Usui Reiki Ryoho as Taught by the International House of Reiki

Nowadays there are many people teaching Usui Reiki Ryoho. But what is the difference among these and what does the International House of Reiki teach?

I first learned the system of Reiki in 1999 but the way I was taught was a very modern way. I longed for more and believed that there were elements missing in what I was taught. So after some exploration I took a Shinpiden course with Hyakuten Inamoto in 2001. Hyakuten is a wonderful teacher but his focus is on the teachings of Mrs Yamaguchi, who I also met in 2001. Those teachings did not satisfy my thirst for a deeper understanding of Mikao Usui’s teachings so I kept exploring. In 2003 I took the Shinpiden course with Hiroshi Doi, who is another great teacher. But again my thirst for a deeper understanding of Mikao Usui’s teachings was not quenched. While I got something from each learning experience, I still felt something was missing.

Each time I felt there were things missing, practices, teachings, experiences not internalized. Yes they talked about it, but the real deeper practices were not really emphasized or taught.

So I kept exploring and practicing myself.

I wanted to learn what Mikao Usui was practicing himself, what was his background, and where did the tools come from that he taught in the system of Reiki? I wanted to go to the source so to speak and not get side tracked with other teachings that came from Chujiro Hayashi who, as Hiroshi Doi and Hyakuten Inamoto had already pointed out through their research, had changed Mikao Usui’s teachings in some ways.

Mikao Usui sat on Mt Kurama for 21 days – not a simple task and he was not camping either. He was practicing specific meditations to let his ego die, so to speak.

Through more and more research I discovered that Mikao Usui had taken some of his teachings from the esoteric Japanese Buddhist tradition. So I started to explore these.

In 2012 I was lucky enough to be invited by an Ajari in Japan. An Ajari is a priest who can train other priests. The first time I went to train with Takeda Hakusai, I stayed at his temple for a week for one on one training, this training was challenging as it was from 4 am in the morning till about 11 pm at night. He pushed me, challenged me, taught me, and finally I found what I was looking for. A deeper understanding of Mikao Usui’s teachings, I was home.

Since then I have worked with Takeda Ajari to explore myself and the deeper elements of the system of Reiki. In 2019 some of the International House of Reiki students were able to meet with Takeda Ajari in Japan and received teachings and blessings from him.

Over the next few years Takeda Ajari and I hope to slowly help people to explore more about their own true self and the esoteric elements of the system of Reiki.

So what we teach at the International House of Reiki is unique, as we focus on the esoteric elements of the system of Reiki to help you gain a deeper understanding of your true self. Our learning and exploration never stops, and so we walk with each other hand in hand the road to self empowerment.

Frans Stiene