by Frans Stiene
For most people when they hear the word Reiki they think it is an energy practice. Often many Reiki teachers and practitioners also explain it that way, that it is all about energy. But is it?
Let’s first look at the word Reiki.
Rei: 霊 can mean pure, divine, spirit, etc.
Ki 気 can mean mind, energy, etc.
Thus in a way we can say that the word Reiki traditionally means Pure Mind. This is why some traditional Japanese priests say that traditionally the word Reiki means kami or hotoke.
“Reiki is kami and Hotoke (buddha), though I’m afraid this answer may cause much misunderstanding especially for you westerners. I think we shouldn’t stick to the word too much, which often gets the stumbling block to us.” – Takeda Hakusai Ajari
In fact Mikao Usui himself pointed this state of mind of Kami and Hotoke out as well in an interview:
“Q. Does Usui Reiki Ryoho only heal illness?
A. No. Usui Reiki Ryoho does not only heal illness. Mental illnesses such as agony, weakness, timidity, irresolution, nervousness and other bad habits can be corrected. Then you are able to lead a happy life and heal others with the mind of Kami or Hotoke [Buddha]. That becomes the principal object.” – Shin-Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho Kokai Denju Setsumei and the Usui Reiki Ryoho Hikkei, two booklets handed out by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai
Here Mikao Usui even states that the state of mind of Kami or Hotoke is the principal object of his teachings. When we are in that state of Reiki – Pure Mind, we are Kami or Hotoke. This is why in Shinto and Buddhism the mind is the most important element.
“The mind should be healed first and the body second, so that one can tread the right path of humanity. When the mind is healthy and it’s path of oneness has been adjusted, then the body will regain its strength itself.” – Mikao Usui, in the booklet Shin-Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho Kokai Denju Setsumei.
Here Mikao Usui states very clearly that we should start with the mind and not energy. Why is that? Because energy follows the mind. In a way it is very simple: if we have no mind then how could we notice energy?
“If you didn’t have a conscious mind, you could not see, hear, touch, taste, feel, or think; you could not understand anything at all.” – The Light That Shines Through Infinity by Dainin Katagiri
This is why to really work with energy we first have to make sure our own mind is in the right state.
“For the members of our association, please keep this in mind that the more you have a higher virtue in yourself the stronger your spiritual energy becomes.” – Reiki Ryoho no Shiori which is handed out by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.
Here we can see that we have to start with the mind, higher virtues, so that our energy can become stronger. What are those virtues? The Reiki precepts of course; they are:
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be grateful
Be true to your way and your being
Show compassion to yourself and others
When we look at the precepts, we can see that they are all about the mind. Mikao Usui doesn’t say anything about energy in the precepts. And as the precepts are the foundation of the system of Reiki then, if he was creating an energy practice, he would have definitely mentioned energy within the precepts; instead it is the mind again.
“Reiki Ryoho first heals our mind and then our body and allows us to live a life of peace and joy while simultaneously healing those who are ill and promoting happiness for ourselves and others. The expressions “to make the person healthy as a whole” and “first of all to heal the mind” indicate that the ultimate goal was not to cure disease.” – Hiroshi Doi
Let’s look at some other practices within Mikao Usui’s teachings. First of all, we have the meditation practice joshin kokyu ho, which literally translates as: pure mind with each in and out breath. So again, it is about our mind and not energy. That is not to say that energy and mind are not interlinked of course, but the fundamental principle is the mind.
Then we have the meditation practice of seishin toitsu which literally means concentration of mind. In this practice you place your hands in gassho and gassho is also about a specific state of mind and not energy.
“To reach the aim of gassho, one must always – not only when doing gassho – maintain this gassho heart-mind power. In other words, gassho is done to receive a certain benefit, and the aim of gassho is only fully reached when constantly maintaining this heart-mind power, twenty four hours a day.” – Reiki and the Benevolent Art of Healing by Tomita Kaiji (Published in 1933)
Within Okuden Reiki II we have the symbol/mantra hon sha ze sho nen 本者是正念 which literally translates as: my original nature is right mind. Again Mikao Usui is telling us to focus on our mind and not energy.
One of Mikao Usui’s students wrote in his 1933 book that the system of Reiki is also first of all about the mind.
“This is because the source of reiki, the agent of this therapy, must be sought in the proper heart and mind. The power to treat disease is thus a byproduct of becoming a better person. The healing of diseases with this therapy is secondary” – Reiki and the Benevolent Art of Healing by Tomita Kaiji (Published in 1933)
Again, first the mind and not energy. Again and again we can see these wonderful pointers to our own mind and can see that we need to work first of all with the mind. So in a way we can say that the system of Reiki is really a mind practice instead of an energy practice!
“Reiki, the driving power of the treatment, is the power of the heart-mind [kokoro].”- Reiki and the Benevolent Art of Healing by Tomita Kaiji (Published in 1933)
This is why in essence during a hands-on/off healing session, the practitioner and the client’s state of mind are the most important. As Mikao Usui’s student stated in 1933, the driving power of a treatment is our state of mind. Nearly a hundred years later, when so much tries to distract and play with our mind, this is more true than ever.
“When there is nothing in your mind, your chi is in harmony and tranquil. When your chi is in harmony and tranquil, it will be active and flowing, but it has no fixed form; and without using strength, it will be naturally strong.” – The Demon’s Sermon on the Martial Arts by Issai Chozanshi
Within these traditional Japanese teachings we have the concept of sanmistu, the three mysteries of mind, body, energy/speech/breath. All of these three need to be in harmony and yet the mind is the most important one of all.
“If the mind is not in accord, then the acts of body and speech [energy] are empty.” – Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism
All of these teachers, like Mikao Usui, first of all focused on the mind, because if the mind is not in the right place our energy is not in the right place either.
“Though body and speech [energy] may be aligned, without the mind they do not constitute true practice.” – Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism
Thus we could say that the system of Reiki is an energy practice but the foundation of this energy practice is the mind. Without the correct state of mind, the energy practice does not constitute true practice. Therefore wouldn’t it be better if we call the system of Reiki a mind practice?
Again, energy follows the mind. So the more we continue our mind practice (or no-mind practice), we can reach the state of Pure Mind and let energy flow more freely.
