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The History of Reiki
In Reiki the history of the system and how it developed has developed into an "important" part of the system. Some hold to their version of "the history" as rigidly as some hold to the dogma or tenets of their religion. Up until very recently (around 1998) the only information that was known were the teaching stories that Mrs. Takata taught about Mikao Usui's founding the Reiki system. Since 1998, a number of western Reiki masters, have made contacts in Japan and learned of Reiki that continued on in Japan apart from the western traditions. The history that they learned from the Japanese was more thorough and contained more factual information.
The most common Reiki story in the western world comes from Hawayo Takata's teachings. This story is told in most all styles of Reiki and by the Reiki Alliance. It should be understood that this story was Takata Sensei's teaching story. Mrs. Takata was a Japanese American woman. She was attempting to convey Japanese cultural ideas, practices and beliefs to Americans with a Christian cultural mindset and background. In addition, this followed a historical period where Japan had been at war with the United States.
The most common Reiki story in the western world comes from Hawayo Takata's teachings. This story is told in most all styles of Reiki and by the Reiki Alliance. It should be understood that this story was Takata Sensei's teaching story. Mrs. Takata was a Japanese American woman. She was attempting to convey Japanese cultural ideas, practices and beliefs to Americans with a Christian cultural mindset and background. In addition, this followed a historical period where Japan had been at war with the United States.
The traditional story, as told by Mrs. Takata, is that Dr. Usui was teaching in a Christian university called Doshisha University in Kyoto in the mid 1800's. His students began to ask him if he believed that Jesus' could heal as in the bible. When he replied that he did, they asked him to perform such healing so they might believe as well. Dr. Usui did not know how to heal. He began to question church leaders, who also did not know how this was accomplished. So he set out on a quest to learn of these methods. As the story goes, he traveled through Japan, China studied at the University of Chicago Divinity School and eventually came back to Japan.
According to the story, Usui had failed to find this great healing and so Dr. Usui climbed Mt. Kurama for a 21 day meditation and fasting ritual. At the end of the 21 days when Usui was about to leave, he saw a great light approaching him from the distance. He was fearful, but he stayed. The light struck him in the forehead (third eye). This knocked him unconscious, but upon awakening, he saw millions of small glowing bubbles and the Reiki symbols were shown individually to him. The meaning and application of each Reiki symbol was then apparent to him.
Dr. Usui was then supposed to have healed his toe on the way down the mountain, as well as a girl, and then eaten a full meal after a 21 day fast. He began healing beggars in the slums of Kyoto. He found that those that he had healed would return again for treatment of the same illnesses. Usui found that many of these people held their illnesses and disease because they served them as useful. These people preferred to live with their illness because they were cared for by others, and various other reasons. It was then that Usui felt that treatment must include not only the physical, but also the emotional and spiritual. Usui also decided not to do Reiki for free after this, and that some form of energy exchange must occur.
It is taught that this system was passed on down to his chosen successor, Mr. Chujiro Hayashi who became the next "Grand Master" of Reiki.
Mikao Usui was born August 15th, 1865 in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture in a village called Yago. Usui studied Buddhism at the school and temple on Mt. Kurama as a child. It is also thought that he may have studied a Japanese form of Chi Kung and other oriental healing systems. Most stories of the History describe Usui as scholarly, and that he was a bright and hard working student. Usui was a successful businessman. Somewhere around 1914 he went to meditate at Mt. Kurama, and underwent a 21 day period of meditation and fasting. During this 21 day meditation the Reiki Energy entered his crown chakra. He discovered that he had received a great gift of healing. He knew that unlike his Chi Kung exercises, which could deplete his own personal energy, this Reiki Mikao Usui was born August 15th, 1865 in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture in a village called Yago. Usui studied Buddhism at the school and temple on Mt. Kurama as a child. It is also thought that he may have studied a Japanese form of Chi Kung and other oriental healing systems. Most stories of the History describe Usui as scholarly, and that he was a bright and hard working student. Usui was a successful businessman. Somewhere around 1914 he went to meditate at Mt. Kurama, and underwent a 21 day period of meditation and fasting.
