Reiki

Derivation of the Name and Related Terms

Reiki: Japanese, kanji rendering 霊気 or hirigana rendering レイキ, IPA pronounciation /ˈreɪkiː/

In English, one commonly finds "reiki" used as a verb, noun, or adjective.

In Japanese, generally one uses hirigana for "foreign" words. Commonly one finds the word "reiki" in Japanese rendered in hirigana, even though it can be rendered in the older kanji (based on older Chinese ideograms). This example has a note of irony given that Usui's reiki originated in Japan, flourished in the West via Hawaii, and then came back into common usage in Japanese as a "foreign" word, rendered in hirigana rather than its older traditional rendering in kanji.

"Reiki" is often translated as "unseen/hidden energy/life-force". In Japanese, the word "reiki" can be used generically to refer to spiritual power, and not specifically in the context of Usui's work. Common phrases in Japanese for Usui's Method of reiki healing include Usui reiki shiki ryoho (Usui reiki healing method), and Usui-do ("Way of Usui").

The Practice of Reiki

Reiki Energy

No one seems quite certain what the term "reiki energy" might mean. Reiki practitioners often imagine or describe a flow of unseen universal energy which follows a channel from above them, entering their body via the crown of their head, which gets channelled out the palms of their hands, into the body of the person to whom they give treatment. Reiki practitioners also have a system of sending reiki energy remotely, also known as "absent healing". Some reiki masters compare the energy to other theorized universal energy or flow such as chi and tao(Chinese), prana (Sanskrit), orgone (Wilhelm Reich), élan vital (Henri Bergson), and the Odic Force (Baron Carl von Reichenbach). Thus far, no one has produced a mainstream scientific explanation for reiki energy, though some have claimed to see changes in Kirilian photographic images indicative of channelling reiki energy.

Attunement

Gassho gesture, Ronald McDonald statue, Thailand, 2006, by Fred Allendorf

Attunement describes a ritual process by which one is initiated into a level of reiki (commonly called I, II, and III, or traditionally shoden, okuden, shinpiden). To attune a student involves a shinpiden (master) giving an initiation reiki session to a student. The master/teacher makes special signs over the crown of the student's head and on their hands with the intention of opening up and "tuning" their energy chakras along the spine to channel energy out the palms of the hands to provide healing. This attunement ritual includes "installing" symbols into the energy field of the student for his or her access (this assumes that reiki symbols and jumon are basically ineffective for non-initiates until they have been earned in initiation).

Attunement usually gets performed over an initiate whilst he or she sits, holding hands in traditional "gassho" gesture (see photo to left).

Reiki Practitioner Levels

Usui may have used something akin to the dan'i system in his dojo. Modern Western reiki from Takata tends to follow a three-part initiation system similar to other Western mystery schools (i.e. blue lodge freemasonry's "entered apprentice", "fellow craft" and "master").

Level I

Some schools call this level Shoden. Level I often involves teaching the history of Usui, his reiki principles, hand positions, and an attunement as a very basic initiation to the concept of channelling reiki energy for hands-on healing. Some schools teach that level I heals on the physical level.

Level II

Some schools call this level Okuden. Level II often involves a second attunement and further study into the hands-on and remote uses of reiki energy. At this point students often become familar with reiki symbols and jumon for increasing spiritual power, mental healing, and distance healing ("beaming"). Some also teach "scanning" the body to intuitively determine potential problem areas. Some schools consider level II "emotional healing".

Level IIIa ("Master Practitioner")

Likely this term was invented rather recently to describe a reiki practitioner who has taken the "personal mastery" training that some modern masters in the Usui/Tibetan traditions offer. Generally this involves a reiki master attunement but without the level III master symbols or instructions for attuning others.

In some schools this rank enables a student to pass on the practitioner levels (shoden through kaiden) but not to create another menkyo kaiden (免許皆伝) which implies a "license of total transmission" to create new master teachers.

Level III ("Master Teacher")

Those who have been attuned and initiated into the third level, often called "master" level in the West, and menkyo kaiden (免許皆伝) or shinpiden in more traditional terms. These comprise the top of the reiki hierarchy. They are attuned with a special master symbol and instructed in its meaning and application. Only master-level reiki practitioners have the traditional right to teach and to create new reiki masters, much as in Christian tradition only bishops have the power to make someone a priest. Some schools teach that level III for spiritual healing.

In some schools this is called Soke. This level leads to dai shihan (senior facilitator) and contains additional material required to enable a student to pass on the complete system to another student.

"Grandmaster"

Some reiki masters have spoken of the "grandmasters" of reiki, but this term appears to have no historical precedent in Usui's time. Hawayo Takata may have invented the rank for her own purposes. Usui himself probably was called sensei (先生) by his students as a title of respect (similar to many martial arts schools).

Other Systems of Level, Degree, or Rank

Usui may have used a somewhat more elaborate systems of ranks in his dojo, similar to the ranking systems of Judo and Aikido. Modern schools have tended toward the more simplified three-tiered ranking systems.

Traditional Reiki Symbols and Jumon

The reiki symbols (shirushi in Japanese) can be seen as a form of ritual symbolism with an associated phrase (jumon, "spell" or "incantation", sometimes called shingon, "mantra" or "true word"), used to increase reiki energy, or modify reiki energy to treat particular ailments or disorders. In Western reiki the jumon is commonly used as the symbol's name.

