Reiki is Kami is Buddha 

by Frans Stiene

“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

Within the booklet 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 we find an interview with Mikao Usui. His answer to one of the questions is a very important pointer to Mikao Usui’s inner teachings:

“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.”

Thus the principal object within Mikao Usui’s teachings is to realize that we are Kami, that we are Buddha, or in other words that we are Reiki.

“Ancient Japanese Shintoism viewed the universe not as mere material existence, but saw a noble power within everything, and this was called ‘Kami.’ In other words, the Japanese have traditionally felt the existence of God, or life, or Divine Spirit, in all things. And in our minds, the Buddha and the Shinto Kami are one and the same thing.” – Takeda Hakusai Ajari

When we realize that we are Kami – Buddha – Reiki then there is nothing to channel, how can we channel ourselves? Then we are Reiki which emanates out from our mind in all directions just like the sun emanates light. The sun doesn’t channel anything at all.

“All humans have the potential to become Kami.”
– The Essence of Shinto Japan’s Spiritual Heart by Motohisa Yamakage

Mikao Usui also pointed Kami out within the first symbol and mantra. The symbol itself means: go to Kami – remember your inner divine being. The mantra means direct spirit which is linked to Kami. Directly, now, we have to realize that we are Kami, divine self.

“The term chokurei 直霊. Choku (直) means ‘direct and rei (霊) means ‘spirit’. Chokurei is the light emanating directly from God to form the origin of humanity. Chokurei could be translated as ‘God in the human world,’ ‘Direct Spirit,” or ‘Divine Self.’” – From Masahisa Goi’s book, “God and Man, Guideposts for Spiritual Peace and Awakening”

Thus it is not only in these booklets that Mikao Usui pointed out the principal object of his teachings he also pointed it out within the symbols and mantras. Mikao Usui borrowed these mantras and symbols from existing Japanese spiritual teachings, like Shinto, Tendai Buddhism etc.. and they are not unique to Mikao Usui’s teachings. As you can see teachers like Masahisa Goi also used the concept of Choku rei.

“There I encountered my own divine spirit [Choku Rei 直霊] ” – From Masahisa Goi’s book, “Living Like the Blue Sky – 5 talks by Masahisa Goi 

The more we internalize these symbols and mantras the more we rediscover that we are Kami – Buddha – Reiki.

“Shinto is the path through which we seek to realize ourselves fully as human beings by acquiring the noble characteristics of Kami.” 
– The Essence of Shinto Japan’s Spiritual Heart by Motohisa Yamakage

What are these noble characteristics they talk about in Shinto and Buddhism? They are a state of mind which is free from anger and worry, a state of mind of being grateful, true to our way and our being and being compassionate to ourselves and others. Or in other words, the principle object is the embodiment of the Reiki precepts.

“The Reiki Precepts are in a way the same as the Lotus Sutra. What is the essence of the precepts and the Lotus sutra? What are you? Self awareness that you are buddha.” – Takeda Hakusai Ajari

If we look deeply within Mikao Usui’s teachings we see all of these pointers to our divine self, that we are Reiki, that we have to realize that we are Kami – Buddha.

“Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen 本者是正念 has a close relation with the Tendai Hongaku [original state of enlightenment -that we are buddha already] thought 天台本党思” – Takeda Hakusai Ajari

Here we can also see that one of the other symbols/mantras taught within the system of Reiki points to buddha nature. 

“Usui Sensei had no standard curriculum, and the length of time of the training depended on the spiritual progress of each student. It is said that he gave one-on-one lectures mainly on the right mental attitude needed for spiritual advancement based on his own experience.” – Hiroshi Doi

The right mental attitude Hiroshi Doi is talking about is the mind of Kami – Buddha.

Let’s have a look at another important practice within Mikao Usui’s teachings, the meditation practice of joshin kokyu ho. Jo translates as pure, without taint or defilement. Shin translates as mind. Kokyu means breathing in and out and ho stands for method. Thus joshin kokyu ho means a method to realize our pure mind through breathing in and out. This means that when we practice this meditation practice we start to slowly realize that our mind is pure like Kami, like Buddha, that we are Reiki. This pure mind is exactly the same as the Reiki precepts, a mind without anger and worry, a mind filled with gratefulness, being true to our way and our being, and being compassionate to ourselves and others.

In fact all of Mikao Usui’s teachings and practices point to the same essence again and again, being Kami, Buddha, Reiki, the embodiment of the Reiki precepts

“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.

This is why it is so important to look at the inner teachings of Mikao Usui. Without that we just think that the system of Reiki is just hands-on healing or a basic practice which helps us to relax a little. But in fact it is a whole complete system to help us to realize that we are Kami, Buddha, Reiki.

“Strict teachings and rules of Master Usui: One of the most strict rules which he taught us is that your spirit as a small universe has to be always united with the spiritual power of the whole universe as one.” – Reiki Ryoho no Shiori which is handed out by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.

