year a 3 day Urban Reiki Retreat.
Love
Frans