What is Reiki?

By Frans Stiene

“Because Reiki Therapy improves self-healing ability by using the spiritual energy coming from your own body, it’s safe and anyone can do it.” – Usui Reiki Therapy Association Headquarters Chairman Toyokazu Kazuwa, September 1974 (from Reiki Ryoho no Shiori booklet distributed by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai – an association which started in the early 1920’s in Japan)

In the Japanese tradition of the system of Reiki the word Reiki means Kami or Buddha-nature; it points to our essence, our true nature. Thus Reiki is not something outside of us but something that we are. By practicing the system of Reiki we slowly start to see who we truly are instead of what we think we are. Mikao Usui, the founder of this beautiful system, called this inner nature a great bright light. Often we do not notice our great bright light because we cover it up with our anger, worry, fear, etc…

By practicing the 5 elements of the system of Reiki (precepts, meditation practices, hands-on  healing, chanting mantras and focusing on symbols and a reiju/attunement/initiation), we slowly start to remember our inner light again.

Imagine a lamp with lots of lampshades. Under the cover of these lampshades we cannot see the light within. Similarly, sometimes we feel so in the dark that we think our light has gone out. But the more we remove the lampshades of our own fears, judgements, anger and so on, the more we start to see our inner light. When we do this it feels like we become brighter and lighter. But the lamp itself never has changed; it is and always was bright. This is the same with our essence; no matter what happened or is happening in our lives, that inner light is always bright.

Let’s look at another example: say it is a cloudy day and we focus only on the clouds. Then we think the sun is not shining but that is not true at all. Even in the dark at night, the sun is still shining; we just cannot see it from where we are at that time. So if we focus solely on clouds, we will not notice that behind the clouds the sun is there all the time. And if the clouds part, or we part the clouds of our mind, then the sun doesn’t become any brighter; it is already bright.

By focusing on specific meditation practices within the system of Reiki, we learn how to shift our focus. A shift from focusing on the clouds of anger, worry, fear, anxiety etc. to a focus on our innate love and compassion, the sun within us.

The more we realise that our inner bright light is always there, then automatically the dark will vanish, just as when we switch on the light in a dark room. The instant the light is switched on, the dark disappears. But even if we can rediscover our light, our habitual patterns are very strong, so likely in the next moment we will forget our inner bright light again. Therefore the meditation practices and hands-on healing on ourselves are there to help us to remember again and again that our inner light is always bright and always shining.

It is a bit like planting a seed; if we plant an apple seed and we constantly water this seed we get apples. And if we plant a banana seed and we constantly water this, we get bananas. The more we focus on our anger and worry, the more angry and worried we will become. But if we focus more on being grateful and compassionate, then gratitude and compassion will blossom.

Mikao Usui placed the Reiki precepts within his teachings to help us remember this; they are:

For today –
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be grateful
Be true to your way and your being
Be compassionate to yourself and others

“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 booklet from the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.

So when we practice the system of Reiki we have to ask ourselves on a daily basis (hence the word today), what are we planting and watering? Are we planting anger and worry or are we planting compassion? The outcome for each is very different. And this difference affects not only our mind but also our body and energy.

These days we think that the system of Reiki is only energy hands-on healing, and mainly on and for others. But in reality the system of Reiki is foremost a spiritual practice for oneself, to realize that we are Kami, Buddha-nature, a great bright light. The word Kami translates as a divine being, so we become aware that we have been a divine being since conception. The state of mind of a divine being is the precepts and this we have to take with us in our daily life.

When we walk around in town or at work we cannot just do hands-on healing on everybody! But we can walk around with a state of mind of compassion; this in itself is like walking around as a bright light of love. And this already has a healing effect on ourselves and others.

This is also why we see the word “today” within the Reiki precepts. It doesn’t say on a massage table or on our meditation pillow; it means we have to integrate being Reiki in all we do today. And the more we do this the more we can help others to find their inner great bright light.

In Japan the first step is called going into the mountains, rediscovering our true nature. Often we see nature as something outside of us. We even say, let’s go and walk in nature, because we have forgotten that we are nature. By going into the mountains we slowly start to realise that we are the mountains, the rivers, the trees: nature. That we are already in complete union with the universe, right now, right today; we just do not realize this. If we look within and carefully check this, we are touching the whole universe inside and outside 100% already, right this moment.

After going into the mountains we have to go down the mountain, into town, back into society; this is the second step. Now we can start to help others. Helping others can be through hands-on healing but also through teaching them these specific Reiki meditations and how to work with the precepts. And of course we can help and teach by being an example, walking the talk, expressing the embodiment of the precepts in all we do, or in other words by just being a kind and compassionate human being.

To realise this inner bright light we have to go inwards, into our own body. Therefore the meditations taught within the system of Reiki are first of all focus meditations. And we focus by bringing our mind to the hara. The hara is an energy centre located just below your navel.

“We put our mental concentration in the hara. The hara is a point in our body that generates chi, energy.” – Appreciate Your Life: The Essence of Zen Practice by Taizan Maezumi

These kinds of meditation practices are not unique to the system of Reiki but common in most Japanese traditional arts. Why? Because it is at this point that our inner light generates energy, the energy to sustain us in our daily life so that we get less angry and worried. Have you ever been angry the whole day? How do you feel? Tired or energised? And what about being worried the whole day? Focusing on the hara, our centre point in the body, we get out of our busy head and therefore we start to feel more in control of our distracted mind. This focus on the hara also helps us with better breathing. Often we breathe up into the chest area, breathing too shallowly which in turn triggers too many thoughts. But when we do this kind of deeper breathing into our belly, our mind naturally calms down and therefore we start to feel more peaceful.

One of the other traditional Japanese Reiki practices is chanting the Reiki precepts, and also the mantras as taught in Okuden Reiki II and Shinpiden Reiki III.

“Since we chant these words with energy from the abdomen, it naturally creates the repetition of deep breathing from the belly: this way of breathing is called the “long breathing method.” (okinagaho) in Shinto. Through this breathing, the power in the physical body is increased.”

-The Essence of Shinto – Motohisa Yamakage

When we are chanting we start to increase our focus and deep breathing, and therefore we start to become more and more aware of all the innate energy we have available in our own mind and body. And this in turn will help us to stay grounded and centred during hands-on healing sessions on others and to realize that there is an unlimited amount of energy to help others.

When in Japan you hear a lot of chanting in monasteries so again it is not something unique to the system of Reiki. Mikao Usui based his teachings on traditional Japanese spiritual practices.

Even Mrs Takata, a well known Reiki Teacher who was essential in bringing the system of Reiki to the west, knew all of this already too. She wrote about the hara and that the energy needed to come from within, through concentration and purification of our thoughts.

Excerpt from Mrs. Takata’s diary Dec 10th 1935:

“Meaning of “Reiki” Energy within oneself, when concentrated and applied to patient, will cure all ailments. It is nature’s greatest cure, which requires no drugs. It helps in all respects, human & animal life. In order to concentrate one must purify one’s thoughts in words & in thoughts & to meditate to let the “energy” come out from within. It lies in the bottom of your stomach about 2 inches below the navel. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, concentrate on your thoughts & relax.”

So concentration, meditation to let the energy come out from within…this and more is Reiki.

All of these meditation practices help us to become aware of what we are already: a divine being, that we are Reiki. And the more that we realize that right now we are Reiki, we can start to shine our love and compassion into the world so that we can slowly create peace on earth. And this, this is Reiki….

Frans Stiene