What is Reiki? (Pronounced Ray-key)
The knowledge that an unseen energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to the quality of health has been part of the wisdom of many cultures since ancient times. The existence of this "life force energy" has been verified by recent scientific experiments as is evidenced in Kirilian photography. Many medical professionals are considering the role it plays in the functioning of the immune system and the healing process.

The ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student by the Reiki Master. Its use is not dependent on ones intellectual capacity or spiritual development and, therefore, is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Rei = Spiritual Wisdom
The word "Rei" means universal and this is the definition most widely known and accepted. Japanese writing, known as kanji ideograms, have many levels of meaning. They vary from the mundane to the highly esoteric. So while on the surface Rei can be interpreted as universal, meaning that it is present everywhere, the esoteric meaning of the Japanese kanji character for Rei has given a much deeper understanding of this ideogram. The word Rei as it is used in Reiki is more accurately interpreted to mean supernatural knowledge or spiritual consciousness. This is the wisdom that comes from God or the Higher Self. This is the God-Consciousness, which is all-knowing. It understands each person completely. It knows the cause of all problems and difficulties and knows what to do to heal them.

Ki = The Life Force
Ki means the same as Chi in Chinese, Prana in Sanskrit and Ti or Ki in Hawaiian. It has also been called, odic force, orgone, and bioplasma. It has been given many other names by the various cultures that have been aware of it.

Ki is the life force. It is also called the vital life force or the universal life force. This is the nonphysical energy that animates all living things. As long as something is alive, it has life force circulating through it and surrounding it; when it dies, the life force departs. If your life force is low, or if there is a restriction in its flow, you will be more vulnerable to illness. When it is high, and flowing freely, you are less likely to get sick. Life force plays an important role in everything we do. It animates the body and also is the primary energy of our emotions, thoughts and spiritual life.

The Chinese place great importance on the life force or what they call Chi. They have studied it for thousands of years and have discovered there are many different kinds of Chi. The "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" which is over 4,000 years old, lists thirty-two different kinds of Chi or Ki.

Ki is used by martial artists in their physical training and mental development. It is used in meditative breathing exercises called Pranayama, and by the shamans of all cultures for divination, psychic awareness, manifestation and healing. Ki is the nonphysical energy used by all healers. Ki is present all around us and can be accumulated and guided by the mind.

Reiki can be defined as Spiritually Guided Life Force Energy.

Is Reiki a Religion?
While Reiki is Spiritually guided it is not a religion. There is no dogma nor is it necessary for one to believe a certain way in order to learn or use it. Reiki is not dependent upon belief in it in order for it to work. The only requirement is that the person receiving a Reiki treatment has a sincere, soul-felt desire to heal.

While Reiki is not a religion for optimum well being the Eastern philosophy of mind, body and spirit work together in harmony. Disease simply means that the body, mind or spirit is not (dis) at ease.

The Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value. These ideals are called The Precepts.

The miraculous medicine of all diseases.

^{A note from the webmaster:A beautiful insight from Mother Teresa that sums it up quite nicely can be found here.}

Some information 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 lineages 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.

Dr. Mikao Usui, or Usui Sensei as he is called by his students in Japan, is the founder of the Usui System of Reiki. He was born August 15, 1865 in the village of Yago in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, Japan. It is thought that he entered a Tendai Buddhist school on or near Mt. Kurama ("horse saddle mountain") at age four. He also studied kiko, the Japanese version of qigong, which is a health and healing discipline based on the development and use of life energy. The young Usui found that these healing methods required the practitioner to build up and then deplete his own life energy when giving treatments. He wondered if it were possible to do healing work without depleting one's own energy. He went on to study in Japan, China and Europe and ended up spontaneously receiving Reiki during a meditation practice on Mt. Kurama.

Usui Sensei had an avid interest in learning and worked hard at his studies. He traveled to Europe and China to further his education. His curriculum included medicine, psychology, and religion as well as fortune telling, which Asians have long considered to be a worthy skill. It is thought that he was from a wealthy family, as in Japan only the wealthy could afford to send their children to school. Eventually he became the secretary to Pei Gotoushin, head of the department of health and welfare who later became the Mayor of Tokyo. The connections Usui Sensei made at this job helped him to become a successful businessman. Usui Sensei was also a member of the Rei Jyutu Ka, a metaphysical group dedicated to developing psychic abilities.

In 1914 Usui's personal and business life was failing. As a sensitive spiritualist, Usui Sensei had spent much time meditating at power spots on Mt. Kurama where he had received his early Buddhist training. So he decided to travel to this holy mountain, where he enrolled in Isyu Guo, a twenty-one-day training course sponsored by the Tendai Buddhist Temple located there. We do not know for certain what he was required to do during this training, but it is likely that fasting, meditation, chanting and prayers were part of the practice. In addition, we know there is a small waterfall on Mt. Kurama where even today people go to meditate. This meditation involves standing under the waterfall and allowing the waters to strike and flow over the top of the head, a practice which is said to activate the crown chakra. Japanese Reiki Masters think that Usui Sensei may have used this meditation as part of his practice. In any case, it was during the Isyu Guo training that the great Reiki energy entered his crown chakra. This greatly enhanced his healing abilities and he realized he had received a wonderful new gift - the ability to give healing to others without depleting his own energy!

A wonderful book to read to learn more about Reiki and how Dr. Usui rediscovered it: Reiki, The Healing Touch, by William Lee Rand.

William Rand is founder of the International Center for Reiki Training located in Southfield, Michigan:

21421 Hilltop Street, Unit #28 * Southfield, Michigan 48034
Toll Free: (800) 332-8112 * Local: (248) 948-8112
Fax: (248) 948-9534 * E-Mail: the Reiki Center's web site or
to the webmaster at Turtle Zen.

The webmaster is a Usui Reiki Master and welcomes your questions and/or requests. The following page is my personal observations and insights on reiki.