Why is the ritual reiju important for the student?
The ritual of reiju is important as it creates an area from where it is safe for the student to draw upon the energy. The main goal of the ritual is to aid the student in realizing his or her true nature. That is to feel his or her connection to universe. To aid the student to become one with the universe or more correctly to realize that they are one with the universe (as you cannot become something you already are). The ritual of reiju is important as it makes a safe haven where the student is able to feel how it should feel like. Maybe it is not the best parable but it could be viewed as kind of like a child who learns the feeling of being in school through being in preschool.
By performing the ritual of reiju the teacher helps the student to get a reference point of how it should feel like. It is a joint meditative happening between the teacher and the student and there is nothing that is passed on, nothing that is received and therefore there is no gift. The student gets what he or she needs, nothing less, nothing more. In the ritual of reiju there is a communication between the student and the teacher on a spirited level. However, there is a need for both the student and the teacher to be active during the ritual of reiju in order for it to be truly effective.
It is like you get a glimpse of one’s true nature and the more the student work on themselves the longer they manage to maintain the glimpse at a time. The ritual of reiju is important because it shows the student the way. It shows the student what he or she should aim for when practicing reiki. It helps the student to understand what kind of state of mind they need to be in. With the ritual the teacher aid the student’s work to get the right state of mind by letting the student sense it. Sensing that there is no “I” and “you”, an experience beyond duality e.g. non-duality. We are, as in everything, energy – the big bright light.
The ritual of reiju is important as it facilitates the student´s personal development. During the student´s journey, the student learns how to take on more and open up more by continually practicing Reiki. One could a likened the ritual of reiju with a successively process where the student becomes emancipated. Through the ritual of reiju the student becomes aware of his or her original energetic source. An emancipation that takes away the illusion of reality and brings an understanding of that there is no such thing as time and there is no objective world outside of us. Thus, emancipates the student so he or she realizes that we are all one.
What does the teacher get out of the ritual of reiju?
The ritual of reiju is, from a teacher´s perspective, important because it both teaches and trains the teacher´s mind on his or her true nature. The ritual of reiju could be seen, just like the symbols and mantras, as helping wheels. The ritual, symbols and mantras are all tools helping the teacher to set his or her intention – his or her focus which enables him or her to work on oneness – his or her true nature, over and over again. In the end the teacher might not need the ritual anymore and like Usui practicing a non-physical reiju instead. However it is not about remembering all steps and positions in the ritual, it is about finding your true self. In comparison, many people may become very good at a specific dance. They know all the steps and moves. They know the techniques and it might even look very good but something is missing – the feeling – the sense of being one with the dance. So when you are in the movement you have kind of “stepped outside yourself” and become one with the movement.
Using a highly structured ritual like the reiju makes it easier to stay in line with the teachings from the past, thus gives it a depth to work from. The performance of the ritual of reiju connects us with past, present and future. We step inside the realm of timelessness. It is only when you have realized that there is no before, now and after that you may begin to comprehend the oneness and in oneness there is nothing and everything at the same “time”.
Thus, the ritual of reiju is also valuable for the teacher´s own journey. By teaching the teacher also learns more and he or she is working on his or her personal development. This is also true for performing the ritual of reiju which is thought of being a blessing for the student where the student increases his or her own levels of energy. In a way it could be seen as if the teacher also “gives” him- or herself a blessing by performing the ritual of reiju. This is because by creating a safe space for the student to draw whatever amount of spiritual energy the student needs at that exact moment in his or her life you are at the same time practicing as a teacher on re-connecting to your true nature and experiencing oneness.
Conclusion
To summarize, in the ritual of reiju there is no student and there is no teacher. They are one – together with the universe. The ritual of reiju brings “both of them” blessings for their “joint” journey(s). Thus, both the student and the teacher enhance their energy levels. The ritual of reiju offers the student and the teacher a sense of reconnecting to their true nature. Many might in their ignorance think that the teacher already know all of his or her true nature but to truly realize this is an ongoing process of a lifelong practicing. In other words, the teacher will in one sense always be a student. And to finish up – my Shinpiden course might be to an end but my journey has just started. I’m blessed. Thank you!
Based in Australia, Bronwen Logan (Stiene) teaches the system of Reiki is co-founder of the International House of Reiki and Shibumi International Reiki Association as well as co-author of the critically acclaimed books The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, A-Z of Reiki Pocketbook, Reiki Techniques Card Deck and Your Reiki Treatment. Bronwen is also the voice of their audiobooks and of the Reiki meditations available in the shop.
Comments 1
Very good explanation to give to the student.