Why talk about Usui Reiki’s History?

When I first began to teach Reiki almost twenty years ago, I felt I needed to gain more knowledge about Reiki’s history.   I felt that I must give my students the best information I could find.  Many books at that time did not document what I thought to be an accurate account of Reiki’s history.  After searching and reading as much as I could gather, I got better information about Dr. Usui and  Usui Reiki’s history.   In this article, I want to share this information with you.

Dr. Mikao Usui, the father of the Reiki we know today

Reiki (meaning Universal Life Force Energy) had been around prior to Dr. Usui with many systems of this healing art which are thought to have existed for thousands of years, possibly even since the beginning of time.When we refer to Reiki, it is shortened from “Usui Reiki Royho”, the current day Reiki we know.

How did Usui Reiki’s History come to be?

Reiki’s history began with Dr. Mikao Usui often referred to as Usui Sensei, who was born in 1865  in Taniai-village, Yamagata-district, Cifu Prefecture which is near the present day Nagoya, Japan.  His home was a short distance from Mt. Kurama, which played an important part in Reiki’s history.  As a child, he studied at the Tendai Buddist school at the nearby Buddist Temple on Mt. Kurama. He learned martial arts as well as the Japanese form of Chi Kong, called Kiko. Dr. Usui had an avid interest in learning and studied medicine, psychology, and theology which involved traveling the world.  He also dedicated himself to developing his psychic abilities and was a member of the Rei Jyutu Ka, a metaphysical group.

It is perhaps Dr. Usui’s quest for spiritual consciousness that lead him to discover his form of Reiki.  He came across a special state of consciousness called An-shin Ritus-mei (pronounced on sheen dit sue may).  He discovered that one way to achieve An-shin Ritus-mei was through the practice of Zazen meditation.  After three years of studying with a Zazen master, Dr. Usui could not achieve this special spiritual state and returned to his roots on Mt. Kurama.  He went to fast and meditate expecting that he might die there.  On the twenty first day of his retreat in February,1922, Dr. Usui felt a powerful light entering through the top of his head.  He realized that in addition to this life-changing experience he had received the gift of healing.  From then on he dedicated his life to being a healer and training others.

I hope this article has helped you better understand Usui Reiki’s history.

To read more about Dr. Usui: http://www.reiki.org/faq/historyofreiki.html