When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
A Buddhist proverb
When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
A Buddhist proverb
Reiki is not a religion, but a wonderful practice, available to everyone. Reiki was (re)discovered by Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist monk and a doctor, inspired by the Bible and the healing miracles of Jesus Christ. He systematised the art of Reiki under the name “The Usui System of Natural Healing.” Reiki is a recognised healing technique, used everywhere in the world. Aside from the basic Reiki principles we should all use, practicing Reiki or not, there are another 10 rules you should be familiar with, particularly if this is your first contact with Reiki.
The 10 Rules of Reiki Practice
For us, for our progress and commitment to Reiki, we need a conscious decision.
Energy flows in our body through a system of chakras and energy channels. If the energy level is optimal, and there are no blockages in the flow of energy, you are a healthy person. Thoughts, too, are made up of extremely fine energy fibres. Healthy and positive thoughts maintain our psyche like a subtle food. A healthy and smiling, happy and fulfilled person has a harmonious flow and plenty of energy, which is possible to gauge today. Unfortunately life is too complicated for the ideal status to be maintained permanently.
On the other hand, that’s precisely what living by the Reiki principles could give us. Life, however, throws us challenges, small and big lessons we need to learn. Reiki is a way to attract the universal life energy and, using the minor palm chakras, channel the flow of energy within our bodies or to someone else’s, to restore the energy system.
How does that work? However willing or unwilling we may be to accept it, we are part of a far larger energy system, which involves happiness and sadness, pain and joy. Luckily the laws of universe work in our favour, and we can make a difference by changing our thoughts.
Reiki, the universal life energy, is everywhere, and our job is to learn how to channel it and use it for our own good, or for the benefit of the world. In the use of Reiki you are making progress gradually, which is why there are four initiations.
Symbols are part of the Reiki tradition, but they are so much more than a visual performance. Reiki practitioners use the symbols to connect with higher energies, and to send energy over a distance. Every symbol has a name, meaning and purpose. Even though the Reiki symbols are not confidential, the symbol alone will not work if used by anyone. It is the Reiki attunement/initiation that gives a Reiki practitioner a power to use the symbols.
The initiation process connects the Reiki practitioner’s energy system to the universal energy, and a Reiki Teacher, practicing in a controlled, perfectly safe environment, transfers a large quantity of energy to the student, which is a pleasant experience. A channel is created in the process, allowing the student to use Reiki alone in the future. There are four levels of Reiki, achieved by successive initiations, each raising the level of energy we can use.
The First Degree is the initial, basic one. The Reiki symbols are not available at this stage, because the practitioner needs to clean up his own backyard first, so to speak. Yet it is at this stage that the greatest difference is made, because the body’s energy system is fine-tuned with the universal energy. Obstacles fall down, the quality of biofield is improved and the person is happier, healthier and can receive more energy. The practitioner has made the first step, and self-growth can begin.
The Second Degree allows for a shift to a higher energy level. The second degree Reiki initiation requires that the practitioner has already learnt how to use Reiki to help himself. The higher level of energy will bring about a deeper change in the infinity ethereal body, and the three symbols available at this level are the energy keys making it possible for the practitioner to help himself and others more effectively. Having taken this degree, the practitioner can help not only people, but other living creatures as well.
The Third Degree raises the practitioner to the Reiki Master Level. With higher energy comes greater responsibility for us and for others. The practitioner receives the Master Symbol, which increases considerably the energy he can use to help others. The Spiritual Being within has grown and matured, and the Ego is under control.
The Fourth Degree is given to the Master who has deserved to become a Teacher. This is a great honour in Reiki, coming with great responsibility, too. The Reiki Teacher is not a wizard, but he is a good, credible guide, familiar with the ancient Tibetan ritual, who can initiate others. A true Teacher is an emotionally mature person, a loyal friend, always there for a student in need of guidance. This is why a student can have only one Reiki Teacher, who is responsible for all his students until the end of his life.
The best part of Reiki, and of the Usui system, is that they are absolutely safe. Even the smallest selfish or negative thought, be it the student’s or the teacher’s, will close the energy channels automatically, blocking the transfer and exchange of energy. This is what makes them both safe, protecting the system against manipulation. Indeed, Reiki is one of the safest methods to transfer energy, which is precisely why it gives unparalleled results.
The History of Reiki
At the root of Reiki is the concept of hands-on-body healing through the universal life energy, which, according to Buddhist scrolls, goes back to ancient times. The succession of disciples had been interrupted at some point, and the system was lost until the 19th century.
Mikao Usui, a Buddhist monk from Kyoto, who was also a physician, studied the Buddhist sutras describing this healing method for twenty years. Inspired by a sentence from the Bible, Usui studied the scrolls zealously, and found the healing technique used by Buddha. The theory was not enough though, and Mikao Usui’s internal quest was about to begin.
One day he decided to climb to the top of the Mount Koriyama, determined not to give up until he discovered the truth. Having meditated for 21 days, Usui experienced a spontaneous initiation – a power to channel cosmic energy. He also learnt how to teach others to fine-tune the frequency and power of their internal energy. That was the beginning of Reiki as we know it.