The Reiki Precepts
This is the 3rd Part in a 5 Part series. Read Part 1 and Part 2 here.
One of the five main elements of Reiki is the Reiki precepts.
The Secret of Inviting Happiness through Many Blessings
The Spiritual Medicine for All Illness
For Today Only:
Do not Anger
Do not worry
Be Humble
Be Honest in your Work
Be Compassionate to Yourself and Others
Do gasshô every Morning and Evening
Keep in your Mind and Recite
Usui Reiki Ryôhô Improve your Mind and Body
The Founder
Usui Mikao
In the modern form of Reiki that I had trained with, the precepts were just sort of there, hanging by the side, seemingly taught by teachers only because their teacher had talked about it. Don’t get me wrong, I too heard about the generally nice stuff about the precepts, how by following it, we can lead a good life. For me, that was like “motherhood and apple pie”! Whatever!
But in thinking back to how I adopted Reiki as a practice, I realized in late 2004 that I had not only taken on hands on healing on myself as a regular practice, but I had been drawn to the precepts and I had consciously made adjustments to my thinking, my speaking, my actions, and my beliefs to align more and more closely to the kind of living that the precepts represent. And then it dawned on me, that this way of living, in alignment with the precepts, must have something to do with the miracles and manifestations that I was seeing in my life.
In looking at the precepts closely, I have always been taken in by these two parts of it:
The Secret of Inviting Happiness through Many Blessings
The Spiritual Medicine for All Illness
There seemed to be a coded message here, with a deep mystery in the layers of its meaning.
Why was this “The Secret” and not “A Secret”? And if the precepts that followed were “The Secret”, how could it be so openly disclosed for anyone to see and still be secret?
What is meant by “Inviting Happiness”? “Inviting” from where? And why “Happiness” and not something else?
What is the deal with the “Many Blessings”? What were the “Blessings”? Why “Many Blessings”? And why did one have to “Invite Happiness” through “Many Blessings”?
What is “The Spiritual Medicine”? Where does it come from? Why was it called “The Spiritual Medicine” and not “A Spiritual Medicine”? “For All Illnesses”? Does it mean that any illness can be cured by “The Spiritual Medicine”? And in turn, is the implication that underlying every illness is a spiritual cause which can then be healed by “The Spiritual Medicine?”
And look closely at the part that follows:
For Today Only:
Do not Anger
Do not worry
Be Humble
Be Honest in your Work
Be Compassionate to Yourself and Others
I sort of got the point that the five precepts that followed made logical sense as a framework for leading a nice life. But we’ve seen other such listed codes in other traditions such as the famous Ten Commandments.
Why did Usui san say that these five precepts are “The Secret” and “The Spiritual Medicine”? Why weren’t there, say, seven precepts? Does this mean that these precepts represent a whole and complete set of instructions on “Inviting Happiness” and “The Spiritual Medicine for All Illness”?
And then comes this final part:
Do gasshô every Morning and Evening
Keep in your Mind and Recite
Why “gassho”? What is special about “gassho”? What is the significance of “gassho” in this context?
Why every “Morning and Evening”? Why not more often or less often? What was sacrosanct about these times? I guess these represented beginning of day and end of day in those times. That felt alright to me as an explanation!
“Keep in your Mind” – I think of this as “Remember”, in its most profound form, “Remember in each moment”.
“Recite” – I guess this had to do with making it a habit. Also reciting out loud brings involvement of all of your senses into a coordinated effort. I guess that could be another reason for “Recite”.
The signing off at the end is interesting:
Usui Reiki Ryôhô Improve your Mind and Body
So this is all about how to “Improve your Mind and Body”. This seemed reasonable to me. If one were to be happy and free from illness, they’d have to improve both mind and body. Probably a nice reminder to all of us, especially to the practitioners of “health care” in the modern era!
So many questions! Despite all this, my intuition was strong that the precepts were the most important element of the system of Reiki, sort of like its foundation. The practice of living life according to the precepts did precipitate miracles and manifestations in my life. But why? There must be an answer.
And the answer presented itself in a series of insights from 2005 through 2007.
Sundar Kadayam is a Shinpiden graduate of the International House of Reiki.
Comments 6
Hi Sundar , nice analysis and first impressions about Reiki precepts from a beginner view point. I had bit similer views but didn’t had any one to clear them for me until recently. I agree that Precepts are the core. There were few days that I was unable to recite them in morning first thing and did them later in afternoon and I felt I wasn’t as grounded and focused as I am usually feel after doing it and also when I do I can kind of see what is my state of mind , its like a self check I think. I think you only know how powerful they are after you do them regularly.
Hi Sundar,
I started to ask myself these questions when I learned the system of Reiki.
Can’t wait for the next part to read your insights.
It’s like the famous quote from Ghandi. “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Usui discovered Reiki while on a quest to better himself. If every human spent time each day embracing and living these principles, the world would instantly become a better place.
When you practice this you are re-aligning with your higher self and are able to manifest in the world with grace!
Thank you again.
Seema: You are right. Like with anything worthwhile, we can see the true brilliance of the Reiki precepts of Usui san, only when we commit to their practice.
Frans: Even though Reiki was born in a context emerging from deep philosophies and esoteric practices of many systems over centuries, what I find stunning is just how the essence of it all has been compressed into these precepts by Usui san. You’ve said in class(es) that in essence, the precepts, the Reiju, DKM, they are all one and the same—and the depth of the implication of that is always unfolding for me.
Danica: Manifesting and moving through this world with grace, as you say, is the very thing that I think that the Reiki precepts of Usui san enable.
Thank you!
Hi Sundar,
Yes the precepts are the symbols and mantras, the hands on healing, the reiju, and the meditations. The deeper we go the more we start to see this for ourselves.
So simple and yet so profound.
You are so right Sundar, system of Reiki birth although in a sense was an essence of Usui san own personal practice that he did his whole life , yet how beautifully they are embeded in the precepts. To a “naked” eye just looking at people think of them as “affirmations” or think its just bunch of mere words but we know the “naam” or “word power” is so powerful , when recited and then internalizing its essence , we see that the word power mention in vedas as well and sikhisim, in short its already there , all say the same thing.We just need to go back to roots and investigate to truly experince it. Your blog has given me so much to think and learn and grow from this. Thanks