Ancient
Origins
Speculation
based on knowledge of other ancient healing systems has led to a plausible
hypothesis that may shed some light on the pre-Usui origins of Reiki. There
is a Tibetan Buddhist healing technique called the Medicine Buddha. It involves
the laying-on of hands similar to Reiki. The ability to do Medicine Buddha
healing is transmitted to the student through an empowerment given by the
teacher similar to a Reiki attunement. There are other spiritual lineage's
in Tibetan Buddhism involving the transmission of ability or value through
empowerments. Since Tibetan Buddhism is the only form of Buddhism that uses
empowerments, it is likely that the Reiki Dr. Usui rediscovered was formerly
a Tibetan technique that had been lost. It is known that a spiritual lineage
of this type may stop due to the failure of the teacher to pass it on. The
lineage may then resume hundreds or thousands of years later when a monk
or spiritual seeker receives instruction and empowerment during a mystical
experience. Perhaps this is what happened to Dr. Usui. Perhaps he had been
a Reiki Master in a past life and this gave him the determination to seek
the healing power again. Perhaps the lineage had come to an end only to
be started again when Dr. Usui's Reiki was reactivated
during his mystical experience.
To top of page...Reiki
The existence
of an unseen life force energy that flows through all of us and is responsible
for our health and well-being has been known by many cultures since the
ancient times. The existence of this energy has recently been verified by
the scientific community and has been the basis for a whole new genre of
health care called 'energy medicine'. The reason that we are alive is because
this life force is flowing through us through pathways called chakras or
energy centers. Life force, or Ki, as the Japanese call it, nourishes the
organs, tissues, and cells of the body supporting them in their various
functions. If this life force is disrupted or blocked, it causes problems
with the tissues and
organs where the
blockage occurs.
Reiki (pronounced RAY-KEY), is an ancient healing art that allows one to tap into this universal life force energy, and use it to improve health and enhance well-being. Reiki is a spiritually guided life force energy that is passed on from Master to student through an energy attunement and the use of symbols. Once the student has been attuned, he or she is able to channel much more of this life force energy through his or her body and can allow this energy to flow into the patient. 'Rei' means universal, and 'Ki' means life force energy.
Since
Reiki is spiritually guided energy, it can never do any harm. It knows when
and how to flow and heals by flowing through the affected parts of one's
energy field and charging this with positive energy. It helps to un-block
energy pathways that are causing or will eventually cause disease, and corrects
imbalances on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of the
body. In this way, Reiki relieves stress, promotes relaxation, and can sometimes
be
responsible for miraculous healings.
Since there is a shift going on in the health care industry to more holistic type treatments, Reiki is now being practiced in thousands of large hospitals around the world as a complementary treatment. Reiki treatments help with pain, fatigue, anxiety, post-operative recovery, and the side-effects of chemotherapy. Reiki is helpful in any situation and can never do any harm since the energy is directed by God-consciousness, and not the healing practitioner. In it's long history of use(over 2000 years), it has aided in healing virtually every known illness including multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cancer, broken bones, migraine headaches, colds, flus, impotence, skin problems, and depression. Because Reiki has infinite intelligence, it can behave rather remarkably, providing a 'miracle' cure if that is the divine plan or assisting in reducing suffering and promoting peacefulness if a person is destined to experience illness.
Receiving a Reiki treatment feels very relaxing and usually invokes a magnificent feeling of self peace. It is an incredibly powerful healing experience on all levels of existence - spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. This is because Reiki is the purest of all energies and knows on which level a person needs healing.
Reiki treatments can be done either in person or remotely. The distance does not affect the power of the energy since Reiki operates beyond time and space. (See articles about distant healing on this site to understand how this works). The distant treatment can be done in the comfort of your own home, nothing is required of you, other than your intent to receive the session. A quiet environment with no interruptions during the time period agreed upon is recommended. We connect together at an agreed upon time and Reiki energy is sent to you. You allow yourself to receive this gentle and intelligent energy and you will definitely feel it. The sensations experienced are often described as heat, tingling, buzzing, relaxation, or a deep and highly restorative meditative state.