There is some debate among reiki practitioners as to whether one should reveal the symbols to the uninitiated, as many reiki practitioners consider them sacred if not utterly secret. Even within reiki the first level initiate (shoden) rarely if ever sees them. The second level initiate (okuden) learn the first three (Cho Ku Rei, Sei He Ki, and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen). The master/teacher (shinpiden) receives a special symbol (Dai Ko Mio and sometimes others) during initiation/attunement. Some reiki researchers debate whether the extra master symbols were ever taught by Usui. These extra symbols appear to have come from traditions which either tap into older Tibetan (and possibly Shinto) sources, or the symbols were invented by (or "revealed themselves" to) later Western masters who taught them to their students.

With the advent of the World Wide Web the secrecy of the symbols has become a rather moot point, as one can easily find them with a [Google Image Search].

Cho Ku Rei

mention parallel to old Christian monk-script "crossed b" used to banish, Titivillus, the "patron demon" of scribes who tried to introduce errors into copies of sacred works

Sei He Ki

mental healing symbol

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen

"Distance" or "remote" symbol, used for sending healing energy without the need to physically touch the recipient.

Non-traditional or Debated Symbols

Dai Ko Mio

master symbol

Nin Giz Zida

"Tibetan Fire Serpent"

FIXME: mention Arthur Robertson's research and syncretism with his findings of traditional Tibetan initiation reiki

Raku

"lightning bolt" used in master attunements

Dumo

(also known as "Tibetan Master Symbol")

The Dumo is a "Tibetan" Symbol that is part of the William Rand Usui/Tibetan System as well as used by various Independent Reiki Masters including Diane Stein. This symbol is also referred to as the "Tibetan Dai Ko Mio". This symbol is thought to unify the body and mind. It is reported to work with fire in the base chakra by igniting the Sacred flame (i.e., the Kundalini energy). It is believed to pull negative energy and disease from the body and mind.

Linguistic Analysis of the Symbols

The symbols, in an English context, can be thought of as "Joycean", in that they often contain condensed Kanji (partially overlapped), Shinto symbolism, or even shorthand Sanskrit, where some elements have been taken off in order to give a specific energy connotation - not unlike James Joyce's invented portmanteau words in Finnegans Wake, like "electrickery" (electricity/trickery).

Hand Positions and Mudras

Mikao Usui

Reiki Lineage From Mikao Usui

"Reiki lineage" gets mentioned a lot in reiki practitioner circles. It describes the unbroken chain, from student to master (sensei-deshi), back Usui himself. In searching "reiki lineage" among North American reiki master practitioners on the Web, the count has the vast majority tracing their recent spiritual genealogy to [Rick and Emma Ferguson], with the odd exception of a few reiki practitioners who have sought attunement and initiation from other Japanese reiki. Some have noted feelings of snobbery and competition between the Western branch via Hawaii with the "traditional" branches which claim a more direct connection to Usui's spiritual lineage.

One can think of the "reiki lineage" as similar the Roman Catholic Church's concept of Apostolic Succession, or compare it to a modern piano student who claims "musical descent" from Johann Sebastion Bach via the long line of student-teacher relationships.

At best one can imagine reiki lineage as a way to remember and honour ones past masters, and at worst a way to express snobbery in claims to a "purer" form of reiki closer to Usui himself. If the attunement bestows access to limitless universal energy, what difference does it make if you're three more attunements from Usui than another reiki practicioner?

A Common "Family Tree" of Reiki Masters in the West

Mikao Usui (臼井甕男, Usui Mikao, 15 August 1865―9 March 1926) - Founder of Usui method of reiki healing and the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Society). He taught over 2000 students to use reiki. 16 of his students continued their training to reach the shinpiden level, equivalent to the Western third degree or master/teacher level. Usui died, or "transitioned" (to use a common reiki practitioner phrase), in 1926.
Chujiro Hiyashi - A former student of Usui, he left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai after Usui's death and formed his own reiki society. Hiyashi simplified the Reiki teachings, stressing physical healing and using a more codified and simpler set of Reiki techniques.
Hawayo Takata - She claimed Hiyashi healed her of serious illness using reiki. Apparently with some reluctance at first, Hiyashi later trained her and initiated her as a master (shinpiden). She travelled widely in the USA, practising Reiki and teaching the first two levels to others. Takata stressed the importance of charging money for Reiki treatments and teachings. In 1976, Takata began teaching and initiating in the shinpiden level and introduced the term "reiki master" for this level. She also fixed a price of $10,000 (U.S. dollars) for the master training. Between 1974 and 1976, Takata initiated and trained 22 Reiki Masters. Almost all reiki taught outside Japan has followed from her work. Takata transitioned in 1979.
Iris Ishikuro - The 10th Master initiated by Takata, instructed to only train 3 people at the Master level; she trained her daughter, Arthur Robertson, and an unknown person (possibly). She abandoned the practice of charging $10,000 for reiki master training, allowing reiki to spread more widely. Iris apparently taught levels I and II together and asked her student Arthur Robertson to do the same. She transitioned on June 7, 1986.
Arthur Robertson - He created the Raku Kei Reiki branch of reiki with Iris Ishikuro in the early 1980s. They both may account for a good deal of the Tibetan influence in modern Western reiki. One also finds Arthur Robertson's name in a good number of North American reiki practitioners' lineages. Robertson transitioned in 2001.

Schism Between Western and "Traditional" Reiki

Reiki in the Hayashi-Takata (Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition) is considered by some schools to be "modified" from Usui's original intents, especially in their adoption of "New Age" influences and practices.

FIXME: mention Canadian fellow named King and his Japanese traditional reiki lineage

Other Reiki traditions

FIXME: mention Arthur Robertson's Tibetan reiki research

Controversies

Medical Controversies

Integration with Western Medicine

FIXME: cite North American hospitals that allow reiki sessions for cancer patients and palliative care

External Links

[James Deacon's Reiki pages]