All these ancient teachings talk about virtues and morals as a practice for remembering our true self, our divine self, that we are kami, buddha, or whatever we call it.

“When a person’s moral development reaches a very high level, he or she connects to the heavens and earth, thereby obtaining access to an extraordinarily abundant form of energy. A person who reaches this state of moral cultivation will also glimpse his or her true nature.” – Taoist Inner Alchemy by Huang Yuanji and Ge Guolong

Mikao Usui points to the mind of Kami a lot in his teachings. Below are some teachings about Kami from: Hakuin’s Song of Zazen by Yamada Mumon Roshi. Can we practice the system of Reiki like this? 

“The word kami derives from kagami, “mirror.””

“There are no tricks or artifice about a mirror. It is mindless and totally impartial. If a flower comes before it, a flower is reflected, and if a bird comes before it, a bird is reflected, both exactly as they are. A mirror reflects all things that come before it without any discriminating whatever; and when they depart, the images vanish without a trace and the mirror returns to the state of emptiness or no-mind. This mirrorlike mind, immaculately pure, free and untrammelled, is called kami. It is also called Buddha.”

“Before a mirror, rich and poor, powerful and insignificant, men and women, old and young are all perfectly equal.”

“A mind that is pure and undefiled, free of contrivances of any kind, impartial and selfless as a mirror—this is the meaning of kami, and also the meaning of Buddha.”

“The true self is as pure and undefiled, selfless and impartial, as a mirror, a state of mind in which self and others are one.”
“A mind that is pure and undefiled, free of contrivances of any kind, impartial and selfless as a mirror—this is the meaning of kami, and also the meaning of Buddha.”

“The true self is as pure and undefiled, selfless and impartial, as a mirror, a state of mind in which self and others are one.”

“The mind of the Shintō kami is said to be as pure and undefiled as a mirror, perfectly impartial and selfless, a mind that has penetrated to the infinite. In Buddhism this is called the Great and Perfect Mirror Wisdom (Daien-kyōchi). A mirror is the best symbol for the Shintō kami and for the buddha-mind. In Shintō shrines, a mirror is usually set out before the altar.”

“A mirror is placed before the kami in the sacred altar of a Shintō shrine, representing the kami’s pristine mind, impartial and selfless as a mirror. As mentioned previously, Buddhism calls this mind Daien-kyōchi, the Great and Perfect Mirror Wisdom, which is a buddha’s original or primary wisdom and our own essential mind as well. And what we finally discover when we probe deep down into our self is consciousness itself, life itself, absolute truth itself, which alone of all things cannot be objectified. We also give this the name Dharma.”

“That their mind, their fundamental nature (he also referred to it as “the pure mind of the self-nature”), is like a mirror. Nothing whatever exists in the mirror; and because of that, it reflects all things. Any person or object coming before it is reflected; and when the person or object is no longer present, the reflection disappears. Although the mirror reflects persons and objects, it does not produce anything or bring anything into existence. It merely reflects their image. And when the person or object is no longer there and the image vanishes, nothing has perished. This unborn and undying mind is our original nature. It reflects a beautiful flower, but that does not mean the mirror is beautiful; it reflects filthy dog droppings, but that does not mean it is filthy. This is what the Heart Sutra means about all things being not stained and not pure.”

“A mirror does not increase in weight when it reflects something or decrease in weight when the image vanishes. This, teaches Bankei, is the meaning of the Heart Sutra’s words: not increasing, not decreasing. The same sutra’s lines about unborn, undying, not stained, not pure, not increasing, not decreasing, it can be said, describe the fundamental nature—the absolute essence—of human being.”

“National Master Bankei often gave people teachings like this: Man’s original nature is like a mirror. It is from the outset nothing, and because it is nothing it reflects things that come before it, and when the things depart, nothing remains. Even though a person or object is reflected in the mirror, the mirror did not create it, and even though the person or object vanishes, the mirror did not make it perish. This is what Buddhism means by “unborn and undying.” Although the mirror reflects a beautiful flower, the mirror does not thereby become beautiful, nor is it defiled because it reflects some dog droppings. This is what is meant by “not defiled, not pure.” The mirror does not increase in weight because something is reflected on the mirror, nor does the mirror decease in weight because it is no longer reflected. This is called “no increasing, no decreasing.” In just the same way, the original nature of human beings is unborn and undying, undefiled and unpure, does not increase or decrease. More simply, it is the unborn buddha-mind.”

“What is wanted is a mind that reflects things the way a mirror reflects objects that come before it, not retaining them or attaching to them in any way. Sensing or perceiving things in this way, tranquilly and effortlessly—which is, of course, the proper way of perceiving them—is what the word shōju signifies. A related Buddhism term, rokkon-shōjō, “purification of the six sense organs,” signifies the mind becoming as undefiled and unclouded as a bright mirror.  

“Nishida added an inscription to the verse: “Mindfulness or right thought is like a mathematical axiom, something that must be obeyed absolutely.” Buddhism, calling this mind the true self-nature and the Great and Perfect Mirror Wisdom.”